Terry Gross

Actor Jason Alexander. He's best known as George Costanza on the NBC series "Seinfeld", where he plays Jerry Seinfeld's best friend. Alexander won a Tony Award in 1989 for his performance in "Jerome Robbin's Broadway." (REBROADCAST FROM 6/23/92).

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld. His television show just won three Emmy Awards and an army of devoted fans are propelling his book "SeinLanguage" (Bantam) up the best-seller lists. (REBROADCAST FROM 9/2/87).

Professor Uwe Reinhardt. He is a professor of Political Economy at Princeton University. He is also President of the American Association of Health Services Research. Reinhardt has written widely about reforming the U-S healthcare system in such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He has argued for a universal plan for years now, saying it will control spiraling costs.

Biomedical ethicist Arthur Caplan. Caplan was on the Presidential task force that helped form the new health care proposal. He is the Director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Minnesota. He is also a professor of surgery and philosophy there. In addition to numerous books and articles, Caplan writes a syndicated column; his work appears weekly in 40 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

Children's book writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. He's been at it for over 40 years. His books are classics: "Where the Wild Things Are," "In the Night Kitchen," and others. They are "unsentimental fantasizes" (LA Times Magazine), challenging the belief that children should be protected from their fears and anxieties. In all, Sendak has illustrated 80 children's books (19 of which he wrote).

Biographer Andrew Gowers. He's co-written (with Tony Walker) a new biography of Yasser Arafat, "Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution." (Olive Branch Press). The book explores Arafat's nearly 40 years as a Palestinian activist. Gowers and his co-author spent hundreds of hours interviewing PLO officials, including Arafat, as well as American, Arab and European officials. Gowers is a Features Editor of the Financial Times and was the paper's Middle East Editor. He comments frequently on the Middle East for British radio and TV.

Ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin. He has a new book about what he learned about botany and medicine from the Medicine Men of the tropical rain forests. His new book is "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice," published by Viking. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Actor Morgan Freeman. He's one of stage and screen's most acclaimed actors, for his ability to immerse himself in different roles. He's originated the role of the chauffeur in the Broadway production of "Driving Miss Daisy." Later he revived the role in the movie version, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Correspondent for The New York Times, Malcolm Browne. He has a memoir about his life as a reporter, "Muddy Boots and Red Socks: A Reporter's Life." (Times Books). He spent two decades as a foreign correspondent for wire services, newspapers, and magazines. He followed troops in Vietnam, and took the famous photographs of Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in the streets of Saigon. He won a Pulitzer for his coverage of Viet Nam.

A new young poet and short-story writer Sherman Alexie. He's a 26 year-old Native American who grew up on the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation in Washington State.