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Terry Gross at her microphone in 2018

Terry Gross

Terry Gross is the host and an executive producer of Fresh Air, the daily program of interviews and reviews. It is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia, where Gross began hosting the show in 1975, when it was broadcast only locally. She was awarded a National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2016. Fresh Air with Terry Gross received a Peabody Award in 1994 for its “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight.” America Women in Radio and Television presented her with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award for her “outstanding contributions to public radio” and for advancing the “growth, quality and positive image of radio.” Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received a bachelor’s degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, NY.

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31:23

Film Director Martin Scorsese

He discusses Gangs of New York, his new film set in pre-Civil War New York City about the street warfare between immigrant groups. It was inspired by the book The Gangs of New York published in 1927 by journalist Herbert Asbury.

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese
40:38

Former U.S. Diplomat John Brady Kiesling

In February he made headlines when he publicly resigned in protest over the war in Iraq. At the time he was political counselor in the U.S. Embassy in Athens. His postings included Morocco, Armenia, Israel and Greece. In 1994 Kiesling was one of a group of foreign service professionals presented with the Rivkin Award, given by the American Foreign Service Association for constructive dissent. Kiesling was also a member of the group of State Department officials that pushed for intervention in Bosnia.

12:56

Dancer Garth Fagan

He is the Tony-Award-winning choreographer of Broadway's The Lion King. He's also the founder and artistic director of the critically acclaimed Garth Fagan Dance group, and a Distinguished University Professor of the State University of New York. He's won many awards and fellowships, including a Guggenheim. His troupe is currently on tour. This interview first aired October 29, 2001.

Interview
30:06

Directors Chris and Paul Weitz

Their film, About a Boy, is based on the novel by Nick Hornby and has just been released on DVD and video. The Weitz brothers, born to fashion designer John Weitz and Oscar-nominated actress Susan Kohner, first became famous for directing the 1999 teen comedy American Pie. They also wrote the screenplay for the animated movie Antz and directed the Chris Rock movie Down to Earth. They live in New York. This interview first aired June 5, 2002.

13:09

Bob Edgar

He is a former congressman and now general secretary of the National Council of Churches, and a United Methodist minister. He is also co-chair of the Win Without War coalition. Last year he led a delegation of clergy and lay leaders to visit Iraq.

Interview
21:43

Todd Gitlin

He was a leader of the peace movement in the 1960s. He is a former president of Students for a Democratic Society, and author of a number of books including The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage, and Media Unlimited. Gitlin is also a professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University.

Interview
37:29

First-time novelist Christian Bauman

His book The Ice Beneath You is based on his experiences as a young army private in Somalia in 1993, and his difficult return to civilian life. Hubert Selby Jr., the author of Last Exit to Brooklyn, said of Bauman's novel, "Beautifully crafted, structured, and simple... It is a pleasure to read the work of a real writer." Bauman is also a folksinger and songwriter with a CD, Roaddogs, Assasins & The Queen Of Ohio.

Interview
50:48

Actor Kevin Spacey

He's a two-time Academy Award winner for his performances in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty. His other films include L.A. Confidential, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Negotiator and The Shipping News. On television he was a regular in the series Wiseguy. In 1997 Spacey formed Trigger Street Productions, which has produced films and Broadway plays. Recently Spacey launched TriggerStreet.com, an interactive Web site dedicated to nurturing and developing undiscovered talent. Spacey's new film, The Life of David Gale, hits theaters this weekend.

Interview
44:50

Psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

Her new book is A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness. It's about Eugene de Kock, the commanding officer of state-sanctioned apartheid death squads. Gobodo-Madikizela served as a psychologist on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and she spent many hours interviewing de Kock in prison, where he is serving a 212-year sentence for crimes against humanity. The book raises questions about the nature of evil and the limits of forgiveness.

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