Terry Gross

British anthropologist Tudor Parfitt. His new book is “Journey to the Vanished City: The Search for a Lost Tribe of Israel” (Vintage paperbacks). Parfitt went to southern Africa to find the Lemba people, who claim to be Jewish. Recently geneticists have found that many Lemba men carry DNA consistent with Jewish ancestry

Andrew Ward is the author of “Dark Midnight When I Rise: The Story of the Jubilee Singers, Who Introduced the World to the Music of Black America” (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux). The Jubilee singers were nine former slaves who who set off from Nashville in 1871 to raise money to rescue their school, Fisk University, from bankruptcy. They toured the U.S., Britain, and Europe introducing audiences to African-American spirituals. The Jubilee singers are also the subject of an upcoming American Experience documentary on PBS. (Monday, May 1, 2000 at 9:00)

Brazilian film director Bruno Barreto. His new film “Bossa Nova” is a romantic comedy starring his wife, American actress, Amy Irving. Barreto’s other films are the critically acclaimed “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands” and “Four Days in September” which was nominated for an Academy Award for best Foreign Language Film.

Pro-wrestler Bret “Hitman” Hart of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He comes from a wrestling family: his father was a wrestling promoter and ran a wrestling school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. All his brothers were wrestlers including his brother, Owen Hart, who was killed in a wrestling stunt last year. Bret Hart is the subject of a new biography, “Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be.”

Film Director and screenwriter Oliver Stone. His movies include, "Platoon," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Wall Street," and "Talk Radio." He also wrote the screenplay for "Scarface" and others. He talks about his experience as a soldier in the Vietnam war and depicting the war on screen. (REBROADCAST from 7/17/90)

Photojournalists Horst Faas and Tim Page They compiled and edited a book of pictures by photojournalists who lost their lives covering war in Indochina and Vietnam from the 50's to the mid 70's. The book "Requiem" was published in 1997 (Random House). It features 135 different photographers including Robert Capa, Larry Burrows, and Sean Flynn. Horst Faas was an Associated Press photographer in Vietnam and Tim Page worked in Laos and Vietnam for United Press International and "Paris-Match." They were both wounded in Vietnam. (REBROADCAST from 11/5/97)

Novelist Tim O'Brien. He was writing about Vietnam long before it became fashionable to do so. His Vietnam memoir, "If I die in a Combat Zone," was published in 1973. O'Brien's 1979 novel "Going After Cacciato" was praised for its depiction of the Vietnam War. It also was the surprise winner of the 1979 National Book Awards -- beating out books by John Irving and John Cheever.

Designer, sculptor, architect Maya Lin. She was a 21 year-old undergraduate student when her design was selected for the Vietnam War Memorial. Her works are known for their ability to elicit powerful emotions. Lin also designed the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and the "Women's Table" at Yale (which dealt with the history of female students at Yale, which was mostly all-male for 300 years.) Most recently Lin designed "The Wave Field" in memory of Francois-Xavier Bagnoud, pilot, aeronautical engineer and humanitarian.

Contributing editor for This American Life, and columnist for Salon.com, Sarah Vowell. She has a new collection of essays, “Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World” (Simon & Schuster).

Film director Mary Harron. She’s directed the new film “American Psycho” based on the controversial novel by Bret Easton Ellis about a murderous and misogynistic young man on Wall Street. The film stars Christian Bale. Harron also co-wrote the screenplay. One reviewer writes, “the movie establishes its insidious balance of humor and aestheticized gore.” Harron previously directed the film “I Shot Andy Warhol.”