Forced out of New Orleans after Katrina hit last year, historian Douglas Brinkley, a professor at Tulane University, soon returned. He helped with rescue efforts and immediately began the task of collecting oral histories of the catastrophe.

The result is his new book, The Great Deluge, which offers a multi-perspective account of the storm and its aftermath. Brinkley is the author of three other historical narratives, including Tour of Duty.

The writer and filmmaker known for the cult classics Pink Flamingos, Cry-Baby and Hairspray reflects on the many people who have inspired him throughout his life — from playwright Tennessee Williams to the crazed martyr Saint Catherine of Siena — in a new memoir, Role Models.

The longest-serving U.S. Senator in history died Monday. He was 92. In a 2004 interview on Fresh Air, Byrd discussed his 50-year Senate career with Terry Gross — and talked about the noteworthy votes he cast over the years.

Sergeant Tom Leisner and detective Jim Moffit with the Philadelphia police force. They were responsible for helping to convict Richard Ramos, the leader of a drug ring that included his mother, two brothers, and his sister, among others. The group's success in drug sales brought in $20 million and caused the destruction of the neighborhood. Leisner was stationed in the first mini-station in the city to keep closer watch over drug dealings.

Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, authors of the new book, Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live (Little Brown and Company). The book is a history of the late-night comedy mainstay, which first aired in 1975. Shales and Miller interviewed the shows' producers, writers, cast members and guest hosts, including Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Al Franken, Will Farrell, Tom Hanks and many more. Tom Shales is the Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic of The Washington Post and a movie critic for NPR's Morning Edition.

Natasha Trethewey has written before about the murder of her mother decades ago by her step father. She got a new window on her mother's life after getting access to the police files about her mother's case. Her new memoir is 'Memorial Drive.'

Journalist Mark Perry is the Author of "Four Stars: The Joint Chiefs of Staff." His most recent book is "Eclipse: The Last Days of the C.I.A:" It examines the power struggle that took place after William Casey died, and after the fall of the Soviet Union. He also dispells the notion that the C.I.A. is still a highly effective and powerful organization.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews the season premiere of public television's documentary series, "P.O.V." It debuts this Tuesday night with "Absolutely Positive," Peter Adair's film about 11 people who have tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.

Mexican Filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's debut film "Amores Perros" has just been released in the US to critical acclaim. The film follows the lives of three groups of people whose human relationships parallel the relationships they have with their dogs. Released in Los Angeles theaters in April, the movie was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. Other awards include the Canal Award at Cannes 2000, Grand Prix for Best Film and Best Director at the Tokyo International Film Festival and New Director's Award at Edinburgh.

From rap to rock to singer-songwriter pop, 2019 was a bountiful year for all kinds of music. Lil Nas X's hit "Old Town Road" defined the year with its massive, genre-crossing popularity and sheer catchiness. But when it came to the best albums of 2019, female artists reigned.

Dr. David Zangen, senior pediatrician, and Dr. Radgonde Amer, an ophthalmologist at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. They are part of the group of Arab and Jewish doctors who work side by side at the hospital treating casualties of the conflict in the Middle East.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews "The Man Who Shot John Lennon," the "Frontline" documentary on Mark David Chapman. The program relies on audiotaped psychiatric interviews with Chapman, and on a close analysis of the novel The Catcher in the Rye, which Chapman followed as though it were a script for Lennon's murder.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Beetle Juice," the supernatural comedy about a couple that moves into a Victorian home hoping to remodel it only to find it's inhabited by ghosts who abhor their chic urban tastes. It stars Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara and Alec Baldwin.

Big-screen adaptation of the blood-soaked Cormac McCarthy novel is the latest from the creators of Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Barton Fink.

It stars Josh Brolin as a hunter who finds a stash of cash, Javier Bardem as the psychopath who wants it back, and Tommy Lee Jones as the sheriff who's trying to find out who's leaving bodies all over his jurisdiction.

Television Critic David Bianculli reviews the CBS program "Try to Remember," a pilot for a new series hosted by Charles Kuralt. The program draws on archival footage and explores the events of one week, in this case August 10, 1969, the week of Hurricane Camille, Woodstock and a ticker tape parade for the Apollo 11 astronauts.

A new fiction podcast from Audible stars SNL's Bowen Yang as a fortune teller who's trying to steal samples from a sperm bank. Hot White Heist is a playfully zany production with an all-star cast.

Screenwriter Paul Mayersberg (MY-urz-burg). He penned the film “Croupier,” directed by Mike Hodges, whom we’ll hear from later in the show. “Croupier” is a thriller about a novelist who moonlights at a London casino, although he doesn’t gamble himself. He lives to watch others’ defeat. Mayersberg wrote the 1976 classic “The Man who Fell to Earth,” starring David Bowie. In addition to writing, he’s also directed several films, including “The Last Samurai.”

Historian Bernard Weissberger. He’s the author of “America Afire,” (William Morrow 2000). The book chronicles the political tumult surrounding the Presidential Election of 1800 between Adams and Jefferson. As in this election, a voting glitch caused confusion. Neither candidate was willing to concede. Weissberger compares the events then, at the birth of the Constitution, to the Gore v. Bush controversy now. He has written more than a dozen books and works on documentaries with Bill Moyers and Ken Burns.

Rock historian Ed Ward says its time we give bubblegum pop another listen. In contrast to the bombastic concept albums of the 1970s that were released at the same time, these one-off songs were catchy and accessible, and helped expand rock and roll's fanbase.