[applause] ♪ >> funding for overheard with evan smith is funded by hillco partners, hillco health andattsson mchale, in support of public television and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice many of this region's hill towns date back to etruscan times, well before ancient rome. others date to the fall of rome. when rome fell, europe was engulfed in chaos. people naturally grabbed for the high ground to escape the marauding barbarians that characterized those dark ages. over time, these towns were fortified and eventually functioned as independent city-states. in their glory days, they proudly charted their own course, generally free from the dictates of popes or emperors. then, the bubonic plague swept through tuscany in 1348. that, combined with the increasing dominance by the regional bully, florence, turned many bustling cities into docile backwaters. ironically, the bad news of the 14th century mothballed these towns, leaving them with a unique charm and a tourism-based affluence today. siena maintains much of its medieva

[applause] ♪ >> funding for overheard with evan smith is funded by hillco partners, hillco health andattsson mchale, in support of public television and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice

consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchail foundation in support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice clayburg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. >> i'm evan smith. he's an activist, academic and author who is one of the true icons of the american civil rights movement. a ten-term veteran of the georgia legislature, he helped found the student nonviolent coordinating committee and served as president of the southern poverty law center, and chaired the board of the naccp for more than a decade. he's julian bond. this is overheard. ♪ >> julian bond, welcome. >> thank you. >> an honor to have you here. >> my pleasure. >> let me ask you about the arc of your involvement in the civil rights movemeet, which i assume you believe continues today. >> indeed so it does. >> you go back to the late 50's when you were a student in college when you helped to found the student non-violent coordinating committee.

consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchale foundation in support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. >> smith: i'm evan smith. he's an icon of public media and progressive politics whose first job in journalism, as a cub reporter in marshall, texas, was more than six decades ago. his newest public television show, moyers and company, debuts this month. he's bill moyers. this is overheard. >> smith: bill moyers, welcome. >> moyers: my pleasure. >> smith: so good to see you, an honor to have you here. >> moyers: good to be home. >> smith: thank you. well, welcome home. >> moyers: thank you. >> smith: let me ask you to play the barometric role that you do for so many people around the country, particularly who share your world view. tell us the state of things. how are things going? we look to you to tell us and my sense is that your view of the world today

consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchale foundation in support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. >> i'm of evan smith. he's the self described head master of british rock. a much admired musician and producer whose credits over four plus decades include the icon in this case songs cruel to be kind, i love the sound of breaking glass and what's so funny about peace, love and understanding. thinks 13th studio album, the old magic, was recently released. he's nick lowe, this is overheard. ♪ >> smith: nick lowe, welcome. >> lowe: it's great to be here. >> smith: so nice to see you and to meet you. congratulations on the record. >> lowe: thank you very much. >> smith: it's a -- it's a wonderful record, to me as i've listened to your stuff so much over the years in that it felt that after the first time i'd listened to it that it was an old record. it felt

consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchale foundation in support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. >> i am evan smith. she's an emmy nominated actress and comedianne whose credits include never been kissed, the grinch who stole christmas, cat and kim and saturday night live where she spent six years as a cast member. her first book has just been published. she's molly shannon. this is overheard. ♪ >> smith: molly shannon, welcome. >> shannon: thank you. >> smith: it's really nice to have you here. >> shannon: well, it's so nice to be here. >> smith: congratulations on the book. >> shannon: thank you. >> smith: very exciting for you. >> shannon: thanks, yes, it is, it is exciting. >> smith: first book. >> shannon: mm hmm. >> smith: so not just first children's book, but first book, period. >> shannon: yeah, first book. >> smith: so why, why a book and wh

provided texas government affairs consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchale foundation in support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. he's an admired and accomplished american fiction writer whose credits include affliction and the sweet hereafter - which, not insignificantly, were made into pretty terrific movies. his twelfth novel, lost memory of skin, has just been published. he's russell bankk. thhs is overheard. >> smith: russell anks, welcome. >> banks: thank you, evan. >> smith: very nice to have you here and congratulationss3 on the book. >> banks: thank you. >> smith: although this is old hat for you at this point to ttke around a new book. you are a.you've got a lot of experience of, of -- of, promoting. >> banks: yeah. >> smith: .and talking about it and all that and i wonder if you get tired of it. >> banks::no it doesn't happen but once every three or four years anyh

>> lowe: thank you. [ applause ] >> funding for overheard with evan smith is provided in part by hillco partners, texas government affairs consultancy and its global health care consulting business unit, hillco health. and by the mattson mchale foundation in support of public television. and also by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. and also by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation and viewers like you. thank you. >> adrienne rich burst on the literary scene in the '50s, a passionate political activist, feminist. adrienne rich, who said, "art means nothing if it simply decorates the dinner table of the power which holds it hostage. >> there's a place between two stands of trees where the grass grows uphill and the old revolutionary road breaks off into shadows near a meeting-house abandoned by the persecuted who disappeared into those shadows. i've walked there picking mushrooms at the edge of dread, but don't be fooled this isn't a russian poem, this is not somewhere else but here, our country moving closer to its own truth and dread, its own ways of m