Terry Gross

Director and writer of the film version of Jane Austen's "Emma," Douglas McGrath. Already known as a playwright, screenwriter and columnist, this is his debut as a director. "Emma" is generally regarded as Austen's most accomplished and wittiest novel--a matchmaker doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons. McGrath is author of the New Republic column, "Flapjack File."

The opera soprano and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Barbara Hendricks has appeared on over fifty recordings and has won critical acclaim in performances with all the major opera companies in the world--but she remains a relatively obscure figure in the United States. This is her seventh year with the UN Commission and she says through her music, she has been able "to get people to listen in a way they wouldn't listen to a diplomat or bureaucrat."

Another excerpt from "This American Life" Sarah Vowell tells us about a fan of the Seattle pop-punk band Fastbacks. He's no ordinary groupie, though, and dedicates as much energy to fandom as many performers devote to their music. "This American Life" airs weekly on public radio stations and is produced by Ira Glass at Chicago's WBEZ.