For years the legendary John Seigenthaler hosted A 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 GaillardPart I: Civil Rights Arna Bontemps, Free at Last: The Life of Frederick Douglass and Great Slave Narratives John Egerton, Speak Now against The Day John Lewis, Walking with The Wind David Halberstam, The Children Frye Gaillard, Cradle of FreedomPart II: Literature Jesse Hill Ford, The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones Pat Conroy, The Death of Santini Ann Patchett, The Patron Saint of Liars Dori Sanders, Clover Alice Randall, The Wind Done Gone Nikki Giovanni, Chasing UtopiaPart III: Music Marshall Chapman, Goodbye Little Rock and Roller Marty Stuart, Country Music: The Masters Rodney Crowell, Chinaberry Sidewalks Waylon Jennings, Waylon: An Autobiography Kinky Friedman, The Love Song of J. Edgar HooverPart IV: Sports Charles Fountain, Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice William Marshall, Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951 William Price Fox, Satchel Paige's America Pat Toomay, On Any Given SundayPart V: The Presidency Jon Meacham, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals David Maraniss, Barack Obama: The Story John Seigenthaler Sr., James K. PolkEpilogue, by Andrew MaranissBooks Featured in This Volume