Terry Gross

Bob Ortega is an investigative journalist for The Wall Street Journal. He's the author of the new book, "In Sam We Trust: The Untold Story of Sam Walton and How Wal-Mart Is Devouring America" (Times Business/Random House). The book looks at how Wal-Mart went from a tiny variety store in backwater Arkansas to one of the world's largest corporations. In doing so, Wal-Mart's business practices have been imitated by other businesses and criticized for its impact on communities, and treatment of workers.

Bette Midler made a name for herself in the early 1970s at New York's Continental Baths, a club for gay men. Since then she's been nominated for two Academy Awards, and earned Emmy and Grammy awards. She has a new CD, "Bathhouse Betty" (Warner Bros. Records).

Jennings has collaborated with Todd Brewster on a new 12-hour documentary series which takes a look back at the 20th century. It's called "The Century" and will be broadcast early in 1999. There's also a companion book published by Doubleday. JENNINGS will discuss the project and his own 35 years in the news business.

Kirk Varnedoe is the chief curator for the Jackson Pollock exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It shows November 1, 1998-February 2, 1999. Pollock is widely considered the most challenging and influential American painter of the twentieth century and one of the primary creators in modern art since 1945. Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. Varnedoe has written the accompanying book "Jackson Pollock"

A special in-studio concert and interview with Kate and Anna McGarrigle; Loudon, Rufus, and Martha Wainwright, and other. They all sing and play on the new album, "The McGarrigle Hour" (Hannibal).

Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio are the authors of "Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects" (A Material World Book/Ten Speed Press). The book is a pictorial guide to how insects are made delectable throughout the world.

Mills writes for the television shows, "ER" and "NYPD Blue." This week's episode of ER is written by him. Mills is also the co-author of "George Clinton and P-Funk" (Avon Books). He's also reported for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Writer and critic Nelson George. He's one of this country's most prominent chroniclers of black music and culture. His new book "Hip Hop America" (Viking) is a history of Hip Hop, and a memoir of his own life, growing up to the musical strains of Hip Hop.

Lehman is the series editor of "The Best American Poetry." His new book "The Last Avant-Garde: The Making of the New York School of Poets" (Doubleday) is a cultural history about a group of poets in the 1950s who he says helped to reinvent literature, like John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara, Kenneth Koch, and James Schuyler. They took their cue from the Abstract Expressionistic painters of the time who were also in New York.

Gabler's newest book is "Life: The Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality" (Knopf). His previous books are "Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity" and "An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood."