Terry Gross

Sociologist and foremost authority on urban poverty William Julius Wilson. He was with the University of Chicago for 24 years before becoming the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy at Harvard. His new book is "When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor" (Knopf). He looks at how joblessness has affected inner city neighborhoods. He says that the consequences of high joblessness in the inner city are more devastating than those of high neighborhood poverty.

Memphis based musician Sid Selvidge. He's a guitarist whose music synthesizes classic blues styles and Appalachian traditions. Selvidge has been part of the Memphis music scene for 30 years, learning from such Delta blues legends as Bukka White, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Selvidge is also senior producer of the new public radio blues show, "Beale Street Caravan" which premieres on October 1.

Professor of Sociology Charles Moskos. He teaches at Northwestern University. He's written many articles on race relations in the military for the New York times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tiribune, and The New Republic. He's co-authored a new book about the U.S. Army's success at integration: "All That We Can Be: Black Leadership and Racial Integration the Army Way."