The American poet describes a lonely childhood that was made bearable by his discovery of literature and how the discipline of reading and writing has sustained him throughout his long career.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The feminist poet and author reflects on the life of her mother, as described in the memoir, Fatal Flowers: On Sin, Sex, and Suicide in the Deep South.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The former First Lady reflects on her childhood in Georgia and her time at the White House in her book, First Lady from Plains.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The novelist discusses his book, Long Road Home, a fictional account of a 1938 farm workers' strike in California's Central Valley.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Discussing the book, All Aboard with E. M. Frimbo: World's Greatest Railroad Buff, published in 1974. Whitaker is critical of changes in rail services and public transportation.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The flamboyant English raconteur talks about his most famous work, The Naked Civil Servant, while on a visit of Chicago.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The investigative journalist joins Studs to discuss his latest book, The Best Congress Money Can Buy.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The American history professor and author talks with Studs about her book, Days of Hope: Race and Democracy in the New Deal Era. This program also includes excerpts of interviews from Terkel's Hard Times series.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The American author and educator was inspired to explore the city of Prague after the death of her Czech grandmother. In her travels, Hampl came to learn more about contemporary Prague than about her family's roots, but it led to the publication of the memoir, A Romantic Education.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Discussing the book, On Doing Time, and interviewing the author Morton Sobell.  Includes clips of Studs asking various people what they know about Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The poet, playwright, and essayist - in town for a visit to the School of The Art Institute - talks with Studs about his connections to Janis Joplin, nature poetry, and scientist Francis Crick. His collection, Scratching the Beat Surface, is discussed.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The English writer discusses her semi-autobiographical novel, The Long Way Home (Keepers of the House), loosely based on some of her life experiences, having been married to a Venezuelan man and having lived and worked on a farm.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

When Otto Friedrich wrote his book, Going Crazy: An Inquiry Into Madness in Our Time, his intention was to find out from those with mental illness what it was like to go crazy. Of the people Friedrich asked, about a third of them were treated with professional help, a third were helped with medications, and the other third preferred to be left alone.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Even though Josh Logan said he’d never want to be in a hospital again for treatment, he said that his bouts of manic depression and being on the edge have led to some of his greatest work. When asked, Logan said he would not have traded his sickness for being completely well. He also shares his greatest of experiences, working with Konstantin Stanislavski.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

A conversation with the drama critic about his book, Notes On a Cowardly Lion - a biography about his father, the actor Bert Lahr.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations