WSU Grapes of Wrath 75th Anniversary

Grapes of Wrath 75th Anniversary

Winona State University is celebrating the 75th anniversary of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, focusing on the historical, cultural, and environmental legacy of Steinbeck's 1939 novel.

The festival opens with a series of films and talks and concludes with a Woody Guthrie tribute concert.  The project is a collaboration between the English, History, Geoscience, and Music Departments, as well as the Midwest Music Festival. The Steinbeck Festival is part of the University’s Sustainable Futures Theme.

All events are free and open to the public.

Steinbeck Festival Calendar

Film Screenings

Date
 		Film
 		Time
 		Location
Oct. 1 
Showing of John Ford’s 1940 film, The Grapes of Wrath
Introduction by Paul Johnson, professor of English
 4:30-7:00 p.m.
SL120
 
Oct. 6
 Ken Burns documentary, “The Dust Bowl”
 6:15 p.m.
 SL120

Lectures

Date
 		Lecture
 		Time
 		Location
Oct. 6
“The Dust Bowl, the Driftless Area, and the Birth of the Soil Conservation Movement” Bill Thompson,  Watershed Project Manager for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Southeast Region
 5:00 p.m.
SL 120
Oct. 7
 “Tom Joad’s Cherokee Relatives: Native Americans in the Dust Bowl and the New Deal” Colette Hyman, professor of History
 7:00 p.m.
 SL 120
Oct. 8
 “Introducing America to Americans: Selections from the New Deal Photographers” Roger Boulay, Art Gallery Coordinator, WSU
 7:00 p.m.
 SL 120
Oct. 9
 "The Grapes of Wrath and the Classical Ideal of the Farmer" Jim Armstrong,  professor of  English, WSU
 7:00 p.m.
 SL 120
Oct. 9
 “The Harvest Gypsies”: The Journalism Before The Grapes of Wrath Deb Cumberland, professor of English, WSU
   SL 120
Oct. 10
 "The Balladeers of Tom Joad" - Greg Schmidt, professor of History at WSU & Cathy Schmidt, professor of Music at WSU.
Followed by Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert with Mike Munson
 7:00 p.m.
Winona Arts Center

Concert

Date
Concert
Time
Location
Oct. 10
 Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert with Mike Munson and Gravy Train.
 Following "The Balladeers of Tom Joad"
 Winona Arts Center