Silver Spring, MD —From the Peabody Award-winning PBS series comes Bill Moyers: A World of Ideas – Writers, debuting on DVD from Athena on February 15, 2011. Celebrated journalist Bill Moyers (PBS, NBC, CBS, Newsday) speaks with some of the world’s leading literary voices—from science fiction writers to Broadway playwrights—in this collection of articulate and insightful interviews on wide-ranging conversations about life, art, and contemporary issues. The DVD 4-vol. boxed set features interviews with 13 celebrated literary figures, a special bonus disc featuring recent interviews with Alice Walker, Isabel Allende, Barbara Kingsolver, and Doris Lessing, a 16-page viewer’s guide, and more (16 episodes, $79.99, www.AcornOnline.com). The World of Ideas series debuted on PBS in 1988.

Writers give voice to the thoughts, dreams, and discontents of our times. Join Bill Moyers as he engages “people with ideas and vision and insight” (The New York Times) for mind-opening discussions. Participants include Nobel Prize winners Toni Morrison and Nadine Gordimer, sharing their thoughts on moral imagination in storytelling; pioneering journalist and novelist Tom Wolfe, discussing Wall Street and neighborhood politics; and acclaimed writer and thinker Isaac Asimov, talking about science and social change.

Ep. 1: Chinua Achebe (Things Fall Apart) discusses the challenge of forging cultural identity in postcolonial Africa.
Ep. 2 and 3: Isaac Asimov shares his thoughts on religion, education, and global environmental threats.
Ep. 4: National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award-winner, E.L. Doctorow discusses the current state of the novel.
Ep. 5: Celebrated essayist and memoirist, M. F.K. Fisher speaks about aging, the aesthetics of eating, and wellness.
Ep. 6: Novelist/essayist Carlos Fuentes discusses the political and cultural challenges facing his native Mexico.
Ep. 7: Internationally acclaimed novelist Nadine Gordimer recounts growing up with apartheid in her native South Africa.
Ep 8: A concert pianist and novelist, Jeannette Haien shares her thoughts on the structure of music and fiction.
Ep. 9: Joseph Heller (Catch 22) discusses the absurdity of politics and the seriousness of comedy.
Ep. 10 and 11: Toni Morrison (Pulitzer Prize winner for Beloved) tells of putting her characters “on a cliff” to reveal what they’re made of and discusses the liberating power of love.
Ep. 12: An award-winning novelist, Indian-born Bharati Mukherjee describes America as “a stage for transformation.”
Ep. 13: Caribbean-born writer Derek Walcott, speaks of poets’ obsession with language and truth telling.
Ep. 14: Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson discusses how the linguistic environment shapes African Americans and how his characters find nobility in struggle.
Ep. 15 and 16: Novelist, essayist, and cultural critic, Tom Wolfe shares his thoughts on Wall Street greed, “media ricochet,” and the power of neighborhood politics and discusses the conflict between intellectuals and “the masters.”

BONUS FEATURES:
Bonus interviews (205 min.) from NOW with Bill Moyers and Bill Moyers Journal featuring Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Walker, Isabel Allende, Arundhati Roy, and others; 16-page viewer’s guide with introduction by Bill Moyers, participant biographies, and an article on Americans’ reading habits; Author book lists and biographies of Bill Moyers and bonus interview subjects.

Street Date: February 15, 2011
SRP: $79.99
DVD 4-Vol. Boxed Set – 16 episodes - Approx. 432 minutes, plus 205 min. of bonus materials - SDH Subtitles

Athena released Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers (Sept. 2010), Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason (Nov. 2010) and Bill Moyers: Genesis-A Living Conversation (Nov. 2010) and is also releasing Bill Moyers: In Search of the Constitution (Feb. 15, 2011) with more from Moyers acclaimed library coming in April 2011.

Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming. Athena’s releases include 20th Century with Mike Wallace, Playing Shakespeare, The Story of Math, World War I in Color, Testament, among others. Clips are available at www.athenalearning.com. Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.