Terry Gross

Shanghai-born author, Anchee Min. She grew up in China during the last years of Mao's Cultural Revolution. In her memoir, "Red Azalea" (Pantheon), Min recounts her experiences as an 11-year old leader in her school's Little Red Guard, then as a laborer at a work camp where she became the secret lover of her female commander. When Madam Mao began her reform of China's film industry, Min was chosen from 20,000 candidates to become a screen actress because she had a face that was thought to represent the working class.

War surgeon Dr. Chris Giannou, who recently worked through the devastating civil war in the East African country of Burundi. In the ensuing ethnic and political conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsi peoples there, at least two hundred thousand people were been killed, oftentimes not with guns, but with machete knives and spears. Giannou has spent over 12 years working in the world's hotspots: Somalia, Lebanon, Cambodia.

Emmy-Award winning documentary filmmaker and producer, Thomas Lennon. His newest documentary examines the interaction between the tabloid press and the mainstream media: "Tabloid Truth: the Michael Jackson Scandal" (which airs on PBS stations February 15th). By watching the story of alleged sexual abuse swell from verifiable news to national spectacle, Lennon questions the state of American journalism, as CNN fights for the same stories once relegated to the National Inquirer.

Caryl Phillips, author of five novels, a work of nonfiction and many scripts for film, theater, radio and television. His new novel,"Crossing the River" (Knopf), tells stories of slavery and the relationships forged by and among some of its perpetrators and victims. Phillips takes liberties with time in following the lives of three African children sold into slavery by their desperate father -- one freed and sent back to Africa as a missionary, one searching for her lost husband and child in the American wild west and one, a World War II GI stationed in Yorkshire, England.

Gregory Alan-WIilliams, Emmy Award winning actor, author and playwright. He has written "A Gathering of Heroes, Reflections on Rage and Responsibility," a memoir of the Los Angeles Riots (Academy Chicago Publishers). On April 29, 1992, Alan-WIilliams, an African American, heard that violence had erupted in South Central L.A. and chose to walk into the heart of the riot. He ended up risking his own life to rescue a Japanese American man who was being brutally beaten by some in the angry crowd.

An in-studio concert and interview with singer/songwriter, guitarist Richard Thompson. He first became known for his work with "Fairport Convention." He's since gone solo and is known for his dark songs which blend elements of British folk ballads and the blues. His latest album is "Mirror Blue," (Capitol). There's also a retrospective collection of his work released last year, "Watching the Dark: The History of Richard Thompson," (on Rykodisc.)

A new interview with Updike. His new novel is "Brazil," (Knopf).

Academy Award winning writer-producer-director James Brooks. Brooks will discuss his new movie, "I'll Do Anything," a romantic comedy about a struggling but talented Hollywood character actor, played by Nick Nolte.

Actress Julie Kavner. In her first professional role, she played Brenda Morgenstern, the insecure younger sister of the title character, in the television series "Rhoda." She landed an Emmy award for that role. Also on television, she co-starred in "The Tracey Ullman Show" and now can be heard as the unforgettable voice of Marge on the animated sitcom, "The Simpsons," for which she also won an Emmy. She starred in the movie "This Is My Life," co-starred in "Awakenings," and appeared in 5 Woody Allen movies.

Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophonist, is one of the jazz world's greatest improvisational artists. At the tender age of 23, he played with Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. After successfully battling a heroin addiction in the early 1950s, he joined the Clifford Brown-Max Roach quintet. He also began a critically-acclaimed solo career. Now in his sixties, he feels obligated to carry on the vision of his own mentors to today's rising stars. His latest album, "Old Flames" (Milestone), focuses on jazz standards and features Sonny backed by a brass section.