Terry Gross

Journalist Mark Perry is the Author of "Four Stars: The Joint Chiefs of Staff." His most recent book is "Eclipse: The Last Days of the C.I.A:" It examines the power struggle that took place after William Casey died, and after the fall of the Soviet Union. He also dispells the notion that the C.I.A. is still a highly effective and powerful organization.

Bell is a writer and professor who made the headlines in 1990 when he refused to return to Harvard Law School after an extended leave of absence. Bell, then the only tenured African American law professor, cited "reasons of conscious" for leaving--he was protesting the school's decision not to hire a woman of color. In 1959 he quit his job in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice rather than give up his membership in the NAACP. In 1977 Bell wrote "And We are Not Saved," a collection of parables about race and class.

Paulsen is a prolific writer of children's books. He began writing over twenty years ago, when he was coming to terms with his alcoholism. For many years he and his wife lived in poverty in rural Minnesota. This changed when Paulsen won the Newberry Award for children's fiction in 1985 with "Dogsong." His most recent adult book is "Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass." It celebrates American farm life and recounts the activities of a multigenerational farm family.

The ACLU recently announced its Arts Censors of the Year, a list that includes acting NEA chair Anne-Imelda Radice, Rev. Donald Wildmon, Oliver North, feminist Catherine MacKinnon, and the Duval County, Florida Public School District. We talk with Marjorie Heins, the director of the ACLU's Arts Censorship Project, about what earned the aforementioned this dubious distinction.

The novelist is best known for his books for adults--A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, The Crown of Columbus, which he wrote with his wife, writer Louise Erdrich, and The Broken Cord, about his adopted son's struggle with fetal alcohol syndrome. His latest book, Morning Girl, is for children. It's about the Taino, the 15th century Native Americans Columbus first encountered

Scott sang with Lionel Hampton's band in the late 1940s early 50s, and influenced such singers as Nancy Wilson, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. Despite his talent, Scott has had a sporadic career marked by long periods of obscurity. His distinctive voice reaches into high registers, which many listeners early on mistook for a woman's. His new album is called "All the Way."

Foley directed the movies "Reckless" and "After Dark, My Sweet." His newest film is the screen adaptation of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." The stage version won a 1984 Pulitzer Prize. The movie, starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon and Ed Harris, deals with men working in a real estate office who, because of the bad economy, must work in cut-throat conditions in order to survive.

Williams is a a writer and naturalist-in-residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History. Born a Utah Mormon, Williams has written several books about the environment and the West, such as "Coyote's Canyon" and "Earthly Messengers." Her most recent book, "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place," concerns her mother's unsuccessful battle with cancer and the flooding of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge by the rising Great Salt Lake waters.

Stephen Schiff reviews "Hero," directed by Stephen Frears and starring Dustin Hoffman, Joan Cusack, Geena Davis, and Andy Garcia. It's got a twisting plot reminiscent of films from the 1930s and '40s.

After nine years of stand-up comedy, Reynolds wrote a one-man show based on his life, called "Only the Truth is Funny." After ten months of sold-out shows, he was discovered by the agents to Woody Allen and David Letterman. He then moved his show to New York City. His new book is based on his solo show.