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Ryan O'Dowd, speaking from his experience as the executive director of a large homeless shelter, describes libraries as a place offering more than shelter, but a respite for the homeless population of a community, which is at the crux of the events dramatized by writer, director, and actor Emilio Estevez in his new film, 'The Public.'

Ryan O'Dowd is Executive Director of Hesed House, the second largest homeless shelter in Illinois, and the author of the Librarian's Guide to Homelessness, and when PBS Books interviewed him at the Miami Dade Public Library, he talked about how he wound up having a sustained collaborative role in discussing the issues addressed by Emilio Estevez' new film, 'The Public.'

Emilio Estevez creative process for his new film 'The Public,' exposed him to several writers and researchers like Anne Lamott, who further illuminated, for him and for all of us, the vital role that libraries continue to play in serving and enriching their communities.

Emilio Estevez' new film, 'The Public,' has an ensemble cast, with actors like Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling, Gabrielle Union, Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright, Jacob Vargas, Michael Kenneth Williams and Che “Rhymefest” Smith. Here, Estevez talks about who he would choose as his favorite character from the script he wrote.

Emilio Estevez initially wanted to get started on his new film, 'The Public,' back in 2008. In this interview, filmed at the Miami Dade Public Library, Estevez talks about how the 2008 Recession stalled production, and wound up allowing him to rework the story, improving it and augmenting its relevance.

Actor, writer and director Emilio Estevez talks about his inspiration for making 'The Public,' a film dramatizing as a peaceful sit-in by the homeless inside a public library that escalates into a standoff with the police and attracts attention from the media.

The film "The Public" premieres Friday, April 5th, and Estevez, who wrote and directed the film, said that librarians assured him that he effectively captured the experience of life inside of a library, while O'Dowd, who is executive director of a large homeless shelter, avowed the same response from those he surveyed.