Terry Gross

Last week the opening event of the Favorite Poem Project, was held at New York's Town hall. The Project is part of poet laureate Robert Pinksy's plan to have 1000 average Americans recite their favorite poem and archive it on audio or video tape. The Town Hall event brought together such notable people as Geraldine Ferraro, Arthur M. Schlesginer Jr., and choreographer Bill T. Jones, as well as junior and high-school students. We'll excerpt a part of the event. We feature readings by: Ed Bradley, of 60 Minutes; Louis Rodriguez, a high school student; Dr. Calvin O.

Historian Jill Ker Conway. She's the author of the bestselling memoir, "The Road from Coorain," about growing up in the Australian outback. Conway also edited two volumes of women's memoirs "Written By Herself" (Volumes I and II) which were, in part, about the nature of autobiography written by women. Her new book is "When Memory Speaks: Reflections on Autobiography." (Knopf) Conway was the first female vice president of The University of Toronto, and from 1975 to 1985 was the president of Smith.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. He's written a new book, "Newt Gingrich: Lessons Learned the Hard Way: A Personal Report" (HarperCollins).