Society & Culture

Novelist Terry McMillan. The film adaptation of her 1992 novel, "Waiting to Exhale" was last year's box office hit.The book sold nearly 4 million copies. McMillan has recently completed her fourth novel, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (Viking) which is available in bookstores this week. It tells the story of a 42-year old career woman on vacation in Jamaica who falls in love with a 20-year old unemployed resort worker. According to McMillan, "it's as close to autobiography as I've written in a long time".

Linguist Geoff Nunberg on the language of downsizing.

Poet Donald Hall. A year ago, his wife, poet Jane Kenyon died of leukemia. There's a new collection of her work, "Otherwise: New & Selected Poems" (Graywolf Press). Hall will read from the book, including the last poems she wrote, and discuss their life together. Hall also has a forthcoming book of poetry, "The Old Life," (Houghton Mifflin) to be published in June.

Publisher of The Nation, Victor Navasky. He was one of a group of writers who in 1967 conceived of a literary hoax. The book "Report From Iron Mountain," was penned by Leonard Lewin and was a satire, supposedly written by a commission of eminent scholars about the problems that would arise in the United States if "permanent peace" should arrive. The book has been compared to Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and "Dr. Strangelove" for its social and political commentary. It wasn't until 1972 that Lewin admitted the hoax.

Chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center and its Militia Task Force, Morris Dees. His group has been monitoring the activity of militia and extremist groups. In fact, six months before the Oklahoma City Bombing Dees warned the U.S. Attorney General that the militia movement posed a serious threat. His new book is "Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat," (HarperCollins).

Chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center and its Militia Task Force, Morris Dees. His group has been monitoring the activity of militia and extremist groups. In fact, six months before the Oklahoma City Bombing Dees warned the U.S. Attorney General that the militia movement posed a serious threat. His new book is "Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat," (HarperCollins).

Comic and performance artist Marga Gomez. Her new show is "A Line Around the Block" a solo memoir performance about her father, New York Cuban comedian Willy Chevalier. In 1991 Gomez wrote and performed a piece about her mother a flamboyantly self-dramatizing Puerto Rican dancer, "Memory Tricks." Gomez is performing her new show at The Public Theatre in New York, this month.

Los Angeles prosecutor Christopher Darden. He'd been a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office for fifteen years before being selected to be on the team that prosecuted O.J. Simpson. He's written his memoir, "In Contempt," (Regan Books, written with Jess Walter.

Reverend Al Sharpton. The controversial advocate for the rights of African Americans has written his autobiography (w/Anthony Walton): "Go and Tell Pharaoh: The Autobiography of The Reverend Al Sharpton." (Doubleday)

Photographer Margaret Morton has a new collection of photographs: "The Tunnel: The Underground Homeless of New York City," (Yale University Press). The community has existed for 20 years. The book's text is taken from the words of the people who live there. Terry also talks with Bob Kalinski who lived underground for eight years, and recently left the tunnel to live in a homeless shelter.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg on the long history of the word "suburbs."

Associate Professor at Columbia University of Public Health Dr. Nahid Toubia. She is from Sudan, and was the first woman surgeon in her country. Toubia is director of "Rainbo" a research and information organization dedicated to the health and human rights of women, particularly women's reproductive and sexual rights. They've begun a campaign against female genital mutilation. Toubia has written a report: "Female Genital Mutilation: A Call for Global Action."

Film director Joseph Cates. His film "Who Killed Teddy Bear" was made in the mid 1960s. It starred Sal Mineo, Juliet Prowse and Elaine Stritch. The film has recently been re-released. It's been described as a "smorgasbord of Hollywood taboos: voyeurism, pornography, masturbation, incest, child abuse, transvestism, lesbianism." "Who Killed Teddy Bear?" is playing at the Film Forum in New York City, March 8-14.

Filmmakers Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Freidman. They've produced a film version of Russo's book, "The Celluloid Closet." The documentary includes film clips and interview with actors, directors, writers and critics.

Editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter (CRTL), Ed Perkins. He has spent 25 years in travel research and consulting He began editing CRTL, widely known for its objective consumer oriented research. He has a nationally syndicated travel column and has appeared as a travel expert on Good Morning America, The CBS Evening News With Dan Rather, and other TV and radio programs.

Amherst College professor Austin Sarat, a Ph.D. in political science with a law degree from Yale University, is teaching a course on Murder which is the most popular in the school's history--with one fifth of the entire student body enrolled. It breaks the record of a course on Human Sexuality offered in the 70's. The syllabus includes selections from literature, film, and television like "Crime and Punishment," and "Macbeth," as well as "Pulp Fiction," and "Psycho." (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg discusses Gerry Mulligan, jazz, and the use of the world cool.

National Correspondent for U.S. News and World Report Scott Minerbrook. He writes regularly for public radio and his work has appeared in a myriad of publications including The New York Times, and Emerge, where he is a contributing editor. He has received several awards, most recently one from the National Association of Black Journalists. His new book "Divided to the Vein: A Journey into Race and Family" (Harcourt Brace & Co.) discusses the racism he encountered within his own family as the son of a white woman and a black man. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

President of the Social Democratic and Labour Party of Northern Ireland, John Hume. He's been an advocate of nonviolence throughout the 25 years of violence in Ireland. He has received numerous peace and humanitarian awards, has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and is thought to be a leading contender for the award this year. He has a new memoir "A New Ireland: Politics, Peace, and Reconciliation" (Roberts Rinehart Publishers). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Novelist Stephen McCauley was a yoga instructor and travel agent before writing his first novel, "The Object of My Affection". His newest and third novel is "The Man of the House". (Simon & Schuster)