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.
Sophie and Hans Scholl and their underground, anti-violent, anti-Nazi group is the subject matter of the book, "Shattering the German Night: The Story of the White Rose." Co-author of the book, Jud Newborn, talks about the brother and sister duo were leaders of this movement that college students followed. In time, Nazi authorities found both Sophie and Hans and they were both executed.
Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. 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. Resuming the conversation with regards to his book, "Additional Dialogue: Letters of Dalton Trumbo, 1942-1962," Dalton Trumbo now talks about his time after being in prison for 10 months.
Lawrence Weschler discusses his book “Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder” and the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Weschler discusses the director of this museum, David Hildebrand Wilson, and the surreal and often humorous exhibits on display in the museum. Studs plays "Suite Anglaise No. 2 in A Minor: II. Bourrée 1 et 2" - Jean-Frédéric Neuburger.
Director Frank Galati explains that the play "She Always Said, Pablo," was about Gertrude Stein's relationship with Pablo Picasso. Referring to the play itself, Galati also said that he tried to marry their narrative writings with some operatic song.
Novelist Stanley Elkin has come into town to see Frank Galati's adaptation of Elkin's book, "The Dick Gibson Show." The book has a lot to do with how radio has become a talk show. Various cast members re-enact scenes from "The Dick Gibson Show."
Frank Galati talks about the production of, "Postcard From Morocco." The stories are told through the seven people stranded at the train station. Galati notes that the luggage the people have with them also represent people's baggage through out their lives.
Discussing the film "Silkwood" a movie about Karen Silkwood and the circumstances surrounding her death with movie producer Buzz Hirsch.
Isaac Bashevis Singer explains whenever he writes, he writes about life. He said that his book, "Shosha", is kind of a memoir or an autobiography. IB Singer admits that he never marries his Shosha. A theme of the novel, if there is a God, how come there's so much sadness and disappointment around in life?
Frederick Manfred's, "The King of Spades" is the last novel of the five-part series, "The Buckskin Man Tales." The west, family, and tragedy are all apart of Manfred's novel, which he said was the hardest to write. As a writer, Manfred soon learned his interests were with themes and topics as opposed to writing about history.