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Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, this documentary follows the rise and fall of JT LeRoy, a literary persona created by writer Laura Albert, who published two books, Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, and was featured in a 2004 interview by Litsa Dremousis in Poets & Writers Magazine.
"It was the end of day. / Shadows came engulfing." As part of the Poets On documentary series, hosted by Carol Frost and directed by Gerard Meola, the late Pulitzer Prize–winning author Donald Justice reads his poetry and attempts to answer such timeless questions as, "What makes a line?" and "How important is originality?"
"Poetry begins with hearing...begins with hearing the sounds of passion." In this first feature documentary of poet laureate W. S. Merwin, the poet and environmental activist shares his work and life. The film, directed by Stefan Schaefer, is available on VOD or DVD with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Merwin Conservancy.
"Sometimes in my dreams I sign and everyone understands me." In this 2011 documentary directed by Judy Lieff, a deaf teen is introduced to American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and enters into the spoken word slam scene. Deaf Jam has inspired a website which includes resources for ASL poets and workshops with the artists featured in the film.
"Robert, you've wasted so much of your life / Sitting indoors to write poems. Would you / Do that again? I would, a thousand times." In Robert Bly: A Thousand Years of Joy, director Haydn Reiss tracks the evolution of the prolific, mystical poet and his impact on American poetry through interviews with Louise Erdrich, Edward Hirsch, Tracy K. Smith, and others.
"The great thing with poetry is that you can hide a lot of your feelings and a lot of your truth in metaphor, and that's why I felt safe." In this teaser for a documentary from BBC Radio 1, spoken word poets share stories of their first experiences writing poems and how poetry has made an impact on their lives.
“She’s a fearsome critic, essayist, a voice of moral authority, and a deeply intimidating figure.” Joan Didion’s nephew, Griffin Dunne, speaks about Didion’s life and legacy, the subject of a documentary he is codirecting, which is currently being funded through Kickstarter.
"The Review is based on the idea that highly skillful, intelligent people can write about any subject." Directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi, this documentary, which airs September 29 on HBO, traces the fifty-year history of the New York Review of Books.
Judith Chernaik founded Poetry on the Underground for the London Underground public metro system in 1986. This seven-minute documentary explores the project's evolution through poetry readings and an interview with Chernaik, who says the Underground is the perfect place to promote poetry because "you're in a strange place, and it's nice to have the comfort of language which is human and humane."
"I breathe in infinite curiosity and I write because I must." This short documentary by Jake Cushnir shows poet Gabe Kittle as he writes poems on his Royal typewriter at a Boston subway station.
