Peoples Temple in the Arts

A number of musicians, writers, dramatists, and filmmakers have completed – or are still working on – many creative projects which consider the people of Peoples Temple and the events in Jonestown. The articles below describe those projects, introduce the creative forces behind them, and consider how they perceive their own work.

1. Arts and popular culture notes

 

2. Books and poetry
   1. Stories from Jonestown Slated for 2013 Publication
      1. Stories From Jonestown Extends Life of The People’s Temple, by Leigh Fondakowski
      2. A Review of Stories from Jonestown, by Kathy (Tropp) Barbour
      3. Thank You, Leigh!, by Don Beck
      4. Complicating Matters, by Annie Dawid
      5. Stories Shows Nuances, Complexities of Telling Jonestown Stories, by Katherine Hill
   2. Jonestown Lullaby Finds New Audiences
      1. Transformation Song, by Teri Buford O’Shea
   3. This Season, by Leslie Wagner-Wilson
   4. Jonestown Survivor: My Next Chapter, by Laura Johnston Kohl
      1. Finding My Voice, by Laura Johnston Kohl
   5. Thousand Lives Finds Receptive Audiences
      1. Thousand Lives Author Reflects on the Year Since Publication, by Julia Scheeres
      2. A Review of A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres, by Valerie Weaver-Zercher
   6. Reflections on Publishing Lavender Look, by Dora Bellefountaine
   7. Forces Of God, Faces Of Evil, by Edward Patterson
   8. Reviews and Commentaries
      1.  Peoples Temple as Plot Device, by Matthew Thomas Farrell
      2. Peoples Temple Acts of Focal Point of Season of the Witch
         1. You’ve Got To Pick Up Every Stitch, by Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons
         2. Replowing Old Ground: Season of the Witch and Peoples Temple, by Tanya Hollis
      3. On either side of the darkness: Review of two new books on Jonestown, by Richard Gubbels
      4. Bungle in the Jungle: A Review of Citizen Lane, by Matthew Thomas Farrell
      5. Jonestown, Naipaul, and Me, by Nathan Deuel
   9. Surviving November: My Life After Jonestown Finds New Passion, by Dawn Gardfrey
   10. And Then They Were Gone Portrays Lives of Temple High School Students, by Judy Bebelaar and Ron Cabral
   11. Time: Jonestown Reconsidered 35 Years Later, by Carmen Gillespie
   12. Marceline Jones: Saint, Sinner, or …..? Invitation to a Dialogue, by Arnold M. Ludwig
   13. Once It Was A Beautiful Idea, by Sylvia Smith
   14. Two Poems, by Darlene Anita Scott
   15. Jonestown Wipeout, by Jim Boone

 

3. Music
   1. Risks of “Go Outside” Video Lead to Rewards, by Isaiah Seret
   2. Concept Album Examines Power of Cult Leaders, by Elgin Foster
   3. The Power of Voodoo, by Joel Thomas

 

4. Film and Drama
   1. Production of My Father’s House Cancelled, by Ken White
      1. True Believer or Charlatan, Committed Activist or Opportunist? Who Was the Real Mike Prokes?, by Ken White
   2. Studying and sharing the story of Jonestown, by Carl Kelsch
   3. Opera to Revolve Around Temple Church Services, by Andrew Barnes Jamieson
   4. Christine: Voice for the Silenced, by Perry Townsend
   5. Moving the Needle on the “Jonestown Piece”, by Meghann Williams
   6. Challenging the Black-and-White: Researching a Peoples Temple Documentary, by Martin English
   7. Australian Documentary to Examine Doomsday Cults, by Jack Hawke
   8. Taking the Story in a New Direction, by David B. Berget
   9. White Night: Survivors of Jonestown 2012, by Alex Smith

 

5. Artworks and photography
   1. The Jonestown Library, by Nicola Bergström Hansen
      1. Reflections On The Jonestown Library: A Response To The Work Of Nicola Bergström Hansen, by Garrett Lambrev
      2. The Books of the Jonestown Library
   2. Art for the People, by Allison Coleman Shank
   3. Peoples Temple Agricultural Project on Canvas, by T. Gordon
   4. How to Become a Cult Leader: A Graphic Design Project, by Lyubov Klimova
   5. Peoples Temple Sculpting and Diorama Project Takes Shape, by Daniel Russell
   6. Tethered and Inspired by Jonestown, by Nick Burgess