Interview: Introductions for writer Norman Mailer are made by Dean John Eadie and Professor Kathleen Rout who describes many of Mailer's controversial works for the audience. Mailer begins his lecture by stating that he has no idea about what he is going to lecture. The first topic he stumbles onto is the perks of being an artist, in which he discusses the drastic differences between painters and writers. Mailer expresses contempt for some modern-day artists because, as he sees it, the celebrity of the artist has replaced talent. He compares art, and eventually politics, to advertising and considers the implications of taxation for advertising. Mailer then prepares to read some of his poetry, which he describes as being “very clear but not very good.” The author attempts to define poetry by giving an example of what poetry is not. He considers his own “poems” to be right on the brink of being poetry. After this reading, Mailer skips to the topic of the vanity of America. He emphasizes the fear Americans have of “venturing into new terrain” which leads to him reading three or four sections from his book Tough Guys Don't Dance (1984). When questioned by the audience, Mailer discusses such topics as his inspirations, Gore Vidal (with whom he had a short feud), and his non-existent newspaper career. He explains his writing process, describing it as a boring ritual. Mailer contrasts his views of literature today with the opinions of fellow authors E. L. Doctorow and Tom Wolfe. He concludes his presentation by reading what he considers to be the best poem he ever wrote.