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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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09:35

A Playwright from the Black Middle Class

Obie Award-winning playwright Adrienne Kennedy has a new, unconventional memoir called People Who Led to My Plays. She explores the experience of growing up as an African American in suburban Ohio, her drive to excel artistically and academically, and the people who influenced her throughout her life.

Interview
27:13

Reality, Dreams and Nightmares in Film

Wes Craven worked his way up in the film industry before unexpectedly getting the chance to direct The Last House on the Left. The movie was a controversial success, with its graphic portrayal of rape and murder. His newest movie about voodoo, The Serpent and the Rainbow, was filmed in Haiti.

Interview
09:57

Remembering "That Night"

Alice McDermott's new novel is about a young girl who witnesses a teenage love affair develop in her neighborhood. McDermott joins Fresh Air to discuss writing, memory, and growing up in the suburbs.

Interview
09:55

A Big Voice in Theme Songs

Listeners will recognize Frankie Laine's voice from the opening sequences of Rawhide and Blazing Saddles. Laine also makes a career performing and recording pop, country and jazz tunes.

Interview
27:46

A Former Communist Remembers

While he served as a Party leader, Junius Irving Scales was arrested and convicted under the Smith Act. After his release from prison, Scales left the party after revelations over Stalin's actions in the Soviet Union. His new book, called Cause at Heart, recalls his work as a political activist.

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