New Original Documentary, Premiering February 25, Explores the Work and Impact of Influential Vanderbilt Poets

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – February 23, 2009 --  In the early 20th century, a coterie of poets gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, determined to redefine the way the world viewed the south. They set out to prove that the South could produce highly intellectual art; The Fugitive, an influential literary magazine published from 1922-1925, was their evidence. Of the 16-member group of poets known as "The Fugitives," four members went on to become professional men of letters. John Crowe Ransom, Donald Davidson, Allen Tate and Robert Penn Warren made tremendous contributions to the art of poetry through their individual voices, their influence on the art form, and the legacy they left behind. Tate and Warren were both Consultants in Poetry of the United States, and in 1986, Warren was the first poet to be designated Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Ultimately these poets would redefine Southern poetry.

Nashville Public Television explores the lives of these poets, and their impact on Southern Literature, in THE FUGITIVES, premiering on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. on NPT.

Directed, written and produced by Bridget Kling (The Ryman, Designed for Worship, Beautiful Tennessee, Memories of Nashville), and narrated by Nashville actor David Alford (A Death in the Family), THE FUGITIVES combines archival images and audio with commentary from some of the regions most distinguished scholars, among them Jay Clayton, Professor and Chair of the Department of English at Vanderbilt University; Michael Kreyling, Professor of English at Vanderbilt University; Wyatt Prunty, Poet and Professor of English at Sewanee, the University of the South; and Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Author, Publisher and Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at UNC Chapel Hill.