Terry Gross

Chicago police officer Eric Davis, known as "21" in the rap group the Slick Boys. Davis and two other officers founded the group in 1991 to provide positive role models for the inner-city kids they encountered on their jobs every day. The group has received national acclaim for their songs about the importance of getting an education and staying off of drugs and out of gangs. Davis grew up in the Cabrini-Green development of Chicago, where the three officers work.

Engineer Fred Cuny is a relief worker for the International Rescue Committee. He worked in Sarajevo to restore gas and water to civilians in early 1994. He just returned from Chechnya, where he was evaluating the humanitarian situation.

Clinical neurology professor and doctor Oliver Sacks is the author of six books about his patients, people with autism, Parkinson's Disease, Tourette's Syndrome, and other neurological disorders. Sacks was portrayed by Robin Williams in the 1991 film version of his book "Awakenings." His other books include "A Leg to Stand On," and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat." His newest is "An Anthropologist On Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales," which tells the stories of the disorders of seven of his subjects.

There's a new four-CD boxed set of Ginsberg's work called "Holy Soul Jelly Roll - Songs and Poems." Terry talks to him about the readings featured on these recordings. (Rebroadcast)

Snyder was part of the beat poetry scene in 1950s San Francisco, and inspired a character in several Jack Kerouac novels. He studied Eastern philosophy and religion, and later settled in a more isolated part of the United States -- far from the urban world. He won the Pulitzer Prize, and continues to teach and write. His new collection of essays considers his relationship with the wilderness. (Rebroadcast)

The Canadian writer has a new novel called "The Cunning Man." It follows the life of a Toronto-based doctor during World War 2 who witnesses the death of a father at the High Altar. The Washington Post has called it "one of [the] author's most entertaining and satisfying novels." Davies, now 81, has had three successive careers -- he began as an actor, then was a journalist and newspaper publisher, and in 1981 retired as professor of the Massy college at the University of Toronto.

Sargent Shriver is currently Chairman of the Special Olympics. He was organizer and first director of the Peace Corps, elevating it to become one of the most successful programs of the Kennedy Administration. Shriver headed President Johnson's War On Poverty in the 60s. During his tenure he also created VISTA, Head Start, Job Corps and many other successful programs. He recently received the Medal of Freedom from President Clinton -- the country's highest civilian honor.

Ramone has been called the "Pope of pop," producing and engineering artists from Bob Dylan to Gloria Estefan, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and dozens of others. Last year he produced Frank Sinatra's "Duets 2." Ramone has just finished recording a classical album with the Curtis Institute Orchestra and produced the cast recording of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion."

Raimi is best known for 1982's cult classic "The Evil Dead," which Steven King called "the most ferociously original horror film of the year." He has just directed his first big budget film, "The Quick and The Dead," starring Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman. It's a western with a touch of humor. He also directed 1990's hit "Darkman."

Berenbaum was afraid of bugs until she took a course on insects in college. Her new book is "Bugs in the System," which tries to show insects in a new light. Berenbaum demonstrates the importance of insects in everyday life and throughout history, and explores the lifestyles of some of the more than ten quintillion insects that inhabit the earth at any given moment. She also hosts the annual Insect Fear Film Festival, which will be held this weekend, February 25 & 26, at the University of Illinois.