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Harvey Reid is an acoustic musician and songwriter. He moved to Portsmouth 25 years ago; he now lives just across the river in Maine. Since his escape to New England, he's pursued his musical interests on his own terms, outside the world of the big pop-music record labels. He talks about the rewards of his highly independent musical career, and how the internet is changing the music business. His latest CD is called "Guitar Voyages."

Tomie dePaola is a children?s author and illustrator. He?s written more than 200 books so far, and is the creator of characters like Strega Nona. More recently, he?s been writing a semi-autobiographical series of ?chapter books,? appropriate for older readers. He?s also working on a series about an anthropomorphic family of dogs. He talks with John about how he got into children?s literature, his own reading interests, and his run-ins with those who have tried to ban his books. He also shares poignant and funny stories about his own family and childhood.

Fred Wiseman is Professor At Johnson State College in Vermont, and Director of the Abenaki Tribal Museum and Cultural Center. He’s written a book titled, “The Voice of the Dawn,” published by University Press of New England. Prior to the European settlement of North America, the Abenaki lived in New Hampshire, Vermont, and western Maine. During the colonial period, they fared less well than other native peoples. Unlike the Iroquois, they weren’t allies of the English colonists, they haven’t received as much anthropological and historical attention as other tribes. Wiseman talks about the challenges the Abenaki have faced in preserving their culture in the years since colonization, and how surviving Abenaki have lost some of their tribal identity. He even speculates that the Abenaki, who became seafarers when they settled along the ocean, may have traveled as far as Europe, centuries before the voyages of the Vikings and Christopher Columbus.

"The Front Porch" celebrates St. Patrick's Day a day early. The Angel Band, from the seacoast area, specializes in the music of an 18th-century Irish composer and folk musician. They talk with NHPR's Kate McNally, host of The Folk Show, about their music, and play some examples.

Bill Carter is a founder of Ashoka, a global organization that provides capital and advice to social entrepreneurs, people with an original approach to solving a social problem. He talks with John about Ashoka, some of its recent ventures in Nigeria and elsewhere, and his latest project: "Speak America," a non-profit attempting to re-introduce debate teams and debating into American school systems.