Terry Gross

The Canada-based Rybczynski sought to build a shed, but ended up designing a house for himself. He details the design and construction of his home in a new book, The Most Beautiful House in the World.

Lopate embraced the essay form only after writing novels and short stories. The writer explores diverse, sometimes provocative topics in his personal writing like sexuality and suicide.

New Orleans-based pianist and singer Harry Connick, Jr. performs a few classic standards.

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.

The Dutch stage and screen actor is often cast as a Russian character, including in the new movie Scandal. In the Netherlands, he often worked with director Paul Verhoeven. In the U.S., he's best known for his role as a womanizer in Crossing Delancey.

Critic Owne Gleiberman reviews Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He says the film is a retread of the first movie in the franchise, but is invigorated by the addition of Sean Connery as Indy's father.

Gordimer returns to Fresh Air to discuss her new collection of essays called The Essential Gesture, about her role as a white woman in South Africa fighting against Apartheid.

The former Steve Miller Band guitarist took a break from the music industry, but is back with a new album called Other Roads. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his early albums and the evolution of his music over the decades.

Lasseter began his career as a traditional animator; now he works for the production studio Pixar, founded by Steve Jobs. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the mechanics of computer animation, and how he tries to get audiences to look past the novelty of his approach and focus on the story.

La Russa joins Fresh Air to talk about how he leads his team through success and failure. His managerial style boils down to just a few rules: show up on time and do your best.