Carl Sandburg dedicates his American Songbag to the “Unknown Singers”: the people who lived and died, having sung, but who are now unsung. They live on through the tradition they carried and passed along. Not only did Carl Sandburg collect and record the music of the people, the unknown people, he also dedicated himself to speaking to them and to speaking for their cause. He wanted to unite common men to work toward their mutual benefit. Early in his career, before the Chicago Poems propelled him to greater recognition, Carl Sandburg worked as a lecturer and activist, always with the people as his cause and concern. In this event, we hope to celebrate the music that Carl Sandburg collected, the speeches he gave, and, of course, the poems he wrote. As part of the Champaign-Urbana Folk & Roots Festival, please join us to celebrate Carl Sandburg and the unknown people he championed throughout his life and work.
This program is brought to the festival by a partnership with the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University Library.
Saturday, November 3rd, 3pm-5pm
Urbana Free Library, Busey-Mills Reading Room
Free