September 1-2, 2007

HOUR ONE

• New York Times reporter John Leland most recent book is Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of On the Road (They're Not What You Think). In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac's Beat novel, Bob talks with Leland about the importance and lasting effects of "On the Road."

• Writer Joyce Johnson's memoirs "Minor Characters" details her relationships with many key figures of the Beat movement and focuses particularly on the years she lived with writer Jack Kerouac. Joyce talks with Bob about 1957 and 1958, when Kerouac rose from obscurity to fame with the publication of "On the Road." This month marks the book's 50th anniversary.

HOUR TWO

• Bob talks with journalist and former soldier Brian Mockenhaupt. He served two tours in Iraq, is now a writer for Esquire and recently returned to Baghdad to profile the troop surge for the magazine.

• Bob talks with Rolling Stone music critic Anthony DeCurtis about some new releases.

September 8-9, 2007

HOUR ONE

• Former Washington Post reporter Linda Perlstein spent a year in an elementary school to observe the No Child Left Behind Act in action. Bob talks to Perlstein about the mixed results she discovered and the private influence over public education. She's the author of Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade and Not Much Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schooler .

• Bob talks with educator Dr. Rudolph F. “Rudy” Crew about his plans to reshape public education. A former teacher and superintendent, Dr. Crew’s new book is ONLY CONNECT: The Way to Save our Schools.

• Finally, Bob speaks with author Paul Dickson about Burgess Unabridged: A Classic Dictionary of Words You Have Always Needed, by turn of the century author Gelett Burgess, and Dickson’s own Family Words: A Dictionary of the Secret Language of Families . Burgess Unabridged, published in 1914, introduced a playful spirit of linguistic experimentation into the American cultural landscape, which has been diligently documented by Dickson in his various works on American slang.

HOUR TWO

• Bob talks with Richard D. Kahlenberg, author of Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race, and Democracy.

• Bob talks with Boston based cognitive neuroscientist and reading expert Maryanne Wolf about her new book Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain.

September 15-16, 2007

HOUR ONE

• Bob talks to Washington Post editor Rajiv Chandrasekaran as he analyzes all the recent Iraq reports and testimonies.

• Bob talks to Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele who wrote "Billions over Baghdad," appearing in the October issue of Vanity Fair. The pair attempted to track the nine billion dollars in American cash that has disappeared since it was shipped to Iraq.

• Bob talks to director David Cronenberg about violence, human nature, and filmmaking. In 2005 he directed "History of Violence" starring Viggo Mortensen, who also stars in Cronenberg’s latest film "Eastern Promises."

HOUR TWO

• Just over a year ago, Fidel Castro, the iconic leader of Cuba's socialist government transferred power to his brother Raul. How is the Cuban government handling its first change of power in nearly 50 years and where does the island nation stand amongst the powers of the modern world? Bob talks to Cuba expert and Florida International University Professor Marifeli Perez-Stable about the Cuban government and the challenges it faces moving forward.

• Dominican-American writer Junot Diaz was hailed as a rising star when he published "Drown," a short story collection, in 1996. Now, more than a decade later, Diaz has written his first novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." Bob talks with Diaz about the new book, his decade of literary silence and the special pressures that come with being identified as the voice of a people.

• Johnny Pacheco is a living legend of Latin music. In 1963, Pacheco co-founded Fania records, which gave a home to Latin musicians and singers that would go on to gain world stardom. The film, 'El Cantante' starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez is a biopic of the Puerto Rican singer Hector Lavoe. Johnny Pacheco talks with Bob about his career, Fania Records and the late Hector Lavoe.

September 22-23, 2007

HOUR ONE

• Bob talks to award winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick about their upcoming documentary titled “The War.” The seven-part series directed and produced by Burns and Novick premieres this weekend on PBS. The project tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of men and women from four American towns.

HOUR TWO

• Bob talks to public radio treasure and host of "A Prairie Home Companion" Garrison Keillor about his latest novel set in Lake Wobegone. The book is called Pontoon and it's published by Viking.

• Bob talks with writer and 2006 MacArthur Genius grant recipient George Saunders about his first book of non-fiction essays. The collection is called The Braindead Megaphone and Saunders has some not so nice things to say about the current state of the news media. He also tells us about his time along the US-Mexican border and about staying in the world's only 7-star hotel in Dubai.

September 29-30, 2007

HOUR ONE

• Bob talks to former Democratic Presidential candidate Wesley Clark about his 34 years in the Army, his role as a four-star general as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander during the war in Yugoslavia, and his plans for the future. His most recent book is, A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country.

• Screenwriter and director Paul Haggis earned two Oscars for the 2005 hit movie "Crash." His screenplay for "Million Dollar Baby" was Oscar nominated for best adapted screenplay. Bob talks to Haggis about writing for the big screen and his latest creation, “In the Valley of Elah,” which is based on the true story of military veterans returning from Iraq.

• Four time Grammy winner Lyle Lovett talks with Bob about his life as a musician and what's changed over the years. Although considered by some a country musician, Lovett's sound blends together blues, gospel, jazz, and folk with a country sensibility. His latest album is titled: "It's Not Big It's Large."

HOUR TWO

• For the hour, we’ll talk candidly about “The L Word” and the state of Liberalism in America today. We begin with Cheryl Reed, the newly appointed editorial page editor for the Chicago Sun-Times. Next, a discussion of economic policy with Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Then Peter Beinart talks about national security and his book: "The Good Fight: Why Liberals—And Only Liberals—Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again." Then we’ll combine religion and politics with Reverend John Buehrens. And we finish on a lighter note with unapologetic liberal and Washington Post humor columnist Gene Weingarten.