Book Critic John Leonard will review The Sergeant's Cat, a new mystery novel by Janwillem Van De Wetering, a former police officer in the Amsterdam police force.
Stewart Brand, founder of The Whole Earth Catalog and The Whole Earth Software Review. He's written a book on the Media Lab, MIT's state-of-the-art computer lab.
Ralph Bakshi, who did the animation work for the cult hits "Fritz The Cat," and "Heavy Traffic." He's turned his attention away from animation to concentrate on oil painting.
On the anniversary of soprano Maria Callas' death, classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz will review two new video cassettes of televised performances Callas gave in Hamburg, Germany in 1959 and 1962.
While vacationing in France, linguist Geoff Nunberg visited a museum exhibit showcasing an early edition of the Grand Larousse dictionary. He considers the cultural significance of this text, and what it says about how the French view language.
Roseanne Cash's newest album, King's Record Shop, blends country and rock music. Rock critic Ken Tucker says that her affectless voice lends itself to both genres.
While he served as a Party leader, Junius Irving Scales was arrested and convicted under the Smith Act. After his release from prison, Scales left the party after revelations over Stalin's actions in the Soviet Union. His new book, called Cause at Heart, recalls his work as a political activist.
Book critic John Leonard says that all of Gunter Grass's work can be seen as a sometimes fanciful examination of his country's brutal history. Case in point: Grass's new book, The Rat, is a science fiction-inspired novel about the end of the world.
Before becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning style writer for the Washington Post, Paul Hendrickson entered the seminary--just before Vatican II began to transform the Catholic Church. He left weeks before the time came to say his priesthood vows, and writes about the experience in his memoir, Seminary.
Book critic John Leonard says that the collected letters of humorist S.J. Perelman reveal a surprising amount of vitriol directed toward a number of notable film and literary figures. But it's not all doom and gloom.
Jazz guitar player Marty Grosz talks about the songwriter's lyrics, which he says are at once remorseful and exuberant. Grosz performs two of Waller's songs for Fresh Air listeners.
June Carter Cash grew up singing in the illustrious Carter Family and later married and performed with Johnny Cash. Her new memoir is called From the Heart.
Ann Rule is a former police officer who became a crime writer. Her new book, Small Sacrifices, documents the case of Diane Downs, who shot three of her children, killing one of them.
Theater critic Richard Gilman was born into a Jewish family, later joined the Catholic Church, and now identifies as an atheist. In his new memoir, he describes how restrictive teachings on sexuality drove him away form organized religion.
While some reviewers think River's Edge could become the Blue Valentine of 1987, film critic Stephen Schiff says the film suffers from a weak message and poor casting.
Impresario Joseph Papp helped launch Broadway hits like A Chorus Line and The Pirates of Penzance, and founded the New York Shakespeare Festival. He talks about the political aspects of theater casting, production, and criticism.
Documentary filmmaker Henry Hampton. He produced the television program "Eyes on the Prize," which documents the history of the civil rights movement -- including the impact press coverage had on the cause.