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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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44:41

An Interview and Performance with Doc Watson

Arthel "Doc" Watson is one of America's premier acoustic folk guitarists. His flat-pick style of playing traditional folk and bluegrass has made his sound one of the most distinctive of any folk artist. We rebroadcast a 1988 interview and 1989 in-studio concert with guitarist Jack Lawrence.

22:42

Bellwether Democratic Senator Harris Wofford

Last year, Wofford won an upset victory, becoming the first Democratic U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania since 1962. He was a key aide to President John F. Kennedy, helped establish the Peace Corps, and aided Martin Luther King, Jr. He also chaired the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee from 1987 to 1991. A new edition of Wofford's 1980 book, "Of Kennedy's & Kings: Making sense of the Sixties" has just been published.

Interview
15:40

Filmmaker Neil Jordan's "Crying Game"

The Irish writer and director has made the films "Mona Lisa," "The Company of Wolves," and "The Miracle." His new film is "The Crying Game," a love story starring Stephen Rea as an Irish Republican Army gunman with a false identity hiding in London's underworld.

Interview
12:56

Anthony Davis on Using European Forms to Tell the Story of Malcolm X

Composer Anthony Davis's opera "X" based on the life of Malcolm X, and has just come out on CD. It premiered in 1986. Terry talks with David about what Malcolm X meant to him and why he decided to compose an opera on his life. Davis has received international recognition for his compositions as well as his performances as a solo pianist and the leader of the ensemble Episteme.

Interview
16:56

The Rise of Peru's Drug Economy

Anthropologist and documentary filmmaker David Feingold talks about the Peruvian Shining Path guerrillas, their connection to the drug trade, and their impact on the elections in Peru. His new film, "Washington/Peru: We Ain't Winning," is about U.S. efforts to stop the drug flow from Peru.

Interview
22:44

Argentine Exile and Poet Alicia Partnoy

Patrons was among the 30,000 Argentines who disappeared during military rule in the mid 70s. She was imprisoned for almost three years, released in 1979, and forced to leave the country. While in prison, her poetry was smuggled out by human rights groups. The U.S. granted Partnoy refugee status. She is the author of 'The Little School," and edited "You Can't Drown The Fire," an anthology of exiled Latin American women's writings. Her new collection is "Revenge of the Apple."

Interview
16:53

George Anastasia on the Next Generation of Mobsters

Anastasia is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. His beat is the Mafia; most recently he's been covering the Robert Simone trial where the prosecution rested its case today. Simone was attorney for Philadelphia mob boss Nicky Scarfo and has been accused of crime activity, attempted extortion and participating in discussions of murder. Simone was turned in by a government informant.

Interview
22:29

A Reporter on Surviving Leavenworth Prison

Pete Earley spent two years observing life at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. He was given complete access to the prisoners, guards, staff, and warden -- on the condition that he did not hold the prison staff responsible for his safety. He writes about prison life in his book, "The Hot House."

Interview

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