Terry Gross

Parks, who died in 2006, worked for Life magazine and later became the first Black director of a Hollywood film. He's the subject of the documentary, A Choice of Weapons. Originally broadcast in 1990.

Twyla Moves, a documentary by PBS American Masters, tells the story of the legendary choreographer, who got her start performing on subway platforms in the 1960s. Originally broadcast April 8, 2021.

Historian and Atlantic journalist Anne Applebaum says authoritarian rulers have joined together, creating a network of economic and political support, while suppressing the spread of democracy.

Journalist Dawn Turner revisits her own past, and tells the story of her sister, who died at 24 from chronic alcoholism, and her childhood best friend, who served 20 years in prison for murder.

Cleland was a decorated Army veteran who lost three limbs while serving in Vietnam. After the the war, he dedicated his life to public service. He died Nov. 9. Originally broadcast in 2009.

Elliot Ackerman served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, during which time, he says, he witnessed the absolute worst — as well as the absolute best — that human beings are capable of.

MacDowell grew up with a mother who was mentally ill and addicted to alcohol. "Understanding the complexity of mental illness was something that I'm versed in," she says.

Stamp is currently playing the Silver Haired Gentleman in the film Last Night in Soho, which is partly set in 1960s London. It's a period he knows well. Originally broadcast in 2002.

Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig says President Trump froze key federal agencies, including the FBI and Dept. of Defense, whose job it was to investigate and stop threats to national security.

The forthcoming documentary Get Back revisits The Beatles' final days together. McCartney says he took the band's breakup hard: "It was quite difficult, because I didn't know what to do at all."

The noted sleight-of-hand artist, who died in 2018, was also a scholar of con games and oddities. This week, Sotheby's auctioned off part of Jay's 10,000-item collection. Originally broadcast in 1998.

Scolari, who died Oct. 22, played opposite Tom Hanks in the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, and later co-starred in Newhart. He won an Emmy for his role on Girls. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Robert Costa's book Peril, which he co-wrote with Bob Woodward, goes inside Trump's war room on the eve of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Costa says the 2024 election could trigger a constitutional crisis.

The former Today co-host recently bought a T-shirt that says, "I'm not for everyone." Her new memoir, Going There, is a candid look at the successes and setbacks she's experienced as a journalist.

Isaac says the bonds he makes on set are both meaningful and transient: "You have these really intense months ... and then it goes away." He stars in Dune, The Card Counter and Scenes from a Marriage.

The Newbery award-winning author, who died Oct. 13, wrote over 200 books, many of which were tales of adventure aimed at young adults. In 1994, Paulsen talked about Alaska's Iditarod dog sled race.

Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, the Pose actor revealed publicly that he is HIV-positive. Porter says being open about his health status felt like a rebirth. His new memoir is Unprotected.

The U.S.'s first Black national security advisor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs and secretary of state died on Oct. 18. Powell spoke to Fresh Air in 1995 about how the army had shaped his life.

The British actor and singer played abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet, and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Now Erivo has a debut album. "I sing often with a bit of a smile," she says.

While raising her young daughter, Stephanie Land cleaned houses to scrape by. It was back-aching work for low pay. Her memoir inspired the Netflix series, Maid. Originally broadcast Jan. 29, 2019.