Langston Hughes, John Sellers, James Cotton, and Otis Spann discuss their origins and blues music. The interview focuses heavily on Langston Hughes and how deeply he is influenced by the blues. Hughes also discusses his upcoming book "An African Treasury" at length. Hughes, Sellers, Spann, and Cotton perform a number of songs during the interview, they have been removed due to copyright.

Mr. Blake talks to Studs about his book "The Joint." The book is a collection of letters written by Mr. Blake while in prison off and on for 13 of 20 years. He reads out loud some of the letters from the book.

Interview with Dr. Frederick Starr, Gleb Nikitin and Perrin Yang

The Ragdale Ensemble is a wind piano group composed of artists from the Ragdale artists' colony in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Focus of the interview is Gibson's record Makin' a Mess.

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

Interviewing singer and songwriter Thom Bishop.

Discussing Illinois, its prairies, rivers and cities through music and poetry with singer and poet Marita Brake and documentary photographer Rhondal McKinney.

Discussing "It Ain't Necessarily So: An Autobiography" (published by Grove) with the author, musician Larry Adler.