http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/must-read/filmmaker-michael-moore-receive-john-steinbeck-award-steinbecks-family-and-center-steinbeck-studiesSeptember 21st, 2010 7:04 PM
FILMMAKER MICHAEL MOORE TO RECEIVE THE JOHN STEINBECK AWARD FROM STEINBECK'S FAMILY AND CENTER FOR STEINBECK STUDIES
Moore to Join Past Recipients Arthur Miller, Bruce Springsteen, Garrison Keillor, Joan Baez, Sean Penn
Michael Moore | John Steinbeck
SAN JOSE, CA (Sept 21, 2010) — Academy Award-winning filmmaker and best-selling author, Michael Moore, has been named the recipient of the Steinbeck Award by the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University. Moore will formally receive the "In the Souls of the People" award on Thursday, October 14, at 7pm.
The Steinbeck award is given to writers and artists whose work captures the spirit of Steinbeck's empathy, commitment to democratic values, and belief in the dignity of people who by circumstance are pushed to the fringes.
“Courage is 75% of art,” states Thomas Steinbeck, noted author and the son of John Steinbeck. “Michael Moore is a courageous man and a great selection for the John Steinbeck Award. My father would have loved him; my father was the Michael Moore of his time.”
Noted as the “who’s who of disturbers,” previous recipients include Bruce Springsteen, Arthur Miller, John Sayles, Jackson Browne, Garrison Keillor, Joan Baez, and Sean Penn.
"I am truly grateful to the Steinbeck family and the Steinbeck Center for their generous acknowledgment of my work,” says Michael Moore. “The works of John Steinbeck have been a singular and powerful inspiration to me all of my life. Steinbeck believed that a story could change the world. He spent his life telling the stories of the powerless and the exploited. Through him, they had a voice. Today we are sadly, once again, witnesses to another Grapes of Wrath."
Moore's films include "Capitalism: A Love Story," "Roger & Me," "Sicko," "Fahrenheit 9/11," and "Bowling for Columbine," as well as best-selling books, "Stupid White Men" and "Downsize This!"
“When you read the criteria for the John Steinbeck Award, it seems like a job description of Michael Moore,” states Ted Cady, member of the board and producer of events for the Center for Steinbeck Studies.