Terry Gross

Essayist and feminist journalist Barbara Ehrenreich. For three weeks last year Ehrenreich worked for a cleaning service in Portland, Maine. She writes about her experience, and the politics of house cleaning in this month's issue of Harper's magazine. The article is called "Maid to Order: The politics of other women's work" (April 2000). She is a contributing editor of Harper's. Her articles, reviews, essays and humor have appeared in Time, The New York Times Magazine, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The Wall Street Journal.

On today’s archive edition of Fresh Air, we honor National Poetry month. First, we feature an interview with Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass. (Rhymes with "grass"). Hass served as Laureate from 1995-1997. He won the National Book Critics Circle award for poetry for his book "Sun Under Wood" (Ecco Press). He's written several other books of poetry including "Praise" and "Human Wishes." He also edited "The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson & Issa." (Ecco Press).

Poet Billy Collins. His books include "Picnic, Lightning" (Univ of Pittsburgh), "The Art of Drowning" (Univ of Pittsburgh Press), and "Questions about Angels" (William Morrow & Co.), which was selected as a winner of the National Poetry Series Competition in 1990. John Updike says of Collins' poetry, "Billy Collins writes lovely poems. . .

Actor Om Puri is a star of Bombay's film industry, known as Bollywood. In his two decades of acting he's worked with every major Indian film director including Satjayit Ray. In western films he had roles in "Ghandi" and "City of Joy," and in the TV series "The Jewel in the Crown." Recently he's had starring parts in two British films "My Son the Fanatic," and the new film "East is East."

Actor John Spencer. He plays Leo McGarry, the Chief of Staff to the President in the tv series "The West Wing." The show, set in the Whitehouse, and concerning a fictional democratic President and his staff has just won a prestigious George Peabody award. In this first season of the show, Spencer's character has had to deal with his former alcoholism becoming a matter of public scrutiny. Spencder previously was a regular on "L.A. Law" and began his career on "The Patty Duke Show."

Singer Keely Smith. She has been called “The Queen of Swing” and “the First Lady of Las Vegas”. Smith is perhaps best known as the duet partner and wife of Louis Prima. Smith and Prima drew crowds to the lounges of Las Vegas in the 1950s. Their hits include “Jump, Jive, an’ Wail,” “Just a Gigolo,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “That Old Black Magic.” Smith talks about her marriage to Prima, the music they made together, and her career. Smith has just released a new CD called Swing Swing Swing

Smith, who died Saturday, was discovered by bandleader Louis Prima as a teenager. She later married Prima, and the two became a popular Las Vegas lounge act. Originally broadcast in 2000.

This year marks the centennial of the birth of German-born Kurt Weill, considered one of the 20th century’s most influential composers. And Monday, April 3, is the 50th anniversary of his death. He and lyricist Bertolt Brecht revolutionized musical theatre with a blend of cabaret and classical traditions resulting in “The Threepenny Opera” “Seven Deadly Sins” and others. In 1933 Weill, a Jew, fled Berlin and in 1935 came to America where he began working in American theatre. We talk about Weill with Kim Kowlake (Koe-WALL-kee), President of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.

Actor Kevin Spacey. He just won an Academy Award for best actor in the film “American Beauty.” On Sunday the cable station Court TV begins reruns of the TV series he co-starred in “Wiseguy.” (REBROADCAST from 5/31/91)

Jazz guitarists Jim Hall and Pat Metheny talk about their collaboration on the album "Jim Hall & Pat Mentheny" (Telarc) Hall emerged on the jazz scene in the late 1950's and went on to performed with such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Art Farmer and Itzhak Perlman. Metheny's recording career took off in the 1970's and became so successful...that Guitar Player magazine called him the "Jazz Voice of the 80s." Their August 1999 recording was hailed as a cross-generational summit of two exceptional jazz guitarists.