University of Kentucky

A stark documentary film about the economic and educational crises the mountain people of rural Appalachia faced at the tail end of the Dust Bowl period.

Unable or unwilling to conform to the rigid atmosphere of Washington and Lee College as a freshman, Ed bailed out after a brief stint there to attend—and graduate from—Miami of Ohio. After graduate work at UK, he left for the Left Coast, and it suited him just fine. The first stop was a writing instructorship at Oregon State, then enrollment into the Stanford Writing Program, a move shared by Jim, Wendell, and Gurney. There he cultivated, among other things, relationships with Larry McMurtry, Robert Stone, and—most importantly—Ken Kesey. Ed didn’t just experience the 1960s; he wallowed in them. Also, a bonus interview from 1996 program, Signature Live.

A Shaker Worship Service by Salli Terry. Featuring the University of Kentucky Choristers. Under the Direction of Professor Sara Holroyd. Produced by the Office of Instructional Resources University of Kentucky. With Support from a grant by the Kentucky Arts Council. Directed by Leveque McDonald. Narrated by Dr. Thomas D. Clark. September 29, 1979