Terry Gross

Film director Harold Becker. His latest film is the steamy thriller "Sea of Love," starring Al Pacino. He also directed James Woods in the 1979 film "The Onion Field," a terrifying portrayal of a policeman's murder.

Writer Saul Bellow. His short stories and novels have won him three National Book Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize. His newest novel is "The Bellarosa Connection," a story about the meaning of memory.

Egyptian-born poet Gregory Djanikian (ja-NIK-ee-ann) reads a poem about his early memories of moving to America and starting school.

NFL referee Jerry Markbreit (MARK-brite). His book, Born To Referee, is an inside look at the world of football through the eyes of a referee. Markbreit began calling the shots at high school games and made his way up to the pros.

Novelist Russell Banks often depicts ordinary people coping with difficulties in contemporary society. His new book "Affliction," takes on the subject of male violence, following the story of Wade Whitehouse, "a good man beset by the dark side of the macho mentality." Banks has also written for "Esquire," "Vanity Fair," "The Nation," and other publications.

Writer Valerie Miner. Her work has been praised for it's uncommon honesty and intensity. Miner focuses on a group of people she finds overlooked in American literature: the working class. Her books include "All Good Women," "Blood Sisters," and "Winter's Edge." Her new book, "Trespassing," is a collection of stories which span the globe and examine the quiet shifts in relationships or in an individual's sense of self.

Film director Arthur Penn. Penn's latest film is "Penn and Teller Get Killed." His previous movies include "Bonnie and Clyde," "Little Big Man," "The Miracle Worker," "Alice's Restaurant," and "The Missouri Breaks."

Jazz pianist Kenny Barron pays tribute to jazz great Thelonious Monk.

John Gerassi (jer-assy), former journalist, currently a professor of political science at Queens College of the City University of New York. He's written an unusual biography of Jean-Paul Sartre. Gerassi is Sartre's official biographer and was a personal friend, yet he is neither totally objective or uncritical. The book includes Gerassi's own observations as well as material culled from over 100 hours of interviews with Sartre and complete access to Sartre's papers.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the theatrical re-release of "Tom Jones." The 1963 film adaptation of Henry Fielding's novel of a bawdy 18th century playboy won Oscars for best picture, director, screenplay, and score. It stars Albert Finney and Susannah York.