News
July 8, 2020Kennedy of Albany: A Writer & His City” about William Kennedy
As part of an ongoing virtual screening and discussion series on Facebook called Watch with WMHT, WMHT Public Media (PBS-Public Broadcasting Service) will show our 2017 documentary “Kennedy of Albany: A Writer & His City” on Thursday, July 9 at 7pm on the WMHT Facebook page. The hour-long program will include commentary from Albany native and author William Kennedy and WMHT producer Nicole Van Slyke.
Kennedy grew up in South Albany and is known for his acclaimed work Ironweed, which was also made into a movie that was filmed in Albany with actors Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. Kennedy resides in Averill Park with his wife, Dana. They also own the building in Albany’s Center Square neighborhood where Irish American gangster Legs Diamond, known for bootlegging during the Prohibition era, was shot.
Before Kennedy was a well-known author and MacArthur Fellow, he was a journalist at the Albany Times Union, where he covered the years of Dan O’Connell’s political machine. A newspaper series he did on the state’s capital later became the book O Albany!
The WMHT documentary has in-depth interviews with the Siena College graduate. He discusses his work in Puerto Rico, his 46-year friendship with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and his next projects.
Other documentaries which have already been shown through Watch with WMHT and are now available to view on Facebook include: Henry Johnson: A Tale of Courage, Mohawk Giants: Schenectady and the Negro Leagues, Out in Albany, SPAC at 50, and The Wounds We Feel at Home. These are also available to watch online at wmht.org.
After Kennedy of Albany, the next scheduled Facebook Watch Party program is “Hamilton’s Albany,” about Alexander Hamilton’s connections to Albany, on Thursday, July 16 at 7pm on the WMHT Facebook Page.
