United States of Poetry

This program is 60 short, dynamic and surprising video vignettes with extraordinary poetic soundtracks. For these poets, placing the audience in personal contact with the words is the priority, and their performances have become an important part of their message. Performances from Allen Ginsberg, Rita Dove, Jimmy Carter, and Johnny Depp highlight this revolutionary look at American verse. This film captures the intensity and emotional energy of performances by Czeslaw Milosz, Joseph Brodsky, and Derek Walcott, musicians Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, and cutting edge poets including Tlingit Nora, Henry Real Bird, reggae poet Everton Sinclair and cowboy poet Sue Wallis. Two Tape Set.