Studs and John Nims continue along in their tour of the poems that make up the Harper Anthology of Poetry.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The American author of fiction and nonfiction talks about her memoir, Minor Characters, and the time that she spent with Jack Kerouac and the other artists that made up the Beat Generation. The program includes clips from an earlier conversation with Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and Peter Orlovsky.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Firefighter and writer, Dennis Smith, shares some of the encounters he's had as a firefighter and discusses his book and magazine based on these experiences.

Ronnie Duggar’s book, “Politician: The Life and Times of Lyndon Johnson,” shows Johnson’s rise to power. Duggar explained that from a young age, Johnson knew to court power. While at the Teachers College in Texas, Johnson told his cousin, “It starts at the president’s office,” where Johnson was the president’s right arm man. Once in the Senate, Johnson chose to be on the Armed Services Committee because he knew Senator Richard Russell ran the Senate. Johnson courted powerful men and in exchange, these men would advance his career.

Although he was not a historian, Robert Bendiner said he believed he could provide accounts of events through a journalist's eyes with his book "Just Around the Corner: A Highly Selective History of the Thirties". It was a depressing time, recalls Bendiner, a time he hopes no one has to experience again. Businesses needed people to buy goods but there wasn't enough money for people to buy food let alone goods and materials. Bendiner recalls Riverside Drive was once affluent and picturesque. The view then turned to one full of Hooverville shacks.

In Robert Bendiner's book, "Just Around the Corner: A Highly Selective History of the Thirties," Bendiner covered Herbert Hoover's ineptness and Franklin Roosevelt's heroism. Bendiner also remembers vividly the moment when Huey Long did a jig on the Senate floor. Long further explained that the New Deal had to happen because it was what all the people, of both parties needed.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations

The American editor, journalist, and novelist talks with Studs about his Civil War novel, Unto This Hour, and how he did not set out to romanticize the war, but to show that war does not always lead to glory, despite the bravery of the fighting soldiers.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations