Shel Silverstein discusses his books and children's literature, and art. Shel Silverstein discusses his contemporaries, art, and life experiences.

Shay Duffin discusses and performs excerpts from his one-man play, “According to Mr. Dooley.” Duffin chronicles some background about Mr. Dooley and Brendan Behan and discusses how he found himself interested in portraying these characters. Includes a test tone lasting about 30 seconds that is part of the archival record as a representation of how broadcasters prepped their tape. Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals.

Benny Goodman was one of 12 children and when he was little, his father took him to a synagogue where he learned to play the clarinet. Ross Firestone's book, "Swing, Swing, Swing: The Life and Times of Benny Goodman" is full of information about the musician. Goodman was a perfectionist, always wanting to better at his craft. According to Firestone, as a band leader, Goodman never thanked any musicians that played for him or with him.

Ralph Ellison, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction for his book "Invisible Man," discusses his early life and education and his life as a writer and lifetime scholar. He speaks on being a musician (trumpet), the joy of music and the Church and how they fit into the lives of African Americans.

Part 3. Alec Wilder and Harry Bouras discuss Wilder's book "American popular songs", published in 1972.

Singer-songwriter and activist Holly Near discusses her work for fighting for social justice through outlets such as her music. Near a prominent proponent for the LGBTQ community has streamlined her work using folk and protest-inspired songs. Near has been awarded multiple honors from organizations such as the ACLU and the National Organization for Women for her work for social change.

Studs interviews Harry Chapin about his music and career. They discuss Chapin’s style of writing songs. Chapin describes some of his songs such as “Cats In the Cradle,” “Sniper,” “WOLD,” and “Mr. Tanner.” He stresses that his songs tell stories and often are influenced by real-life events. For example, “30,000 Bananas Pounds of Bananas” came from a trip he took on a Greyhound bus through Pennsylvania where there was a truck accident.

E.Y. (Yip) Harburg and Studs Terkel read from the book "At This Point in Rhyme". E.Y. Harburg also discusses his thoughts on humanity, how to properly write a song, and the importance of light verse and humor as a basis for everything he creates. Excerpts of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" by the Weavers, and a Broadway recording of "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" are played in the original airing but have been removed from this version for copyright reasons.

Dempsey Travis presents a jazz program and discusses the life, the music, and the community of Chicago jazz from before The Great Depression until World War II. Travis discusses 1920s-1930s Chicago for Black families including rent parties, breakfast dances, employment opportunities, union strikes, and jazz.

Dempsey Travis talks about his book, "An Autobiography of Black Jazz," as he recalls his childhood memories of Jazz, Blues, and Boogie-Woogie artists that he met.

Dempsey Travis, real estate entrepreneur and civil rights activist turned historian and author, recalls his earlier days meeting and listening to many of the African American jazz artists. Some of the musicans mentioned are Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Lunceford, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, and Benny Goodman.

Scientists, women, birth control, religion and ethics are among the topics covered in Bernard Asbell's book, "The Pill: A Biography of the Drug that Changed the World"