The Art of Conversation: Dialogue at the Woodrow Wilson Center

Recalling his role in the World War II sorties of the fabled Tuskegee Airmen. General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. describes it as a second front in the black aviators' war for dignity. In contrast to his bold decision-making as Secretary of Defense in the 1960s, Robert McNamara looks back on that era with regret, especially the misguided policies he had advanced during the Vietnam War. These are but two of the candid, deeply personal revelations in this collection of conversations from "dialogue," a weekly radio and television series from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. "dialogue" is broadcast by about 150 U.S. radio stations, the MHz WORLDVIEW channel and MHz NETWORKS, National Public Radio Worldwide, the Armed Forces Radio Network, and the ichannel in Canada, reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners and viewers worldwide. Whether the guests are celebrities like Lee Hamilton, Bill Bradley, or Shelby Foote, or lesser-known scholars, poets, diplomats, officials, and authors, the conversations are uniformly gripping and thoughtful. Presented as "conversations about ideas," the broad range of topics is emblematic of the scope of human endeavor in the arts, sciences, history, and culture. The twenty-four interviews selected for The Art of Conversation are favorites from among the 900 broadcast over the past twenty years. Guided by host George Liston Seay, the guests consistently display, he says, "the joy of people who take each other seriously." In solid, plainspoken fashion they demonstrate that there is an art of conversation and that even in this fragmented video age, it still flourishes.

About the Author :
George Liston Seay has been the executive producer and host of "dialogue" since 1988. He was a Peace Corps volunteer and a USIA officer in Brazil and has worked for the Ford Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson Center. Besides the literary range evident among his guests for "dialogue," he has a keen interest in theater and is a sailor and a licensed pilot.

Review :
This volume features down-to-earth talks with lofty intellectuals. As the title implies, the tone is conversation, and that helps personalize both the interview subjects and the subject matter... many 'genius' moments in this book. -- John Lewis Baltimore Magazine The Art of Conversation is brimming with life lessons. Centerpoint A compilation of twenty four favorite interviews presented in a neat, easy to read format... Highly recommended to American history collections in general and any one who enjoys prime information right from the people themselves. Midwest Book Review The broadly read and widely travelled Seay never lets his ego get in the way of the interview. Studies in American Culture