We make clear in no uncertain terms that we are lovers of art and lovers of words. There is no greater form of art and words than poetry. But what makes poems great? What makes some more successful than others? What makes one poem stir the heartstrings of one man or woman and, in another, to resonate not at all? We brought in two of our favorite poets and scholars--Elise Paschen and Christina Pugh--to discuss all of these matters and inviting them to read some of their own poems and some of their favorites. As always, we took your calls and emails.

If youre a fan of this program you probably know that the title of the new book by Chris Wright is a quote about Alexander the Great. If youre not into history, you may remember it as one of the many quotable scenes from Die Hard and the great actor Alan Rickman. At any rate, No More Worlds to Conquer is a brilliantly conceived work that asks the question, What next? The subjects of the book are those who achieved remarkable feats at early ages. These feats are those that would appear at the top of a Wikipedia entry. Included are moonwalkers, an Olympic gymnast, a World Cup Winner, and Chuck Yeager, among others.

If you dont know the truly heartbreaking story of the MS St. Louis, you are in for a shock. Fleeing Germany in the ramp up to hostilities in World War II, a group of Jews was first turned away from asylum in Cuba, then the United States and then Canada. All returned to Europe. The end of the story is as tragic as you might expect for Jews returned to Eastern Europe in 1939. The great radio man and author Martin Goldsmith has retraced the steps of his grandfather and uncle who, ultimately, died in Hitlers concentration camps in his remarkable book, Alexs Wake.

Washington and Jefferson hated each other. What? Washington and Jefferson hated each other? How can that be? That was our reaction when we read what Tom Fleming had discovered and made the central theme of his great new book The Great Divide. It seems anathema to everything weve come to believe of our founding fathers and heroes of the revolution that they were not all best of friends. But then, as now, there were men in charge of a nation and, as we all know, there are egos--often large ones--all vying for influence. Listen in on this fascinating talk and sharp contrast to the normal retelling of Washington and Jefferson

Marc Goodman is a global thinker and a futurist. Hes also an ex Los Angeles policeman and one of the most sought after security consultants in the world. He studies the advances in technology and how they are put into use by the criminal underworld--and mega corporations--to keep track of you, what you do, what you like, how much you spend, how you spend it and where youll spend it next. Companies use it to sell you products and check your credit. Crooks use it to rip you off. He has written a wildly influential book, Future Crimes. Everything is connected. Everyone is vulnerable. Mark tells you and Milt what we can do about it.

One of the frequently asked questions on this program is how and why we are here. We asked it of two cosmologists recently and on this episode we discuss it in evolutionary terms with our friends Dr. Lance Grande of the Field Museum and Dr. Robert Richards of the University of Chicagos Center for the History of Science and Medicine. Some fantastic questions were submitted to the panel from callers and emailers. Forever in pursuit of knowledge and truth is the crux of this show, and this is a program you will not want to miss. If yours is an inquiring mind, youll want to see Dr. Grandes new book, The Lost World of Fossil Lake.

So asks our esteemed and welcome guest Joseph Nye, of the Kennedy School in Cambridge, who is the University Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard. He has written a fascinating new book in which he examines the rise of China and India and asks whether or not the age of American dominance is well behind us, the future belonging to those great nations in the east.

Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud and Saul Bellow. They were some of the finest writers of the 20th Century. We had the great pleasure of discussing their place in literary history and the evolution of the American novel. Milt is joined in studio by Zachary Leader, professor of English Literature at University of Roehampton in London, who has just penned volume one of an astounding biography of Bellow called The Life of Saul Bellow: To Fame and Fortune, 1915-1964. Also in studio are two great and local writers, Brian Bouldrey who is Senior Lecturer of Creative Writing at Northwestern, and Don Evans, founder and executive director of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

One of our longtime favorites is Dick Ciccone, formerly of the Chicago Tribune and now professor at Notre Dame. We sought his estimable analysis on the upcoming presidential race. Joined in hour two by the highly successful and very top of fold writer Peter Schweizer on his popular book, Clinton Cash. How did Bill and Hillary get so rich? And is that necessarily at odds with the interests of our nation?

People love to disparage lawyers, at least until they need one. But where would we be without them? In a bad state, for sure. In this installment of Milt Rosenberg, we bring you three of the best. Philip Corboy, Jr., Jon Loevy, and Aaron Goldstein. All respected practitioners of the trade in our fair city and, indeed, known beyond in their field. What makes them tick? What is their motivation behind becoming attorneys? Who were their influences, and why do they do what they do? Take a listen. It is compelling indeed.