Martin ("Mar-teen") Sánchez-Jankowski, a professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, lived among ethnically diverse street gangs in New York, Boston and Los Angeles from 1978 to 1988. His observations are contained in his new book, Islands in the Street: Gangs in American Urban Society (Univ. of Cal. Press).
Journalist Milton Viorst of the New Yorker reports on the Middle East. In April, he was in Bagdad to observe the state of Iraq several months after the end of the conflict.
Thompson is a British musician first known for his work with Fairport Convention. He's since gone solo, writing dark songs which blend elements of British folk ballads and the blues. His new album is called "Rumor and Sigh."
Rock critic Jimmy Guterman and editor Owen O'Donnell have a new book called "The Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time." Many of their selections are recordings made by some of the most popular artists, including the Doors, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, and the Moody Blues.
Miller was the first executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association when it was formed in 1966. He helped form a labor union to represent the athletes, which caused the dramatic increase in player's salaries, and ended the system that bound an athlete to one team forever. To some, he's the man who depreciated the value of teams. His memoir is called "A Whole Different Ball Game."
Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Blind Willie Johnson, an itinerant gospel singer who traveled the South between the 20s and the 40s. Unlike many of his peers, Johnson was a master guitarist.
Boyd's new book, "The Revolution of Little Girls," follows a child coming-of-age in the South in the 60s. (It's published by Knopf). Boyd's the author of two earlier novels, and a collection of essays, called "The Rebel Way of Knowledge."
Jacobson is the executive director of the Center for Science in The Public Interest. He's one of the authors of the new book, "Safe Food." It's a guide to the dangers in what we eat. The book discusses pesticides, bacteria and other toxic substances found in food.
Dubus' short stories earned him this year's Bernard Malamud Award from the writers group, PEN. Dubus has just released his first work of non-fiction, a collection of essays, called "Broken Vessels." It deals with, among other things, a tragic car accident that killed one person and left him severely injured.
Book critic John Leonard reviews "Jernigan," the first novel from writer David Gates. It's about an erudite alcoholic's frustration with suburban life.
The Soviet Union just withdrew from Czechoslovakia. We talk to two people about what affect this will have on the literary culture in that country. Czech writer Ivan Klima was one of Czechoslovakia's leading dissident writers, and was recently elected the president of the Czech chapter of PEN. Michael March organized an international book and writers' festival in Prague last month.
Television critic David Bianculli checks out Comedy Central. It's the new cable comedy network formed by the merger of "The Comedy Channel," and the "HA! Comedy Network." David's favorites are "Mystery Science Theater 3000," which lampoons old B-movies, and the rebroadcasts of Ernie Kovacs specials.
Green is one of the greats of soul and gospel music. He's probably best known for his hit, "Let's Stay Together." He'll talk about his secular musical career in light of being a born again Christian.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews, "Dying Young," starring Julia Roberts, which borrows a familiar trope from television movies -- with about as much success
Sylvia Thomson-Smith is a chief author and the editor of a report on sexuality recently presented to the national convention of the Presbyterian Church. That report urged the Church to relax its strictures against homosexuality and premarital sex. The Presbyterian Church overwhelmingly rejected the report.
Athlete and journalist Mariah Burton Nelson. After the passage of Title IX, Nelson played women's basketball in college and in the Women's Pro Basketball League. Her new book, "Are We Winning Yet?" examines the state of women's sports in America today.
