Michael,
Thanks for your reply!
To recap: if I "change the names to protect the innocent," as it were, I should be ok on the life story part, right?
Regarding the poetry itself -- is there somewhere I can check to make absolutely sure it's in the public domain? How does one verify that...
The true heart of the story is not the poet's life -- that just provides the context and the texture for the themes that are explored. The screenplay would present a lot of facts about the poet, though I would liberally add fictional elements for dramatic purposes.
The average audience might...
Hi. I'm an amateur screenwriter trying to "break in" to professional screenwriting, and I have what I think is a great idea for a screenplay. Before I spend a lot of time writing it, I want to make sure I'm not going to have any rights issues.
My concern is: the story is based on a true...