File 028957
Email Regarding Woody Allen Poetry Release for Verse Video Education Initiative (File 028957)
Email from Leah Reis-Dennis to Jeffrey Epstein requesting permission for Woody Allen to participate in the Poetry in America project by releasing footage of a poetry conversation.
Summary
Leah Reis-Dennis, operations head for Lisa New's non-profit Verse Video Education, contacts Jeffrey Epstein requesting a release from Woody Allen to use unedited footage of a poetry conversation about William Carlos Williams' "This is Just to Say." The email describes the Poetry in America initiative, a Harvard-based multiplatform project to bring poetry into mainstream education, which has already featured conversations with numerous distinguished Americans including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John McCain, and others. The project includes a HarvardX online course, a television series with WGBH and PBS, and professional development courses for teachers.
From: Leah Reis-DennisSent: 12/8/2015 3:33:09 PMTo: jeeyacation@gmail.com; Lisa NewSubject: following up: WA poetry releaseImportance: HighDear Jeffrey,My name is Leah Reis-Dennis, and I'll be heading operations for Lisa's new non-profit, Verse Video Education.She's asked me to be in touch with you about helping us get a release from Woody Allen.First, I wanted to send along the rough stringout of footage from the conversation with Woody a couple of yearsago on "This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams. This is totally unedited and uncut footage, but wewould love the opportunity to turn it into something great.https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cObnljj xeo0654g/uWZ6KBVbLS?preview=WoodyAllen+Basic+Clip+for+Viewing.movIf Woody Allen agrees to let us use the footage, he will be in distinguished company. To date, we have filmedconversations about poetry with dozens of distinguished Americans including:Bill ClintonAl GoreJohn McCainMayor Rahm EmanuelMayor Tom MeninoSupreme Court Justice Elena KaganSir Mervyn KingFormer Secretary of the Treasury Larry SummersThe conversation would be part of a large multiplatform initiative that Harvard Professor Lisa New has underway to bring poetry into the mainstream, and, especially, into English Language Arts classrooms in the UnitedStates and around the world. The initiative, Poetry in America, includes a HarvardX online course, a televisionseries we're creating with WGBH to be paired with PBS LearningMedia segments for the classroom, and, aseries of online professional development courses we're creating for ELA Middle and High School teachers andfor their students.Let us know if Woody Allen might be open to our sending another release form his way. Of course, if he'sinterested in releasing the footage for only certain parts of our project, we're open to having a conversationabout that, too.Thank you, and I hope to meet you soon.Best, LeahLeah Reis-DennisPoetry in AmericaHOUSE OVERSIGHT 028957