Description:
<jats:p>The Watts Writers Workshop was among the most visible community arts projects to develop in Southern California after the 1965 Watts riot. The brainchild of author, screenwriter, and Hollywood personality Budd Schulberg, the workshop sought to develop creative writing talent as an antidote for black social alienation. As an effort in interracial urban reform through artistic expression, the workshop found strong initial support among liberal celebrities, government officials, and private foundations. The increasing salience of the black power movement, however, raised serious internal questions regarding the workshop's avowedly integrationist mission. The Watts Writers Workshop thus offers an important window into the 1960s-era conflict between liberal and radical forces.</jats:p>