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In the early 1990s, NPR journalist Scott Simon reported from war-torn Sarajevo. Those experiences formed the basis for his debut novel, Pretty Birds, the story of a 16-year-old girl who adapts to her violent times.

Writer and student Detrice Jones reads from "Just Surviving Another Day," her semi-autobiographical story about a teen struggling with her parents' crack addiction. The story is featured in The Cocaine Chronicles, a new collection of short stories about the drug's impact on America.

Phillip Hoose explains the importance of the ivory-billed woodpecker sighting. Hoose is author of The Race to Save the Lord God Bird and senior conservation planner for the Nature Conservancy's Canada-U.S. Partnership.

In 2000, Jill Scott's critically acclaimed, platinum-selling debut CD pushed the R&B singer into the spotlight. Scott's latest project tackles a different, yet equally lyrical genre: poetry. She shares her personal poetry collection in The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours.

Food guru Mark Bittman and chef Chris Schlesinger have been at odds for years over just the right way to cook. They debate simple vs. fancy techniques for summer grilling.

A new book by the head of a nanny agency sheds light on life at home of Washington's powerbrokers. Tales include the case of the nanny who kept losing the keys to the home of a Cabinet member.

In 1944, an Italian prisoner of war was found hanged at a U.S. Army base near Seattle. The trial of three black soldiers that followed was the Army's longest during World War II. Jack Hamann's new book says it ended in a miscarriage of justice.

The Director of Iraq's Museum of Antiquities talks about the looted treasures of Babylon, and the few that have made their way home.

The former president appears on Talk of the Nation to discuss his presidency, the state of modern politics, and his views on the future. He also takes questions and e-mails from listeners.

Melodrama is essential to any American soap opera, and the same holds true for their Chinese counterparts. Rachel DeWoskin talks about her role as an aggressive Westerner in a Chinese daytime drama, and her new book, Foreign Babes in Beijing.