Interviewing author-photographer of "Street People" Janet Beller.

Visual arts and literature are covered in Jane B. Katz's book, "This Song Remembers: Self-Portraits of the Native Americans in the Arts." When talking to the artists, Katz learned the artists weren't just capturing their past but they were also trying to keep their cultures alive through their artwork, whether it was painted art, making pipes or weaving blankets.

Discussing the book "Shannon" with the author Gordon Parks.

Studs Terkel interviews Ralph Fasanella about his new book of paintings entitled, "Fasanella's City."

Discussing the book "How it feels when a parent dies" with the author Jill Krementz.

David D. Duncan discusses his book "Goodbye, Picasso" and talks about the artwork of Pablo Picasso and his friendship with him. The program opens with Gertrude Stein reading from her poem "If I told him". Excerpts from the dedication of "The Picasso" statue in Daley Plaza. Studs speaks with residents of Chicago and gets their thoughts on the sculpture.

Discussing the book "Chinese encounters" with the authors Arthur Miller and Inge Morath.

Discussing the book "Lost Chicago" with the author David Lowe.

Carol Wald's book, "Myth America: Picturing Women, 1865-1945", came about after she saw some pictures of women and how they were depicted. Wald asked herself if the images of the tacky, frail American women represented her. Various images like sheet music, postcards, and advertisement posters showed women as good girls, nice girls, pious and pure. Wald's point is women are not perfect angels nor are they angelic all the time.

As a teenager growing up, Bill Mauldin thought he’d be an airline pilot or a submarine captain. He didn’t have ambitions to be a cartoonist until he realized that drawing was the one thing he was good at. Mauldin’s book, “The Brass Ring: A Sort of Memoir,” covers his background, his influences and stories from time spent in the Army.

Ann Banks discusses her book First Person America, published in November 1980, which documents over 80 oral histories from the time of the Federal Writers' Project, which was part of Works Progress Administration.