The clever writer and editor, fond of wordplay and literary forms, shares with Studs some insight into his satirical biography, The Life and Works of Mr. Anonymous.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Selections from the poetry anthology, The Portable Walter, are discussed.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The poet and journalist talks about abandoning his family's butter business to pursue a writing life in Paris where he became friendly with other writers, like Henry Miller and Ford Maddox Ford.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

"Where the Steel Winds Blow" is Robert Cromie's anthology of 210 war poems. With his book, Cromie wanted to point out the impact of war. There are also war-related songs throughout the program.

Mr. Rosen discusses why he has written a memoir so early in his life and speaks about his other writings. Mr. Rosen reads excerpts from his book.

When talking about his book, "Chi-Town," Norbert Blei said all the communities in Chicago offer everyone the groups' separate ethnic cultures. Blei also talks about riding the Douglass Park El and the old man sitting on a bench, who he encounters at Grant Park. Lastly, Blei talks about writers who have influenced him.

Nelson Algren discusses his short story, "How the Devil Came Down Division Street," the art of writing, and writers of the Beat Generation.

The graphic designer turned poet shares some insight into her creative process, especially in the collections, Cry of the Peacocks, The Moonlit Upper Deckerina, and Ordinances.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations

Poet and editor Michael Anania discusses his poetry collection, “The Color of Dust” and reads selected works from the collection. Anania discusses Midwest history and geography and his own Nebraska roots as influences on the work and its themes of love, war, and social issues. Episode includes relevant music and theatrical recordings, including “Immortality” read by William Jennings Bryan, “Rake and Rambling Boy,” Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love,” “Dust Bowl Refugee” by Woody Guthrie, and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Poet and editor Michael Anania discusses his poetry collection, “Riversongs” and reads selected works from the collection. Anania discusses the themes of place, transience, and permanence in the Midwest. Episode includes relevant music recordings, including a number of unidentified instrumental recordings and songs by Woody Guthrie, Los Jaivas, and Joni Mitchell.

Poet Maya Angelou and journalist Tom Wicker discuss life in the U.S. South and how the region’s history has shaped its culture. Topics of discussion include social dynamics and race in the South, the concept of “home” and what it means to return to one’s roots, and religion in the South. Angelou reads excerpts of her poetry, including “Still I Rise” and “Phenomenal Woman,” and shares spiritual songs from her childhood.

Lastly, with his book, "The Library of Great American Writing," Louis Untermeyer talks about Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson and personal friends of his, Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg. Twain, said Untermeyer, started out as a humorist but then became more pessimistic with "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Emily Dickenson wrote in secret and she only gave permission for six of her poems to be published.

In his book, "The Library of Great American Writing," Louis Untermeyer points out great writers and their works. Untermeyer believed that there was no one great piece of literature, but rather many great works from ordinary people, as well. For instance, Untermeyer explained, that when Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln didn't realize he was writing a great piece of literature.

Poet and translator Kimon Friar discusses Nikos Kazantzakis and the art of Greek translation. Friar discusses the common theme in all of Kazantzaki’s works, how all of nature is set out to transform matter into spirit. Friar discusses and reads Nikos Kazantzakis’s “The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel”, Constantine Cavafy’s “Ithaka”, and Odysseus Elytēs’s “The Autopsy”. This program includes an excerpt of an interview with Eleni Kazantzakis, Nikos’s wife, where she describes how Nikos always saw the excitement in every person he met.