In 2002, Amiri Baraka was named Poet Laureate of New Jersey. In less than a year, he offended so many people the state cancelled its laureate program just to keep him out of the public eye. Now he's back in the news because his son, Ras Baraka, is running for mayor of Newark.
Mary D. Williams is afraid that traditional black gospel music is disappearing. She grew up loving her father's singing and the performances he gave with his gospel group "The Dependable Quintet." But Mary didn't know she had the same gift until she was 13. She's now teaching students how to feel the power of traditional gospel music through the hymns she knew as a child.
Pat Gleeson was a 34-year-old 18th century lit professor at San Francisco State in the mid-60s. But one day, he decided music was where his heart was. Even though he had no formal musical training, he quit his job and started working in a studio, making "electronic" music with a Moog synthesizer. His life changed when jazz pianist Herbie Hancock came into the studio one day and listened to what Pat was doing.
As the country is trying to claw its way out of recession, photographer Brian Ulrich has been exploring facets of our consumer culture. He stood by a trash can for two months in Chicago to see what people were throwing away. Also on the show: Marlin Briscoe earned a spot as Denver Broncos' quarterback at a time when no black quarterback was leading a team in the NFL.
Mike Stachowiak knows the thrill of online gaming intimately. Mike spent three years during high school and college immersed in an online role playing game called EverQuest. When he quit, he was ranked the best player in the world.
