Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations

Joan Chase discusses and reads from her book "During the Reign of the Queen of Persia: a Novel." This book is told from the perspective of four granddaughters of an Ohio farm wife during the 1950s and is broken into three parts that follow these women throughout their life recounting family stories and the struggles of rural life in modern America. Studs plays "Down in the Valley" - Pete Seeger, Bess Lomax, and Tom Glazer (1951), "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" - Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson (1959), and "Frankie and Johnny" - Burl Ives (1955).

Jimmy Breslin discusses and reads excerpts from “The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight,” his novel about a Brooklyn Mafia boss.

Jimmy Breslin discusses and reads excerpts from “The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight,” his novel about a Brooklyn Mafia boss. Content Warning: This conversation has the presence of outdated, biased, offensive language. 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.

Studs interviews Jessie Binford at her home at the Tall Corn Hotel in Marshalltown, Iowa. Ms. Binford reflects on growing up in Marshalltown and going to Hull House Chicago where she met Jane Addams. Ms. Binford talks to Studs about politics and the changes in technology. Includes an excerpt of a previous interview with Florence Scala.(1915178-3-1) Also, excerpts from 1963 interview with Ms. Binford(1851518-3-1, 3-2)

Musicians Jerry Fuller, Jeff Bradetich, and Judi Bradetich discuss their careers and recently released works such as Fuller's Songs, Dances and Fantasy, and Bradetich's latest work, Broadway for All the Hear. Pieces from both of these works are performed during the interview, including Broadway pieces from Cabaret, West Side Story, and music highlighting the double bass's sounds.

Studs interviews Jeremy Taylor, Andrew Tracey, and Paul Tracey at Langham Hotel while on a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

According to Jens Kruuse, being born in the same home town as Hans Christian Andersen is Kruuse’s claim to fame. A well-known literary critic, Kruuse says that people don’t realize he’s an excellent bridge player who enters tournaments. Kruuse explains that Denmark has the biggest coastline in all of Europe and that the people there live a truthful, simple but good life. The interview ends abruptly.

Storyteller, humorist, radio personality, and author Jean Shepherd discusses his book, A Fistful of Fig Newtons. Shepherd considers how his various career paths, particularly that of a radio personality, have affected his writing.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Jan Eaglen, British soprano, discusses her career as an opera singer and trends in opera music.

At the age of seven, James Leo Herlihy, started writing short stories and had thoughts of becoming a writer. Here, he shares his theory about the song, "Eleanor Rigby," and where all the people come from. Herlihy also conveys that the material of his literature is life itself.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Bandleader, jazz musicologist and composer James Dapogny discusses his work in reviving the sound and art of jazz. Dapogny's work is mainly associated with his group James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band and his career in publishing lost works of Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton.

Captain Cousteau talks about his book and the environmental movement in the United States and elsewhere.

Jack Conroy remembers having a literary interest at the age of eight. He reflects on life back in the 1930s, when writers were writing against the system. In later years, he says, writers didn't seem to know what to rebel against.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations