Will Oldham is an enigmatic singer/songwriter who commonly performs under the name Bonnie "Prince" Billy. For decades, his music and lyrics have explored the human experience with great intensity and respect. With an ear finely tuned to history, Oldham speaks candidly about the role music plays in the past, present and future of our culture in this new interview.

(Season 2, Episode 07 - Revolutionary Writers)

2.07. The Songwriter: Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Willie Nelson is a superstar of country music (“Red Headed Stranger,” “Shotgun Willie,” “Stardust”). He reinvented the genre as one of the founding fathers of outlaw country, forging a style of music that went against the convention of its time. Filmmaker Steven Cantor sat down with Willie to talk about how he got his start in this 2002 interview. [“American Masters – Willie Nelson: Still Is Still Moving” (2002)].

(Season 2, Episode 08 - Revolutionary Writers)

2.08. The Songwriter: Willie Nelson

We sit down with U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith to discuss the ideas that drive her writing. Considered among the best poets of her generation, Smith won the Pulitzer Prize in 2011 for her collection, "Life on Mars," which melds science and science fiction with the discoveries, failures, and oddities of the human experience. She reads poems from her past collections and from her forthcoming book, "Wade in the Water," to be published in April 2018.

(Season 2, Episode 09 - Revolutionary Writers)

2.09. The Poet: Tracy K. Smith

The venerable poet, writer, activist, dancer and singer Dr. Maya Angelou teaches that above all else, we are more alike than we are unalike. In this season's final episode, listen to Dr. Angelou share insights into her life as a teacher, what it takes to be courageous and an emotional story from her time in Ghana visiting a wharf where slaves were once sold and traded. [“American Masters – Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” (2017)].

(Season 2, Episode 10 - Revolutionary Writers)

2.10. The Poet: Dr. Maya Angelou

Young women entrepreneurs today can find inspiration in the story of Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr. In her time, she was known as the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, but it was her groundbreaking work as an inventor of a secure communications system that has turned her into a legend. Recorded live at the Whitby Hotel in New York, host Michael Kantor moderates a panel including Academy Award-winning actor Susan Sarandon, Rutgers professor and IEEE fellow Emina Soljanin, and filmmaker Alexandra Dean, as they discuss Lamarr’s legacy. Co-executive produced by Sarandon, and directed by Dean, with major support by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, “American Masters – Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” is streaming now at pbs.org/americanmasters and PBS OTT apps.

Susan Sarandon, Emina Soljanin, and Alexandra Dean on actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr

This season the American Masters Podcast presents "Revolutionary Writers," 10 episodes that look at the artists that challenge and shape our thoughts through the power of the written word. 

The American Masters Podcast features new interviews with contemporary artists, along with previously unreleased interviews from the series’ 30+ years of award-winning documentary films. Subscribe now!

American Masters | PBS

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