History

Documentarian Bob Mugge's new film "Black Wax" is a performance documentary with poet and activist Gil Scott-Heron. The film documents performances by Scott-Heron, including some with wax figures. Mugge's previous film "Amateur Night at City Hall," was a documentary about Frank Rizzo. The film includes Scott-Heron performing a portion of his poem/song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Novelist Edmund White's newest work, "A Boy's Own Story," follows a young gay man growing up in the midwest in the 1950s. The novel has some autobiographical elements. White joins the show to discuss his life, growing up as a homosexual person, and his novel.

Journalist David Halberstam is best known for his work on the Vietnam War for such publications as the New York Times. Unlike many journalists, Halberstam reported from the countryside. Halberstam delivers a talk on television and contemporary politics as a SPEC (Social Planning and Events Committee) Connaissance Speaker at the University of Pennsylvania.

Vine Deloria is a Native American activist and writer. The member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe joins the show to discuss Native American politics and society.

Journalist David Halberstam is best known for his work on the Vietnam War for such publications as the New York Times. Unlike many journalists, Halberstam reported from the countryside. Halberstam delivers a talk on television and contemporary politics as a SPEC (Social Planning and Events Committee) Connaissance Speaker at the University of Pennsylvania.

Peter Max is an artists whose "psychedelic" posters and graphics were popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, and he designed the appearance of the film "Yellow Submarine." He switched to painting in the mid-1970s, and his recent paintings of the Statue of Liberty were featured in Reagan's White House. A retrospective of his paintings, drawings, lithographs and etchings will open at the Hallowell Gallery in Conshohocken.

Frank Saunders worked as the chauffeur for Joseph and Rose Kennedy from 1961 until after Joseph Kennedy's death. He lived in a cottage on their Hyannisport estate, and performed many duties for them beyond his title. He's written a book about his time with the Kennedys, "Torn Lace Curtain."

Paul Fussell is an academic who has written several works of cultural history and literary criticism. His is particularly interested in the writing, photography, and art produced during World War II. His latest collection of essays is "The Boy Scout Handbook and Other Observations."

Gail Pressberg is the director of the Middle East desk of the American Friends Service Committee. The AFSC is a peace organization that conducts studies and promotes communications between feuding parties. Pressberg is the co-author of the AFSC report "A Compassionate Peace: A Future for the Middle East." Pressberg joins the show to discuss the current war in Lebanon, the background of Arab-Israeli relations, and the recent history of the Palestinian people. Pressberg will also respond to listener calls. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)

New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger uses the history of the skyscraper to frame a conversation about urban planning, gentrification, and the shifting balance between public and private financing of development in American cities.

Financial writer Andrew Tobias has a new book about the insurance industry and the laws the govern it. He shares his recommendations on how consumers can navigate this world to purchase the coverage they need.

Journalist Charles Hardy and University of Georgia historian Deborah Herman both reflect on the history and impact of advice columns on the lives of bourgeois American women. Herman looks at six months' worth of Dear Abby columns in the 1950s to determine the state of and attitudes toward marriage during that decade.

Margo Howard, the daughter of the advice columnist Ann Landers, has written a new book about her mother. She joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to discuss the growth of the the Dear Abby column's popularity and Landers' changing views over the decades.

Because of her anti-racist actions against the South African government, Adelaide Tambo left her home country and now lives in England with her husband. She believes it is crucial to fight racism in local communities across the world, particularly for the sake of black women, who face particularly severe oppression.

The editor of The Nation has a new book about the blacklisting of Hollywood actors during the McCarthy era. He talks about how the issue of nuclear proliferation is affecting the political right and left, and the difficulties journalists face when navigating copyright issues.

Writer Marilyn Moats Kennedy discusses the state of businesses, nonprofits and wages during the current recession. For job seekers, she suggests a number of strategies to employ during salary negotiations. Fresh Air listeners call in with their questions.

Mayron started in the theater before moving on to film and television. Her role in the movie Girlfriends led to more difficult roles like the television version of Arthur Miller's play Playing for Time, about the Holocaust, and Costa-Gravas' controversial film Missing.

The Temple professor and Pen/Faulkner Award-winning author explains the historical context of his new novel, The Chaneysville Incident. He discusses his different experiences with racism in the North and South, as well as his involvement in the organizing of Philadelphia-area writers.

As a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lyon documented many of the violent clashes between polices and protestors during the civil rights era. He continues to produce politically-charged photos and movies today.