Books & Literature

University of Pennsylvania folklorist Henry Glassie has been the last ten years studying the Northern Irish community of Ballymenone. Glassie sees the conflict and history of this community as a microcosm of Ireland's at large, and says he wanted to present the "workaday reality" of average people. His study has been compiled into the book "Passing the Time in Ballymenone: Culture and History of an Ulster Community," and contains stories, songs, and Glassie's own descriptions and analyses.

Donald Bogle is an author, film critic, and staff writer for Ebony, who wrote "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks; An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films." Bogle, who also works as a story editor for Otto Preminger, has recently released "Brown Sugar: Eight Years of America's Black Female Superstars." He joins the show to discuss film images of African Americans and the role of race in the motion picture industry.

Jessica Savitch is one of the most prominent women journalists on broadcast television. She began her career as a Philadelphia newscaster. Her autobiography "Anchorwoman" discusses how she made her career in a male dominated industry. She joins the show to discuss journalism and women.

Paul Fussell is an academic who has written several works of cultural history and literary criticism. His is particularly interested in the writing, photography, and art produced during World War II. His latest collection of essays is "The Boy Scout Handbook and Other Observations."

Geoffrey Stokes has been a staff writer for The Village Voice since 1973. He is the editor of the "New Village Voice Anthology," a collection of articles from the newspapers from 1956-1980. Stokes joins the show to discuss the Anthology and the Voice's history.

William Murray is the son of atheist crusader Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whom the family considered "the most hated woman in America." At the age of 14, Murray was the plaintiff in a Supreme Court case his mother filed to remove prayer from the Baltimore Public Schools. Murray experienced a difficult relationship with Murray O'Hair, who terrorized him as child. As an adult, Murray converted to Christianity and hasn't spoken to his mother since 1977. His new book is "My Life Without God."

Poet, playwright, and novelist Ntozake Shange is best known for her choreo-poem "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf," which has been adapted for public television. Her first novel, "Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo" has just been published. It follows three sisters whose weaver mother named them after vivid dyes. The novel mixes poems, spells, potions, and recipes, and explores the territories and choices of modern Black women.

Judith Martin, better known as Miss Manners, the name under which she writes her Washington Post advice column. She also reviews theater under her own name for the Post. She's recently written "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior." Martin joins the show to defend the importance of etiquette, discuss class relations and manners, and answer Fresh Air staff's questions on topics such as splitting the check, catching an unzipped "fly," sexism and other "-isms' in the workplace, and the perils of modern dating and marriage.

Writer and rabbi Chaim Potok is best known for his novels. However, he served as the Secretary of the Writings Committee of the Jewish Publication Society Committee of Scholars. The group has been working since 1957 on a new translation of the Old Testament, and the third volume was just published. It is the first translation in 2200 years to base itself on the original Hebrew texts. Potok joined the show in June, and he's back to offer comparisons between the new translation, the King James Bible, and the 1917 Jewish Publications translation. Potok will also answer listener calls.

Legendary editor and publisher Robert Giroux has recently tried his hand at writing. His new book is "The Book Known as 'Q': A Consideration of Shakespeare's Sonnets." Giroux calls "Q" the most mysterious work ever published, and, unlike other critics, he believes it to be an early work of Shakespeare. Giroux joins the show to discuss Shakespeare's work, life, and sexuality. Giroux also discusses some of the works and authors he has published and edited.

Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture delivered by the legendary science fiction novelist. He opines on the role of technology in learning and the future progress of human civilization.

Writer and rabbi Chaim Potok is best known for his novels. However, he served as the Secretary of the Writings Committee of the Jewish Publication Society Committee of Scholars. The group has been working since 1957 on a new translation of the Old Testament, and the third volume was just published. Potok joins the show to discuss the process of translating the scriptures and the differences from more familiar translations.

In between a series of odd jobs, the two folk musicians made a living performing across the country before settling down in Philadelphia. They join Fresh Air to showcase the kind of energetic music they can make with their traditional instruments.

Journalist Robert MacNeil cohosts a PBS news show with Jim Lehrer. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how the program curates stories and guests to provide a comprehensive and unbiased look at the news.

Margo Howard, the daughter of the advice columnist Ann Landers, has written a new book about her mother. She joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to discuss the growth of the the Dear Abby column's popularity and Landers' changing views over the decades.

The All Things Considered co-host's new book details the making of the show, the unique challenges women journalists face in the field, and how she developed her style and confidence as a radio interviewer.

Randy Shilts has a new biography about Harvey Milk, the openly-gay mayor of San Francisco who was assassinated at the age of 48. Shilts details Milk's coming out later in life and his adroitness as a unity-building politician.

Ron Luciano worked as a baseball umpire before joining NBC as a sportscaster. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the ins and outs of the game, what makes a great player, and his switch to television broadcasting.

The novelist has a new novel set in Alabama which features, among other characters, two memorable prostitutes. Brown has also started writing for television. She talks about the increasing presence of gay people in mass media, and her own experiences as an out lesbian.

Lawrence Weschler examines Poland's labor movement in his new book, Solidarity. He reflects on how the Solidarity organization's actions call into question the virtues of Western capitalism.