Podcast 106: Bruce Jackson

brucejacksonopener

Bruce Jackson has a had a long, varied, and brilliant career as a teacher, photographer, folklorist, writer, and filmmaker. Colin first encountered his work while researching the prisons in Arkansas. Bruce visited prisons in the 1960s and 70s, trips that produced photos for his books Killing Time, Cummins Wide, and Inside the Wire.

Bruce was born in New York City, joined the Marines as the Korean War was ending, and studied in New Jersey and Indiana before winding up in the English Department at the University of Buffalo, where he still teaches. He also tried his hand at engineering and took the law exam before winning a Guggenheim and a fellowship from Harvard, both of which allowed him to travel to Arkansas to do his prison research.

During his career, Bruce has met everybody from Johnny Cash to Michel Foucault. Recently, he’s worked with the Wooster Group, which has been home to actors as varied as Spalding Gray and Willem Dafoe. As he tells Colin, he calls himself “lucky.” Thankfully, his somewhat accidental creative process has produced original and revealing work.

Listen here: http://americanrambler.libsyn.com/podcast/episode-106-bruce-jackson

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