Books & Literature

Poet Hal Sirowitz. His new collection of poems is "Mother Said," (Crown Publishers) and is written in the vernacular of a mother. One reviewer wrote of the poems, "the logical step forward in the comic treatment of Oedipal angst." Sirowitz has appeared on MTV's "Spoken Word Unplugged" and on PBS's "The United States of Poetry."

Kristin Luker is Professor of Sociology and Law at the University of California. She's the author of the new book, "Dubious Conceptions: The Politics of Teenage Pregnancy," (Harvard University Press).

Novelist and biographer Peter Ackroyd. He's written nine novels and and biographies of Charles Dickens and T.S. Eliot. His latest biography is of the 18th century poet, painter and engraver William Blake. It's "Blake: A Biography," (Alfred A. Knopf)

Host of ABC'S "Nightline" Ted Koppel. He has a new memoir about his 16 years with the news show and his life before journalism. It's called "Nightline: History in the Making and the Making of Television" (Times Books, by Ted Koppel and Kyle Gibson).

Editor and chief of Simon & Schuster Michael Korda. He's written a new memoir: "Man to Man: Surviving Prostate Cancer," (Random House).

An excerpt from the new public radio program "This American Life" by Ira Glass. Miles Davis' biographer shares his memories, and funny stories about Davis. "This American Life" premiers nationally in June.

Writer Karen Armstrong is the author of the best-seller "A History of God." Her new book examines how the city of Jerusalem became the holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Armstrong's new book is "Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths," (Knopf)

Philip Hilts, correspondent on health and science policy for The New York Times. His new book is "Smokescreen: The Truth Behind the Tobacco Industry Cover-up" (Addison-Wesley). Hilts first broke the story of the now-infamous Brown and Williamson tobacco papers, which revealed when tobacco executives first learned about the addictive nature of nicotine and the dangers of smoking. Hilts' stories for the New York Times led to Congressional hearings.

Chinese-Canadian journalist, Jan Wong.... She went to China as an idealistic radical student in the 70's and believed in the Cultural Revolution and even informed on a couple of people. But she eventually left China, totally disillusioned. Years later she returned as a reporter for the Toronto Globe and Mail and covered the Tiananmen Square massacre. She talks about her new book, "Red China Blues". (Doubleday/Anchor Books, 1996)

Writer Mary Gordon. Her new memoir, "The Shadow Man: A Daughter's Search for Her Father" (Random House), is about her research into her father's past. Gordon's father died when she was seven. Gordon has written several bestselling novels, including "Final Payments" and "The Company of Women."

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Christopher Tilghman's novel "Mason's Retreat."

John Douglas, author and former FBI unit chief who originated the Unabomber profile talks about the 18-year manhunt for the Unabomber suspect. Douglas has published a new book, "Unabomber: on the trail of America's most wanted serial killer" (Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster). His previous book is, "Mindhunter", a report on the criminal profiling program of the FBI's behavioral science unit.

Reynolds Price... writer, teacher, poet ... has turned his attention to the life of Jesus and the gospels. His latest book, "Three Gospels" (Scribner) is a translation of the gospels of Mark and John from the original Greek and includes a new gospel, "An Honest Account of a Memorable Life". In 1984 Price was diagnosed with spinal cancer, and became paralyzed from the waist down. His other books include, "The Promise of Rest", "A Whole New Life" and "The Collected Stories".

Country music star, George Jones. He's widely acclaimed as one of the greatest country singers, but his 40-year career has also been marked by alcohol and drug abuse. He recently published his autobiography, "I Lived to Tell it All" (Villard, New York).

Spy-watcher and gadget collector, Keith Melton who's book, "The Ultimate Spy Book" (DK Publishing) has been published recently.

British detective author, Lynda La Plante, who created the TV detective series, "Prime Suspect" which stars Helen Mirren as Superintendent Jane Tenneson. La Plante has also published a new crime novel, "Cold Shoulder" about a woman cop on the skids. (Random House) (Interview by Maureen Corrigan)

Author and Professor of Law, James Boyle. What are intellectual property rights and who owns your genetic information? In his book "Shamans, Software and Spleen" (Harvard University Press), James Boyle explores the dilemmas posed by the information age - the ethical, legal and economic implications of who owns and controls access to information. (Interview by Barbara Bogaev).

Linguist and author Naomi S. Baron. Her book, "Growing up with Language" (Addison-Wesley publishers, 1992) examines the process by which children learn to use language. Baron is Professor of Linguistics and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the American University in Washington DC. (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)

Restaurant-owner and chef, Mai Pham. Born in Vietnam and raised in Thailand, Pham came to the United States in 1975 and became the first Vietnamese journalist in this country. Her first cookbook, "The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking" (Prima) is a collection of recipes coupled with memories and reflections of life and food in South East Asian culture. Subtitled, "Favorite Recipes from the Lemon Grass Restaurant and Cafes", the book includes 150 of Pham's recipes that have drawn accolades for her three Sacramento restaurants