LIVE FROM HOLLYWOOD, C-SPAN'S AMERICAN WRITERS FOCUSES ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AYN RAND SUNDAY, MAY 12
AT&T Broadband and the Ayn Rand Institute Join for Film Festival and Symposium May 10th - May 17th Charter, Adelphia and Time Warner Cable Host C-SPAN School Bus at Area Events

(Washington D.C.) C-SPAN's historical series, American Writers II: The 20th Century visits Hollywood, CA on May 12 at 12 noon PT for a two-hour live program looking at the life and works of novelist, screenwriter, and philosopher Ayn Rand. The program, originating from the rooftop of the Harmony Gold Theater on Sunset Boulevard, looks at the political history of America and its place in the World in the mid-1930's until post World War II through the writings of Rand.

American Writers II: The 20th Century is a 15-week historical series airing live on C-SPAN at 2 pm CT for two hours every Sunday through July 7. Each program will re-air the following Friday night at 7 pm CT accompanied by several other events about the featured authors' lives and works.

American Writers II will examine American history through the lives and works of 18 selected writers—from the literary to the political, from war correspondents to social critics. Selected writers represent the Progressive Era (1901-1929), Depression and War (1929-45), the Early Cold War (1945-1961) and end with the Social Transformation to Vietnam (1961-75). American Writers II considers how America forged its role in the world during this past century and how authors offer insight into the nation it is today.

An earlier series, American Writers: A Journey Through History, debuted on March 19, 2001, and aired through September 10th. American Writers focused on the early history of the country, beginning with the Mayflower Compact through the end of the 19th century and the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt—producing more than 140 hours of original programming.

AYN RAND LIVE TELEVISION PROGRAM DETAILS:

The program airs live from the rooftop of the Harmony Gold Theater Sunday, May 12 from 12 NOON - 2 PM PT. Guests include: Eric Daniels, Political Historian and Political History Professor, Duke University; Filmmaker Jeff Britting, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life; and Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand Scholar. Viewers can join the conversation by calling 202-585-3890 (Eastern/Central), 202-585-3891 (Mountain/Pacific) or or e-mailing writers@c-span.org

The guests and host Connie Brod will examine Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, why her writings gained currency during the period in which she wrote, and what influence her writings have had since that time.

A full listing of the writers and sites included in the series can be found at: www.americanwriters.org where interested viewers can also purchase all works featured in the series through a partnership with the online subsidiary of Borders Group, Inc., Borders.com. This is the fourth historical series produced by C-SPAN. The classroom portion of the American Writers web site earned a Beacon Award in March 2002 recognizing excellence in public affairs throughout the cable industry. Click on www.americanwriters.org/classroom.

AYN RAND COMMUNITY EVENTS:

Friday, May 10 - May 17
AYN RAND FILM SCREENING AND PUBLIC EVENTS In conjunction with C-SPAN and AT&T Broadband, the Ayn Rand Institute will host a series of public events discussing the impact and influence of Ayn Rand. The series of events, which run from May 10th through May 17th, include film screenings and symposia. All of the events are free and open to the public. For a schedule of events go to www.aynrand.org/cspan/, or contact larryb@aynrand.org.

C-SPAN SCHOOL BUS VISITS
One of C-SPAN's 45-foot traveling production and demonstration vehicles will make stops in the community. C-SPAN staff will present information on the series to visitors. The C-SPAN School Bus will be at the following sites:

Monday, May 6
10:00am - 3:00pm PT
Charter Communication
Long Beach Public Library Foundation
101 Pacific Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90822
Charter Communications host the bus for the "Grand Finale" of the Long Beach Library program "Long Beach Reads."

Tuesday, May 7
10:00am - 12:00 noon PT
Charter Communication
Alvarado School
1900 E. 21st Street
Signal Hill, CA 90806

1:00pm - 3:00 pm PT
Charter Communication
City of Signal Hill Civic Center
2175 Cherry Avenue
Signal Hill, CA 90806

Wednesday, May 8
10:00am - 3:00pm PT
Adelphia Cable
Borders Books and Music
429 S. Associated Road
Brea, CA 92821

Thursday, May 9
9:00am - 2:00pm PT
Time Warner Cable
Borders Books and Music
3700 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90503

Saturday, May 11
9am - 5pm PT
AT&T Broadband
EDUCATE LA, KNOWLEDGE SYMPOSIUM
The Bus will be a part of the educational conference. C-SPAN School Bus staff will offer demonstrations on the bus. The event is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center at 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015. For more information on Educate LA go to www.educatela.org.

Sunday, May 12
12:00 PM PT
AMERICAN WRITERS II: THE 20TH CENTURY
LIVE two-hour program chronicling the life of author Ayn Rand. The C-SPAN School Bus will be at the Harmony Gold Theater. It will be open to the public for film festival attendees to enjoy the live American Writers program.

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