Terry Gross

Timothy Egan is the author of the book The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. Now out in paperback, the book was awarded the National Book Award for nonfiction. Egan is a national enterprise reporter for the New York Times, and was part of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for a series on race in America.

Journalist Stephen Kiernan's new book is Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System. Kiernan writes that doctors are not well-trained in end of life procedures, and that half of those who die in hospitals suffer untreated pain, while those in nursing homes risk abuse and personal bankruptcy. Based in New England, Kiernan has written for the Boston Globe, the Burlington Free Press and other publications. He received the George Polk Award for medical reporting and the Joseph Breckner Center's Freedom of Information Award.

Actor John C. Reilly co-stars in the hit film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby with Will Ferrell, which will soon be released on video. Probably best known for his association with writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson in the films Hard 8, Boogie Nights and Magnolia, Reilly got his start with the Chicago-based drama troupe The Steppenwolf Theatre. His other films include The Perfect Storm, Dolores Claiborne, The Thin Red Line, Chicago and The Aviator. This interview originally aired on Aug. 7, 2006.

Nicholas Blanford is the Beirut correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. His new book, Killing Mr. Lebanon, is about the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Ariel Levy is a contributing editor at New York magazine, where she writes about sexuality, culture and gender politics. Her new book is Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. One reviewer writes that Levy "strips the 'Girls Gone Wild' culture of its cuteness in her provocative [book], arguing that post-feminist poster girls such as Playboy Bunnies offer only faux empowerment."

Musicians and composers Phillip Johnston and Joel Forrester of The Microscopic Septet have reunited for the release of their two-volume History of the Micros: Seven Men in Neckties & Surrealistic Swing. The Microscopic Septet composed and recorded the Fresh Air theme song.

Former President Jimmy Carter addresses the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in his new book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Carter has founded a conflict resolution organization and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation work.

Neil Simon is this year's recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. (The award ceremony will be broadcast this week on many PBS stations). His plays and movies include Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, The Goodbye Girl, The Out-of-Towners and The Sunshine Boys. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his play Lost in Yonkers and is the author of Rewrites, a memoir. This interview originally aired on Oct. 17, 1996.