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.

*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Architectural historian Robert Twombly discusses the biography “Louis Sullivan: His Life and Work.” Referred to by Studs as the architect that most symbolizes Chicago architecture, Louis Sullivan, this program outlines Sullivan’s life as a prominent architect who was one of the first to incorporate nature, or "the organic", into architecture, and who ended his life in poverty. This program includes a clip from 1956 of Frank Lloyd Wright speaking to his contemporaries, indignant, asking what took them so long to recognize Louis Sullivan and his genius in the architectural field?

*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Architect John Vinci, art and architectural historian David Van Zanten, and curator Wim de Wit discuss Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Historical Society’s exhibition “Louis Sullivan: The Function of Ornament.” The group discusses Sullivan’s use of ornament to add an organic element to his architecture; as well as some of Sullivan’s most prominent work, including the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, the Auditorium Building, and the Sullivan Center. This program includes a clip from 1956 of Frank Lloyd Wright discussing Sullivan and his impact on architectural design.

Fleming Brown, banjo player, discusses the influences Uncle Dave Macon, Pete Seeger, The Almanac Singers, and his teacher, Doc Hopkins had on him. He and Terkel also discuss the influence of WLS's Barn Dance radio show in Chicago and the Grand Ole Opry's WSM had on folk music. Fleming plays "Uncle Buddy" by Arthur Smith, to open and close the show. He also discusses the themes of Appalachian music such as lost love, mystery and murder, and plays examples for the audience.

Discussing the book "The eagle forgotten: the life of John Peter Altgeld" with the author Harry Barnard.

Ray Patlan and Mark Rogovin discuss mural art and the community engagement surrounding this artform. This program includes an audio clip of passers by commenting on the 1967 unveiling of Pablo Picasso’s Chicago sculpture and what they think it represents and the conversations it is meant to evoke. Studs reads Pete Seeger's introduction from Mark Rogovin, Marie Burton, and Holly Highfill’s book “Mural manual: How to paint murals for the classroom, community center, and street corner.”

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.