From 2002 - Judith Martin (Miss Manners) discusses her book "Star Spangled Manners: In Which Miss Manners Defends American Etiquette."

From 2017 - Historian Harlow Giles Unger discusses his book "First Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee and the Call for Independence."

Dr. Art Cyr's July visit to the program begins with a comparison between the celebration of our country's 250th birthday and the way that our Bicentennial was celebrated back in 1976.

For America's upcoming 250th birthday celebration- Peter Onuf, from the history faculty at the University of Virginia, talks about his new book "Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours." Professor Onuf and his co-author, Francis Cogliano, examine the legacy of our third president and explore what Jefferson has to offer to modern America in this era of exceptionally bitter division.

From 2010 - Dr. Sandra Moats from the history faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside .... discussing her book "Celebrating the Republic: Presidential Ceremony and Popular Sovereignty from Washington to Monroe." Professor Moats has focused much of her research on the early years of our country. This book examines the decisions made by Washington and his successors which helped to shape how our leaders- and especially how the president - was viewed by the American public.

We speak with Scott English, President and CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, which is located just west of Somers on County E. The museum has a couple of special exhibits in honor of our nation's 250th birthday, including "Among His Troops: George Washington and the Citizen-Soldier Tradition." We also talk about an important event coming up on July 8th featuring best-selling military author Steven Pressfield. We also get an update on a remarkable exhibit called "Above and Beyond," which consists of replicas of more than 58,000 dog tags - representing the Americans who died during the Viet Nam War. The exhibit is on track to open by th end of the summer.

In honor of our nation's 250th birthday, we are replaying this 2018 conversation with historian Jon Meacham, talking about his book "The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels." The book is a thoroughly researched and unfailingly honest look at how bitter divisiveness has been a very important part of our nation's history and identity. This interview was recorded a few days before Meacham visited the campus of Carthage College.

From 2003 - Alice Radosh, author of "Women Confronting Retirement: A Nontraditional Guide." The book was written for the first generation of women for whom working outside of the home was the norm - and for many of them, their professional work was an important part of their identity- and retirement marked a drastic life change.

We speak with former tennis pro Mansour Bahrami, a Franco-Iranian player who was renowned as one of the most gifted shotmakers of his day. He is the subject of a new book called "Mansour Bahrami: Face to Face.- Candid Discussions led by Hamid Gharavi." He recounts how he first fell in love with the game of tennis - how he learned the game without access to a proper racket - how the game was essentially forbidden in Iran at one time- and how he built a new life for himself away from his homeland. The book features prefaces written by Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, who both played Bahrami during his prime.

From 2016- We speak with best-selling author J. Ryan Stradal about "Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel" ..... a celebration of great food, how powerfully we can connect around food, and how food can give us our strongest sense of home. The novel also reminds us that amazing food is not only found in upscale restaurants but also in midwestern church suppers, the kitchens of family-owned farms, and more.