Terry Gross

Last year, Gates uncovered a manuscript of a novel purportedly written in the 1850s by an African American woman who had been a slave. It is the first known work of its kind and has great historical and literary significance. The Bondwomans Narrative by Hannah Crafts, edited by Henry Louis Gates, has just been published (Warner Books). Well talk with Gates about the process of finding, authenticating and publishing the novel. Gates is the W.E.B. DuBois Professor of Humanities and chair of the Department of African-American Studies at Harvard University.

He wrote and starred in his films which include the hipster comedy Swingers and Made (which he also directed). In each film he teamed up with fellow actor and friend Vince Vaughn. Recently he also starred in the romantic comedy Love and Sex. His latest project is a new talk show series Dinner For Five which he created and hosts for the Independent Film Channel

Journalist Laura Blumenfeld is the author of the book, Revenge: A Story of Hope (Simon & Schuster). In 1986 her father was shot while visiting Israel. The bullet grazed his head. Ten years later, while a reporter for The Washington Post, Blumenfeld went in search of the shooter as a way to deal with her own feelings of revenge. She found his family who in turn led her to him. She developed a friendship with them, before they knew who she really was.

David Blumenfeld served as rabbi for 12 years in Glen Cove, New York. He began his career as a U.S. Army chaplain. In the eighties he was an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Hebraic Studies at Long Island University. Currently, he is the Director of Department Services to Affiliated Congregations at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Singer and songwriter Steve Earle has a new CD, Sidetracks, featuring several unreleased and underexposed tracks. This is his 11th full-length CD. He's the author of last year's acclaimed book, Doghouse Roses, a collection of short stories. Earle is also politically active. He currently serves as a board member of the Journey of Hope and is affiliated with both the Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the Abolitionist Action Committee. This interview was originally broadcast July 30, 1996.

Journalist Richard Rodriguez is a regular essayist on PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and is an editor at the Pacific News Service in San Francisco. In his new book Brown: the Last Discovery of America (Viking) he assesses the meaning of Hispanics to the life of America.

Journalist Mark Bowden discusses Saddam Hussein, the subject of his cover story for the May issue of The Atlantic Monthly. The story is –Tales of the Tyrant: The private life and inner world of Saddam Hussein. Bowden is also author of the bestseller Black Hawk Down, which was made into a film. His book Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Worlds Greatest Outlaw, about the U.S. government's role in bringing down Colombian cocaine kingpin and terrorist Pablo Escobar is now in paperback. It won the Overseas Press Club Award for best non fiction book on foreign affairs.

Journalist Christopher Dickey. He is Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor for Newsweek magazine. He'll talk about the situation in the Middle East.

Writer Bharati Mukherjee's new novel is Desirable Daughters (Theia Press). Mukherjee is an Indian-born writer who emigrated to the U.S. as an adult. Her new novel is about a traditional Brahmin family transformed by contemporary culture. Mukherjee is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books and two collections of short stories, including The Middleman and Other Stories, for which she won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Writer Gerard Jones is the author of the new book, Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy Games, Superheroes, and Make Believe Violence (Basic Books). A former creator of comic books, he's written text for Batman, Superman, X-Men, and Pokemon. This is his fourth media studies book. He lives in San Francisco.