Terry Gross

Freelance firefighter Peter Leschak has battled forest fires in the Northwoods and the West for over 20 years. Hes written several works of nonfiction as well as a memoir, Hellroaring. His new book is Ghost of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter. (HarperSanFrancisco). Its about the 1871 wildfire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin which was the deadliest fire in North American history. Coincidentally it started the very day and hour as the Great Chicago Fire.

In June the Writers Guild Foundation held its 2002 Film and Television Writers Forum, called "Words into Pictures." The forum focused on the role of the writer in film and television. We feature highlights from the forum. Participants included David Milch of NYPD Blue, Stephen Gaghan of the film Traffic and Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing.

Veteran registered nurses Kim Armstrong and Audrey Ludmer. Armstrong is currently working in obstetrics with high-risk labor and delivery in the Seattle area. Ludmer works in a peri-operative care center for endoscopy patients in the Manhattan area. Both will talk about how the nursing shortage and hospital cutbacks have affected hospital health care.