G.P.I. Conference To Premier Carl Sandburg Documentary

He was the true Arts & Crafts poet.

While many of us have seen the images of Carl Sandburg, the white-haired, shaggy troubadour folk singer, at the White House with President Kennedy or on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Show, what we may not realize is that like Frank Lloyd Wright, the prairie poet not only came of age during the Arts & Crafts era, but played a role in it.

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was both born and buried in Galesburg, Illinois, though the events took place some 89 years apart. He struggled during his early years to find his calling, traveling about the country, taking what jobs he could until the day he stood beneath the chautauqua stage and listened to the golden tongued orators of the day: William Jennings Bryan, Eugene Debs, Booker T. Washington, and Elbert Hubbard.

In 1901, inside a chautauqua tent erected on the grounds of Galesburg's Knox College, a 23-year-old Carl Sandburg fell under the spell of Elbert Hubbard. After the close of the evening he made his way through the crowd to shake the hand of the Roycroft leader, who Sandburg described as having "long hair framing a smiling, kindly face."

Sandburg devoured everything Hubbard wrote and was unabashed in his praise for the prolific Roycrofter. "I rank Hubbard highest among contemporary writers," he declared. He understood the propaganda of the self-help movement in oratory, and tried like his friend Elbert Hubbard to leaven the realities of daily existence in the new industrialized society by encouraging individual initiative.

His bookings on the lecture circuit increased as a result of his appearances at Roycroft, prompting Eugene Debs, the 1908 presidential candidate on the Social Democrats ballot, to remark that he was "one of the most brilliant young orators in the Socialist movement in the United States."

Documentary filmmaker Paul Bonesteel has completed the feature length documentary "The Day Carl Sandburg Died" focusing on the life and influence of writer Carl Sandburg. Six years in production, the film includes a remarkable cast of interviewees, rarely seen archival film, and modern performances to present the fascinating life of this American icon.

"The Day Carl Sandburg Died" tells the panoramic story of Sandburg’s life, his work and the enduring legacy of his ideas. It includes his contributions in poetry, history, journalism, and music, as well as delving into the complex social and political events that shaped his life, his work, and the Arts & Crafts era.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville, NC, Paul Bonesteel will address our attendees before the Saturday evening showing of "The Day Carl Sandburg Died."

For information on the Arts & Crafts Conference, please go to http://www.Arts-CraftsConference.com.