Best friends, white flight and racism are all apart of Lynda Barry's book, "The Good Times are Killing Me." Lorell Wyatt and Glenda Starr-Kelly reenact scenes from the play, which is playing at the Body Politic Theater. In the end, Barry's book showed power and privilege mattered more than friendship.

Lois Wille caused an uproar with the story she wrote for the Chicago Daily News, "Inside a Slum High School." According to Wille's investigation, a lack of money, over crowding of students, lights that don't work in the school and no books were among some of the problems that Wille found at Crane High School. Students also had a pessimistic view, explained Wille, as she found students didn't believe the teachers and counselors cared what theyd do after they got out of high school but they just wanted them to get out and leave Crane.

Actor and author Lois Wheeler Snow discusses her book “China on Stage,” and shares her experiences in China, primarily involving ballet, opera, and plays.

Author, grassroots organizer, and activist Linda Stout discusses her book “Bridging the Class Divide and Other Lessons for Grassroots Organizing.” Growing up in a low-income family, Stout discusses poverty as “the lack of knowing about options” and how this served as the driving force in her activism. Studs plays “Bread and Roses” - Judy Collins (1976).*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Lillian Smith explores the responses she received from her books that address racial prejudice and discrimination, especially in the south.

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. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. Lillian's Smith first book was "Strange Fruit." Smith said people that were reading that book covered up the book jacket so no one could see the title of the book.

Tribute to Lillian Hellman

American playwright, dramatist, and author Lillian Hellman discusses her book "Pentimento" and the individuals profiled within it.

Mr Regenstein and Studs discuss the book, "The Politics of Extinction". The book blows the whistle on those who are currently engaged in killing these animals for "sport," fashion, and profit. They talk about various endangered species and what that distinction means and the public officials with the power- and the responsibility - to protect wildlife, but who instead allow the destruction to continue.

Discussing the book "Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on Our Civil Religion" (published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson) with author and editor and chief of Harper's magazine Lewis Lapham.

Discussing "Distortions of Negro History" and interviewing Lerone Bennett, Jr., John Hope Franklin and Hoyt Fuller.

Tribute to William Faulkner with Leon Forrest

Interviewing novelist and Northwestern University Professor Leon Forrest.