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The Language of Life

Front Cover
24 Reviews
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Mar 1, 1996 - Poetry - 480 pages
"Poets live the lives all of us live," says Bill Moyers, "with one big difference. They have the power--the power of the word--to create a world of thoughts and emotions other can share. We only have to learn to listen."



In a series of fascinating conversations with thirty-four American poets, The Language Of Life celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form," and its unique power to re-create the human experience: falling in love, facing death, leaving home, playing basketball, losing faith, finding God. Listening to Linda McCarriston's award-winning poems about a child trapped in a violent home, or to Jimmy Santiago Baca explaining how words changed his life in prison, or to David Mura describing his Japanese American grandfather's experience in relocation camps, or to Sekou Sundiata stitching the magic of his childhood church in Harlem to the African tradition of storytelling, or to Gary Snyder invoking the natural wonder of mountains and rivers, or to Adrienne Rich calling for honesty in human relations, all testify to the necessity and clarity of the poet's voice, and all give hope that from such a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and religious threads we might yet weave a new American fabric.



"'Listen,' said the storytellers of old, 'listen and you shall hear,'" explains Bill Moyers. The Language Of Life is a joyous, life-affirming invitation to listen, learn, and experience the exhilarating power of the spoken word.

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Review: The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets

User Review  - Miroku Nemeth - Goodreads

An excellent anthology not just for the selections of poetry but the insights it offers into the diverse lives and histories of the poets. Read full review

Review: The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets

User Review  - Amy - Goodreads

I can't recommend this book enough. The poets represented are fabulous, but really makes this book for me is the interviews with Bill Moyers. He asks fascinating questions and the answers are inspiring! Read full review

All 22 reviews »

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References from web pages

Books@Random | The Language of Life: Readers' Group Companion
The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets, edited by Bill Moyers Main Street/Doubleday trade paperback, ISBN 0-385-48410-0, $18.95 US/ $26.95 CAN ...
www.randomhouse.com/ resources/ bookgroup/ languagelife_bgc.html

The Language of Life with Bill Moyers: Teacher's Guide.
ED385874 - The Language of Life with Bill Moyers: Teacher
www.eric.ed.gov/ ERICWebPortal/ recordDetail?accno=ED385874

The Light of the World: Poetic Imagery and the Gospel
The Light of the World: Poetic Imagery and the Gospel. By Chuck Colson. Breakpoint Commentary, February 5, 1996, No. 60205. During the past six months, ...
www.leaderu.com/ humanities/ lightworld.html

NOW with Bill Moyers. Transcript. Poet Profile - Linda mccarriston ...
The following is an excerpt from the Bill Moyers' book and film, THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE: A FESTIVAL OF POETS. MOYERS: You tell students that poetry is about ...
www.pbs.org/ now/ transcript/ transcript_mccarriston.html

The Language of Life With Bill Moyers at Hollywood.com
The Language of Life With Bill Moyers, The Language of Life With Bill Moyers review, The Language of Life With Bill Moyers trailer, The Language of Life ...
www.hollywood.com/ tv/ The_Language_of_Life_With_Bill_Moyers/ 5199559

wikianswers - Questions with 'Bill Moyers: The Language of Life ...
Questions with 'Bill Moyers: The Language of Life - A Festival of Poets, Vol. 5 - Here in the Mind' [edit search]. New search. in: all categories ...
wiki.answers.com/ Q/ Special:Search& search=Bill%20Moyers:%20The%20Language%20of%20Life%20-%20A%20Festival%20of%20Poets...

The Language of Life With Bill Moyers Television show - The ...
The Language of Life With Bill Moyers TV Show, Yahoo! TV is your reference guide to The Language of Life With Bill Moyers Show
tv.yahoo.com/ the-language-of-life-with-bill-moyers/ show/ 31614

The Language of Life With Bill Moyers | Find Show Information at ...
Find in-depth TV information about The Language of Life With Bill Moyers. Check out the latest episode info, show trailers, cast bios, pictures, ...
www.fancast.com/ tv/ The-Language-of-Life-With-Bill-Moyers/ 90368/ main

KET - The Language of Life with Bill Moyers Schedule
Kentucky Educational Television: delivering a broad spectrum of award-winning educational, cultural, and public affairs programming to Kentuckians and the ...
www.ket.org/ cgi-bin/ schedule/ series.pl?id=LLBM

JSTOR: Celebrating Poetry in the Classroom
The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets. Bill Moyers. James Haba, ed. 1995. New York: Doubleday. 450 pp., $25.95 (hardback), $18.95 (paperback). ...
links.jstor.org/ sici?sici=0013-8274(199704)86%3A4%3C73%3ACPITC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-%23

About the author (1996)

Bill Moyers, June 5, 1934 - Bill Moyers was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on June 5, 1934. He attended North Texas State College, the University of Texas at Austin, earning his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism in 1956, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland from 1956 to 1957 and the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas in 1959. After college, Moyers joined the staff of Senator Lyndon B. Johnson as his personal assistant, from 1960 to 1961. From 1961 to 1962, Moyers was the associate director of public affairs for the Peace Corps, and deputy director of the Peace Corps in 1963. He later joined Johnson again, this time as special assistant to the President, from 1963 to 1967. He became the Press Secretary, in 1965 until 1967. That same year, he began as publisher of Newsday, holding the position until 1970. He then became producer and editor of the Bill Moyers' Journal for PBS from 1971-76, and an anchor for USA: People and Politics from 1978 till 1981. In 1976 he joined CBS as chief correspondent for CBS Reports for two years. He was the senior news analyst for CBS News from 1981 to 1986 and has been executive editor of Public Affairs Programming Inc. since 1986. Over the course of his many years in journalism, Bill Moyers has earned and received many awards and honors, among them, an Honorary doctorate, from the American Film Institute; numerous Emmy Awards; the Ralph Lowell medal for contribution to public television; George Peabody awards, 1976, 1980, 1985-86, 1988-90; DuPont/Columbia Silver Baton award, 1979, 1986, 1988; Gold Baton award, 1991; and the George Polk awards, 1981, 1986.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Language of Life
TitleThe Language of Life
AuthorsBill Moyers, James Haba
EditorDavid Grubin
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1996
ISBN0385484100, 9780385484107
Length480 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Drama / General
Literary Criticism / Poetry
Poetry / American / General
Poetry / Anthologies (multiple authors)
Poetry / General
  
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