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Scott Borchert on Republic of Detours: How the New Deal Paid Broke Writers to Rediscover America
January 14, 2022 @ 12:00 pm CST
Hosted by the Caxton Club.
Starving authors. The Federal Writers’ Project. All 48 states plus territories, cities, and even rivers. Stories beyond numbering. Books tucked away next to a chimney in an attic. Jim Thompson, Zora Neale Hurston, John Cheever, Studs Terkel, Vardis Fischer, Ralph Ellison and the House Un-American Activities Committee.
All of these combine in Scott Borchert’s Republic of Detours (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) to tell the rollicking tale of the WPA State Guides and the hundreds of pamphlets created under the auspices of what may have been the largest literary project in history.
Borchert’s great uncle Fred (who was interviewed for A Gentle Madness) collected a full set of the State Guides and inspired this work, which was featured on the cover of the autumn edition of Fine Books & Collections.
Join us for a trip through time and great open spaces. Signed bookplates will be available. Email your shipping address to info@caxtonclub.org.
Register for this free program today!