Terry Gross

Janet Levine is a white, liberal South African woman and anti-apartheid activist. She later resigned from public office and exiled herself in the United States; she believed that whites' unavoidable complicity with racist policies undermined the efforts of black activists. Her memoir new memoir is called Inside Apartheid.

Director Stephen Frears directed the adaptation of the play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, about a contest of sexual conquest and infidelity. Film critic Stephen Schiff praises how it handles eroticism. Despite some casting missteps, he believes it's "a brilliant tarentella" of a movie.

Oliver Stone directed a film adaptation of Bogosian's play Talk Show, about a radio shock jock. Bogosian stars; he acts regularly in theater and television.

Tuckwell doesn't see his shift from French horn performance to orchestra conducting as a career change -- it's all music to him. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his experiences as a soloist and working with other conductors.

TV writer John Schulian says his career change was a logical one: he was a good writer and sick of sports journalism. He got his break on the show L.A. Law. He's now the executive story editor on Wiseguy.

Lorde is open about her identity as a black lesbian feminist; she hopes her visibility will help other women like her feel less alone. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her romantic relationships with men and women, and the tensions between African American and feminist communities. Her new collection of essays, A Burst of Light, deals with her experience with breast cancer.

Film critic Stephen Schiff talks with Terry Gross about this years movies. He says 1988 was an unusually good year for American films, though his favorite Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. His least favorite movie was Willow.

Poet Mark Halliday reads a poem about the doo-wop group the Capris, and nostalgic recollections of teenage crushes.

After weeks of playing the music that has influenced him over the years, performer-in-residence Malcom Rebennack sings some of his own songs.

The veteran jazz musician is critically acclaimed, but McKenna considers himself a "barroom pianist." He makes a living as a solo performer, and plays several songs for Fresh Air listeners.