Terry Gross

Comedian Bernie Mac has traced his own path to the top, staying in Chicago and other spots — anywhere but Los Angeles. Now he's the star of The Bernie Mac Show, a sitcom on Fox. As his book I Ain't Scared of You is released, we talk with Mac about his days honing his craft, his ideas about what makes a star — and who's better, Sinatra or Williams.

LeRoy is the author of The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, a collection of autobiographical stories, and Sarah, a novel about a 12-year-old hustler. LeRoy writes for NY Press, Shout and The Face.

Dalton Conley is the author of the memoir, Honky (Vintage books) about growing up white in a predominately African American and Latino neighborhood on the Lower East Side of New York. Conley is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Advanced Social Science Research at New York University.

Writer David Leavitt. Author of 14 books, Leavitt specializes in gay fiction and Italian traveling narratives. He was first published in the New Yorker at the age of 20 and followed that with stories in Harper's Magazine, and the 1984 O.Henry Prize Story Collection. His novel about the publishing world, "Martin Bauman; or A Sure Thing" (Houghton Mifflin) has just been published in paperback.

Writer Jonathan Franzen. His critically acclaimed new novel "The Corrections" chronicles the reaction of a dysfunctional American family to the father's illness. It's just been awarded the National Book Award. Franzen is also the author of two other novels, "Strong Motion" and "The Twenty-Seventh City." He lives in New York.

Former lead singer of the indie-rock band the Del Fuegos, Dan Zanes. When he became a father he realized he couldn’t stomach the music for kids so started writing his own. He also formed the Rocket Ship Revue, a touring band that performs dance-party shows for kids. His first CD “Dan Zanes and Friends Rocket Ship Beach” received a Parents Choice Award and the kids liked it too. It also featured Suzanne Vega and Sheryl Crow. ZANES’ new CD is “Family Dance."

Singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. He has a new CD, Last Man on Earth and a new role on the hit FOX TV series, Undeclared. He plays a dysfunctional father on the show. Loudon Wainwright III grew up in the town of Bedford in wealthy Westchester County north of New York City. He became a folk singer/songwriter in the late '60s, singing humorous and autobiographical songs. In 1972, on his Album III he scored the top-40 hit "Dead Skunk." Many of his songs have been featured on NPR Morning Edition.

NICK LOWE brings his guitar to the studio for music and conversation. The British singer-songwriter and producer has had a long and varied career. In the late sixties, he played bass and sang for the pop band Kippington Lodge. In the seventies, he produced albums for Graham Parker and the Rumour, The Damned, Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello. Lowe co-founded Stiff Records, one of the premier labels for punk rock. Then, his own solo career took off with the release of the single "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass." He has continued to both produce and sing.

Ken Wells is senior writer and features editor for The Wall Street Journals Page One. He is also the author of two novels: his latest Juniors Leg (Random House), and Meely LaBauve (published last year). Both novels are set in south Louisiana on the bayou where he grew up himself.

Jazz trumpeter Steven Bernstein. With his quartet, Sex Mob, hes just released a new CD which pays homage to the music of James Bond films. Its called Sex Mob Does Bond (ropeadope records) and is the sextets third album. Bernstein also heads two other groups: Diaspora Soul which specializes in performing versions of ancient Jewish melodies, and Millennial Territory Orchestra with which he explores jazz from the 1920s and 1930s.