Hearing Chopin being played through the pipes of another apartment and a tale about a young girl who died and whose father froze her body in an ice house are among the stories in Stuart Dybek's book, "The Coast of Chicago." Dybek explained that although his stories may seem dream-like, he tries to come up up with stories from some place of reality.

Stuart Brent believes people are totally indifferent to reading. He has come to the realization that, for some, material rewards are more important than cultural activities and as a result, culture is dying. But he is puzzled as to why readers would want to shop at big conglomerate stores like Kroch's and Brentano's when his store offers a personal, caring nature to its customers. This recording includes two excerpts from interviews with British booksellers Una Dillon and Handasyde Buchanan.

Stephen T. Sohmer discusses his first novel, "The Way It Was," a cynical commentary on his generation's struggle to develop stable relationships. In the context of stoic upper-middle-class conservatism, the novel chronicles how discontent can brew into rage beneath the veneer of social expectation.

The Israeli Army is the backbone of Israel and refusing to serve is something worse than taboo, according to Stephen Langfur's "Confessions from a Jericho Jail: What Happened When I Refused to Fight the Palestinians". While sentenced to jail for 21 days, he witnessed guards deprive prisoners of water, and he questioned what had made these Israeli guards become so inhumane.

Stephen B. Oates discusses his book "Let the Trumpets Sound: A Biography of Martin Luther King;" 2 short excerpts played during the program: one of Terkel interviewing Martin Luther King and another of E.D. Nixon speaking about MLK.

Excerpts of interviews with Simone Signoret (actress and author), Simone de Beauvoir (author), and Francoise Rosay (actress).

Studs Terkel interviews writer and artist Simone de Beauvoir at her home in Paris, France, where they discuss her family history, early writing career and artistic influences, individualism, and the creative commitment required to be a successful writer.

Shel Silverstein discusses his books and children's literature, and art. Shel Silverstein discusses his contemporaries, art, and life experiences.

Shel Silverstein discusses his books "Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back" and "Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book".. Shel Silverstein discusses his books, children's literature, and cartoonists.

Artist and author Scott McCloud discusses and reads from his book “Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.” This discussion focuses heavily on the history of comics, or sequential art, and notable figures using this artform. Studs plays "Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee: 4. The Twittering Machine" - Gunther Schuller (1966).

Sandra Cisneros sits down with Studs Terkel and provides behind the scenes commentary on poems from her new book "My Wicked Wicked Ways." She provides an enlightening history to them. "Curtains," "Velorio," "Arturo Burro," "I Told Susan Reyna," "Traficante," "In a redneck bar down the street," The Poet Reflects on Her Solitary Fate," "His Story," "Letter to Ilona from the South of France," "New Year's Eve" have been removed due to copyright restrictions.

Lies, violence and history repeating itself are all topics covered in Russell Banks' book, "Affliction." Banks points out that his novel is about the men's complicated attempt to transcend their burdens.

The writer, speaker, and humorist discusses his book, One Fell Soup: or I'm Just a Bug on the Windshield of Life.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Art historian Roxana Robinson discusses and reads from her book “Georgia O'Keeffe: A Life.” Robinson discusses the different eras of painting O’Keeffe went through during her lifetime and the outside forces that inspired these changes in subject matter, such as her attending the Art Students League of New York, her moving to Santa Fe, and her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz. Studs plays “Tosca, Act II: Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore” - Renata Tebaldi, George London, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli (1959).