Terry Gross

Merwin won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1970 work, The Carriers of Ladders. His books include The Song of Roland, The Compass Flower, Miner's Pale Children, Houses and Travellers, and The Rain in the Trees. Many of his poems concern the beauty of the natural world and the consequences of man's desecration of it. (Rebroadcast)

Francis has worked on the AIDS epidemic since 1981, and is currently working on developing a vaccine. He was portrayed by Matthew Modine in "The Band Played On" and was a consultant on "Outbreak." He's worked for the Centers for Disease Control, and has researched Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

Salle's new movie "Search and Destroy" is an adaptation of the Howard Korder play. The film stars Griffin Dunne, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, John Turturro, and Rosanna Arquette. The executive producer is Martin Scorsese. Salle's work as an artist prompted this quote by the New York Times, "one of the most thoughtful, gifted, and curious artists of his generation."

Stahl has a new memoir called Permanent Midnight. He was a successful journalist, a scriptwriter for cult film classics like "Cafe Flesh," and "Dr. Caligari," who went on to write for the hit TV shows "Moonlighting," "ALF" and "thirtysomething." Stahl was also a junkie. He writes,"You might say that success ruined me. You might say I ruined success."

Broderick is making his singing and dancing debut in the revival of the Frank Loesser musical. He plays J. Pierrepont Finch, an ambitious window washer who climbs the corporate ladder by "fawning, brown-nosing, sucking up and a touch of backstabbing." Broderick is best known for his acting, in such movies as "Torch Song Trilogy," "War Games," and "The Freshman."

Keneally is best known for his novel, Schindler's List which was put to film, by director Stephen Spielberg. His new novel, A River Town, is based on the story of his grandfather who left Ireland for Australia at the turn of the century. But in Australia he became the outsider. Keneally has written over 20 novels. He is a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.

Former president of the public affairs non-partisan lobbying group Common Cause, Fred Wertheimer. As president of the organization, Wertheimer led the charge for campaign finance reform, the banning of special-interest honoraria for members of Congress, and a lobby disclosure law. Wertheimer stepped down earlier this year after 14 years as President. He's been called "the capital's most vocal crusader for reforming the political system" by The Wall Street Journal.

Banks' new novel is Rule of the Bone. It's been compared to Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of it's young first-person narrator, and use of comedy to convey grim realities. Bank's narrator is 14 year-old Chappie from upstate New York who wears a nose ring and Mohawk. He steals from his parents to pay for dope, is kicked out of the house, and sets off on a low-life adventure.

In this 1995 interview, poet and countercultural activist talks about caring for his mother, who suffered from mental illness. His poem "Kaddish" is about her.

Haggard has been on the country music scene since the early sixties and has more number one hits than any country music star except Conway Twitty. We replay part of our interview with him recorded earlier this year. (Rebroadcast)