"Challenger" is More Responsible than Reprehensible, but Still Unnecessary.

British novelist Margaret Drabble. She made a name for herself in the early 60's as one of the first woman writers to make domestic life the focus of her novels. But after the publication of "The Middle Ground" in 1980, Drabble took a seven-year break from fiction to concentrate on revising "The Oxford Companion to English Literature." Since then she has published two more novels, "The Radiant Way" and "A Natural Curiosity," which reflect a shift in focus to more external, societal concerns. (original broadcast 10/5/89).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new album from tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Pierce. It's called "Equilateral," and it's on Sunnyside Records.

John Malpede and Kevin Williams of the Los Angeles Poverty Department, a performance group comprised primarily of homeless and formerly homeless people. The LAPD tries to show the reality of life on the streets. John Malpede is a former performance artist and founder of LAPD (in 1985). He now serves as the group's director and a legal advocate for the homeless. Kevin Williams is LAPD's assistant director and former resident of Skid Row. (Rebroadcast. Original date November 1, 1989).