Biography & Memoir

Actor James Earl Jones. His is one of the distinctive voices of our time, yet few people know he fights a stutter; Jones' stage work off-Broadway in Jean Genet's "The Blacks" and Athol Fugard's "The Blood Knot" lead to a Broadway success in "The Great White Way", for which Jones won a Tony. His work in August Wilson's "Fences" won him another. It took one day to record the voice track for Darth Vader in "Star Wars": a performance which lead to many other commercial voice-over projects.

Elementary school principal Madeline Cartwright took over the run-down Blaine Elementary School in a run-down, drug-infested neighborhood in North Philadelphia and turned it into a school that works. One of her first acts when she took over the school was to get down on her hands and knees and scrub the foul-smelling children's bathroom.

Two poets, married to one another, coming to grips with illness and mortality: Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon. Hall's new memoir of life on his New Hampshire farm and his "absorbedness" with writing are the subject of his new book "Life Work" (Beacon Press). Halfway through its completion, Hall was diagnosed with liver cancer; the following surgery and recovery provided rich material for his work and Kenyon's: a new book of poems entitled "Constance" (Graywolf Press).

Maureen Corrigan reviews Donald Hall's new book, Life Work and the Mechanical Brides exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York which runs through January 2nd.

Writer Anne Lamott on being a good mother AND a phone addict.

Writer A.E. Hotchner. His memoir, about growing up in a flophouse during the depression, "King of the Hill," is being made into a movie, directed by Stephen Soderbergh (who directed "Sex, Lives, and Videotape). Hotchner is best known for his controversial 1966 biography of his personal friend Ernest Hemingway, "Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir." Presented in the unusual form of dialogue, Hotchner faced criticism from the literary community and an attempt by Hemingway's widow to ban the sale of the book. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Sportswriter and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Jim Murray He's just written his autobiography (Macmillan) about his five decades in journalism: as a young reporter for Time magazine following the 1952 presidential campaign and the rise of Richard Nixon's political career; working as one of the original writers for Sports Illustrated; and beginning in 1961, as sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times. His syndicated column once reached 200 newspapers a day and he has won the Sportswriter of the Year award a record 14 times. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Children's book illustrator Ted Lewin. Lewin paid his way through art school in the 50's as a professional wrestler. His new memoir, "I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler," (Orchard Books) includes Lewin's paintings of wrestlers. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Hog farmer and writer Mary Elizabeth Fricke (Frick-EE). Her new book is, "Dino, Godzilla and the Pigs: My Life On Our Missouri Hog Farm." (Soho Press). The Fricke's farm was flooded, just as this book was coming out. Marty will talk with Fricke about how they and the farm are doing. Fricke's book describes the intricacies of farm work, like cutting the teeth and tails of piglets, and driving a monster tractor with sixteen gears. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

From sight to blindness to sight again. Robert Hine is Professor of History at the University of California. He lost his sight 15 years ago, and just recently regained the use of one eye. He's written a new book about what it's like to lose one's sight and then to see again: "Second Sight." (University of California Press).

Retired cop, and former head of the Queen's District Attorney's squad, Remo Franceschini spent 35 years keeping track of and busting organized crime in New York City. Franceschini figured out the family structure of the mafia, keeping a "Wall of Fame" family tree of photos and names of mobsters. Early on he predicted the rise of John Gotti, who became known as the "Teflon Don." Franceschini personally wire-tapped Gotti's headquarters, which led to indictments.

Professional New York house cleaner and NPR commentator, David Sedaris. Sedaris occasionally reads from his diaries on NPR; he started this year around Christmas time, when he recounted tales of being a Macy's elf named Crumpet during the holiday season. Other pieces have covered life with window hangers, the world of soap operas, and smoking on a bench in Central Park with a non-smoker. He's recently signed with Little, Brown for a book of short stories and a novel.

Maureen Corrigan reviews a new memoir, "Love & Rutabaga", by Claire Hsu Accomando (St. Martins).

Writer Anne Lamott teaches her son about death. She's the author of the book, "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year." (Pantheon Books).

Book critic John Leonard reviews "The 60s" a new collection of essays and journal writings by Edmund Wilson from 1960 to 1972.

Forty year Hollywood veteran, and director of almost fifty films, Richard Fleischer. He's the son of the legendary cartoonist, Max Fleischer, who created Betty Boop. Richard Fleischer's films include "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Fantastic Voyage", "Doctor Doolittle" and "Conan The Destroyer".

Poet, writer, and teacher Nancy Mairs. She's a Catholic feminist, who started out Protestant, and who late in life became a feminist. She calls herself, "the connoisseur of catastrophe." She's known for writing honestly about her struggles with multiple sclerosis, depression, and the life-threatening illness of her husband, also about being a woman, a mother, and a wife. Her newest book of personal essays is "Ordinary Time," (Beacon). One reviewer calls it "a small miracle of honesty mediated by dignity and humor."

Helen Prejean's book, "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States" (Random House) details her experience working with death row inmates in Louisiana. Prejean has come to believe that the death penalty is not only ineffective as a deterrent, but that the government can't be trusted to decide who should live and who should die. Prejean is a Roman Catholic nun.

There are fewer second basemen in the Baseball Hall of Fame than players in any of the other positions. Joe Morgan is one of the few. Today we rebroadcast an interview with the former Houston Astro and Cincinnati Red. Morgan was with the Reds in the 70's, along with Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, and Tony Perez, when the team was so successful it was known as the Big Red Machine. In 1975 and 76 Morgan was named most valuable player, leading the Reds to the world series championships both times. Altogether, Morgan spent 22 years in the major leagues. (REBROADCAST FROM 4/21/93)

Author Susanna Kaysen. At age eighteen, she was hospitalized in Boston's McLean Psychiatric Hospital. Her two years there, from 1967-1969 and experiences of the other young women of her ward are the subject of Kaysen's book, "Girl, Interrupted" (Turtle Bay Books).