Theater director Douglas Turner Ward talks with Studs Terkel about the play "The River Niger." Further discussion is had about the play's writer, Joseph Walker, as well as the story and characters, and the play's connection to the African-American community.
Author Douglas Dowd discusses topics from his book "Blues For America: A Critique, A Lament, and Some Memories," including war, religion, and American history.
Douglas Clayton's book, "Floyd Dell: The Life and Times of an American Rebel" is a biography of a well-known author of his time. Clayton pointed out what's covered in his book. Not only did Dell write a number of books, but he also wrote a play. He was also charged twice for his subversive literature. He worked for the WPA under FDR in 1935.
Reverend Will B. Dunn and Mother Teresa are among the many subjects of Doug Marlette's book, "There's No Business Like Soul Business." Marlette explained his cartoons are either political or they deal with the religious right and race relations. The majority of the interview consists of Marlette and Studs Terkel reading lines from the cartoons in the book.
The program starts with a short clip of Studs Terkel interviewing Peggy Terry talking about The Great Depression and American propaganda during Vietnam War. After that clip. Dotson Rader starts to talk about his book "I ain't marchin' anymore"
Dorothy Parker’s thoughts as a critic and writer on the state of American literature.
Registered nurse and activist Dorothy Granada discusses the Women’s Health Center in Mulukuku, Nicaragua. Granada discusses her history with nonviolent activism and how this inspired her to help establish a women’s health center in Nicaragua that offers assistance to low-income communities and prioritizes the incorporation of traditional healing methods used by the indigenous people of the community. Studs plays "Yo soy de un Pueblo" - Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy (1984).
Interviewing jazz pianist and composer Dorothy Donegan.
Dorothy and Henry Kraus describe how they discovered an entire European collection of church-located woodcarvings depicting a wide variety of scenes crafted by local artisans. Hundreds of years of political, religious, and social events shaped the portrayals, and they explore many of the illustrations in their book, focusing on the themes of labor, animals, and religion. They marvel at the skill and craftsmanship and observe that the works can be a rich source of primary research material for modern scholars.
Studs interview with Dorothy and Frank Koehl about the time they spent doing research in China with the Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars. The interview starts with workers singing followed by a short musical from an Asian flute. They discuss the change in China's politics and society after the revolution. Specific topics in the interview include education, women's liberation, the arts, and medical care in China with some comparisons to Korea.
Doris May Lessing discusses the inspiration behind "The Four-Gated City", her thoughts about science and humanity, and her predictions for the future.
"Walking in the Shade: Volume 2 of My Autobiography, 1949-1962", starts with Doris Lessing moving to England. Lessing wrote many books and she said it's annoying when her readers only remember 1 or 2 of her books. After having lived through 2 wars and a bombing, Lessing mentions how she's surprised that more people in society aren't crazy, similar to the craziness of all that's transpired in the world.
Dorris Lessing says in this society, we are all savages. According to Lessing, in 10 years, millions will die of starvation. Arnold Wesker says we live in a society of chaos and as a society, our end goal is produce something to deal with and eliminate the chaos.
Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about her book and her relationship with President Johnson.
Delving into their Irish immigrant backgrounds is what makes Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga" stand out from other books. Although they had wanted to settle on a farm in the West, the Fitzgeralds ended up in Boston. Goodwin talks a lot about Rose Fitzgerald and her husband, Joe Kennedy.