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2: Television executive and first time novelist, EUGENE STEIN. STEIN's novel is "Straightjacket & Tie" (Ticknor & Fields) a coming of age story about a teenager beginning to understand his sexuality and his newly schizophrenic older brother. He is helped along by a family of wisecracking space aliens visible only to a small segment of the population, including "Jewish lefties with a family history of mental illness". STEIN is a Vice President for Comedy at ABC Productions, and a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.

2: Singer/Actress DONNA MURPHY. In 1986, Donna Murphy was a woman in drag in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." In 1991, she was introduced as "a girl who will steal your heart and then forget where she put it," playing the amnesiac songstress in "Song of Singapore." Having become one of Broadway's most sought-after actresses, MURPHY is now playing the lead in Stephen Sondheim's latest musical, "Passion." Of the role, which has her playing an ugly, hysterical woman obsessively pursuing a handsome army captain, MURPHY says, "I love transformation of any kind...I want to look in the mirror and not see Donna looking back at me."

San Francisco monologuist MARGA GOMEZ. In "Memory Tricks," her current show at the Public Theater in New York, Gomez talks about her mother, who worked as an exotic dancer. Her mother now suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

JUAN GARCIA ESQUIVEL produced innovative recordings of pop music in the fifties and sixties. His work has been re-issued on CD. It's called "ESQUIVEL!: SPACE AGE BACHELOR PAD MUSIC"(Bar/None). Terry Gross also speaks with IRWIN CHUSID, the producer of "ESQUIVEL!", and YVONNE DE BOURBON, one of Esquivel's ex-wives, and a former performer in his live show.

Parish Priest JOHN MCNAMEE. For twenty five years he's lived and worked the poorer neighborhoods of Philadelphia. His book, "Diary of a City Priest" (Sheed & Ward) documents his struggle to keep faith, when surrounded by poverty and despair.

Colonel MARGARETHE CAMMERMEYER was was named Nurse of the Year by the Veterans Administration and was Chief Nurse of the Washington State National Guard. She was discharged from the service in 1992 because she revealed that she is a lesbian, becoming the highest-ranking officer to be discharged solely for homosexuality. She challenged the ruling, and was reinstated in July. "Serving in Silence" (Viking) is her new book about her experiences.

Author MELBA BEALS. Forty years ago today the United States Supreme Court ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional in "Brown v. Board of Education." Three years later, BEALS and eight other black teenagers chose to attend the all white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In the process BEALS suffered a school year marked by unremitting violence and hatred. Danny, the soldier assigned to protect her, warned her that she too would have to become a soldier. He advised her, "Never let them see you cry." BEALS has written a memoir about her experience called "Warriors Don't Cry" (Pocket

World music critic Milo Miles. Review TBA.

2: From the new movie documentary "Hoop Dreams" (Fine Line Features), young basketball player ARTHUR AGEE and film director STEVE JAMES The film traces the lives of AGEE and his friend William Gates for five years as they try to follow their dreams of rising from inner city Chicago to play in the NBA. James is the director, producer and co-editor of the film.

From the Metropolitan Opera, soprano DAWN UPSHAW. She has a new recording of Broadway showtunes, called "I Wish It So" (Electra/Nonesuch). It includes lesser known works by Marc Blitzstein and Kurt Weill as well as songs by Sondheim and Bernstein. UPSHAW has played more then 20 roles at the Met, including the current "The Marriage of Figaro" (through November 5), and the recently completed "Idomeneo," both by Mozart.