Cratis Williams | Broadcast Announcement

Cratis Williams: Living the Divided Life

An Invitation to Watch

Media Working Group and director Fred Johnson are pleased to announce Kentucky Educational Television's special broadcast of

Cratis Williams: Living the Divided Life

Air times are:
(All times EST)
KET2 Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005 at 10:00 pm
KET1 Thursday, Dec 15, 2005 at 2:00 am

Balladeer, Linguist, Cultural Activist, Storyteller
Cratis Williams, often referred to as "the father of Appalachian literature", pioneered the field of Appalachian studies.

In this entertaining and poignant documentary Cratis Williams weaves his personal recollections, song, storytelling, in-depth scholarship and understanding of folk culture into a grand tale of the modern Appalachian experience. Balladeer, linguist, cultural activist, storyteller, Cratis Williams was beloved throughout Southern Appalachia as storyteller and cultural hero.

Williams was an eloquent defender of Appalachian Culture and one of the most important scholars of the post-war era. In this hour-long documentary, Cratis visits his ancestral homeland and family on Caines Creek in Eastern Kentucky's Big Sandy Valley. He reminisces about confronting the stereotypes of Appalachian Culture and personalities while growing up among descendants of "Kentucky Long Hunters, veterans of the American Revolution, Tories escaped to the backwoods, refugees from the Whisky Rebellion, and Kentucky Mountain feudists."

Also featured in the documentary are leading Appalachian writers and scholars Gurney Norman, Pat Beaver, Grace Edwards, Loyal Jones, Jim Wayne Miller, and David Williams.

mail@cratiswilliams.org
www.cratiswilliams.org

A Media Working Group Production www.mwg.org