A collection of some of the most interesting interviews fromA Word on Words

For years the legendary John Seigenthaler hostedA Word on Words on Nashville's public television station, WNPT. During the show’s four-decade run (1972 to 2013), he interviewed some of the most interesting and most impor­tant writers of our time. These in-depth exchanges revealed much about the writers who appeared on his show and gave a glimpse into their creative pro­cesses. Seigenthaler was a deeply engaged reader and a generous interviewer, a true craftsman. Frye Gaillard and Pat Toomay have collected and transcribed some of the iconic interactions from the show.

Featuring interviews with:
Arna Bontemps • Marshall Chapman • Pat Conroy • Rodney Crowell • John Egerton • Jesse Hill Ford • Charles Fountain • William Price Fox • Kinky Friedman • Frye Gaillard • Nikki Giovanni • Doris Kearns Goodwin • David Halberstam • Waylon Jennings • John Lewis • David Maraniss • William Marshall • Jon Meacham • Ann Patchett • Alice Randall • Dori Sanders • John Seigenthaler Sr. • Marty Stuart • Pat Toomay

Introduction: The Breadth, Depth, and Passion of John Seigenthaler, by Frye Gaillard

Part I: Civil Rights
Arna BontempsFree at Last: The Life of Frederick Douglass andGreat Slave Narratives
John EgertonSpeak Now against The Day
John LewisWalking with The Wind
David HalberstamThe Children
Frye GaillardCradle of Freedom

Part II: Literature
Jesse Hill FordThe Liberation of Lord Byron Jones
Pat ConroyThe Death of Santini
Ann PatchettThe Patron Saint of Liars
Dori SandersClover
Alice RandallThe Wind Done Gone
Nikki GiovanniChasing Utopia

Part III: Music
Marshall ChapmanGoodbye Little Rock and Roller
Marty StuartCountry Music: The Masters
Rodney CrowellChinaberry Sidewalks
Waylon JenningsWaylon: An Autobiography
Kinky FriedmanThe Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover

Part IV: Sports
Charles FountainSportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice
William MarshallBaseball’s Pivotal Era, 1945–1951
William Price FoxSatchel Paige’s America
Pat ToomayOn Any Given Sunday

Part V: The Presidency
Jon MeachamThomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
Doris Kearns GoodwinTeam of Rivals
David MaranissBarack Obama: The Story
John Seigenthaler Sr.James K. Polk

Epilogue, by Andrew Maraniss
Books Featured in This Volume