Terry Gross

Judith Martin, better known as Miss Manners, the name under which she writes her Washington Post advice column. She also reviews theater under her own name for the Post. She's recently written "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior." Martin joins the show to defend the importance of etiquette, discuss class relations and manners, and answer Fresh Air staff's questions on topics such as splitting the check, catching an unzipped "fly," sexism and other "-isms' in the workplace, and the perils of modern dating and marriage.

Writer and rabbi Chaim Potok is best known for his novels. However, he served as the Secretary of the Writings Committee of the Jewish Publication Society Committee of Scholars. The group has been working since 1957 on a new translation of the Old Testament, and the third volume was just published. It is the first translation in 2200 years to base itself on the original Hebrew texts. Potok joined the show in June, and he's back to offer comparisons between the new translation, the King James Bible, and the 1917 Jewish Publications translation. Potok will also answer listener calls.

Trombonist Melba Liston is one the few women to find success as a musician, arranger, and composer in the world of jazz. Liston has worked with artists as diverse as Dizzy Gillespie and Aretha Franklin. After spending five years living in Jamaica, Liston has returned to the United States and formed a new big band, the seventeen-piece "Melba Liston and Company."

Donald Drake is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer whose work often focuses on medical issues. Last week the Inquirer published his seven-part series on the homeless and the mentally ill, "The Forsaken." Drake spent over a year researching the topic, and has also written a musical drama, "Crazy People," based on his research. [The series would later be short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize.] Drake joins the show to discuss street people and the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. Drake will also answer listener calls.

Legendary editor and publisher Robert Giroux has recently tried his hand at writing. His new book is "The Book Known as 'Q': A Consideration of Shakespeare's Sonnets." Giroux calls "Q" the most mysterious work ever published, and, unlike other critics, he believes it to be an early work of Shakespeare. Giroux joins the show to discuss Shakespeare's work, life, and sexuality. Giroux also discusses some of the works and authors he has published and edited.

New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger uses the history of the skyscraper to frame a conversation about urban planning, gentrification, and the shifting balance between public and private financing of development in American cities.

Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture delivered by the legendary science fiction novelist. He opines on the role of technology in learning and the future progress of human civilization.

The two dancers have performed together since the 1960s in the group Hoofers. They talk about the influence of jazz on their generation of dancers.

Writer and rabbi Chaim Potok is best known for his novels. However, he served as the Secretary of the Writings Committee of the Jewish Publication Society Committee of Scholars. The group has been working since 1957 on a new translation of the Old Testament, and the third volume was just published. Potok joins the show to discuss the process of translating the scriptures and the differences from more familiar translations.