Terry Gross

Robert Kaplow and performance group the Punsters give their satirical, dystopian take on how 1989 will turn out. They warn of computer viruses, financial collapse, and a rise of chocolate addiction among teenagers.

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.

Jane Kramer regularly writes about the culture and politics on the continent. She says immigration -- and the xenophobic response to immigrants -- has played a big part in shaping Europe's changing identity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

George A. Romero's 1968 film, The Night of the Living Dead, is a classic of the horror genre. While his zombie flicks have become increasingly graphic over the years, his newest film, Monkey Shines, is more of a psychological thriller. Romero is careful to point out that no monkeys were harmed in the making of the movie.

Carol Leifer wrote for Saturday Night Live and later started performing her own material on stage. A recent divorcee, she's surprised by how bleak the dating scene is. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her personal and working life.