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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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36:50

Balancing Free Speech with Child Safety

Philadelphia Councilwoman Joan Specter and Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union debate what legislative or prosecutorial action should be taken against published work which either advocates for or features pedophilia. Prompting the discussion was the discovery of a pamphlet titled "How to Have Sex with Children," which was sold in Philadelphia bookstores.

44:18

Tales of the City, Gay and Straight

Armistead Maupin developed a series of novels based on his serialized fiction published in the San Francisco-based Pacific Sun newspaper. His work is notable for featuring sympathetic and realistic portrayals of women and gay men.

Interview
35:43

Actress Nancy Marchand

Marchand talks about the differences between acting onstage and in television, the challenges of raising children while working, and the intersection of her celebrity and personal life.

Interview
38:05

Supporting Exceptional Playwrights

Dean of the Yale School of Drama theater director Lloyd Richards helms the production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He believes great plays are rare, and that the effort to discover them is worth the effort.

Interview
11:10

Playwright August Wilson

Wilson's latest work, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, is now in production at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. He discusses how writing dialog-heavy short fiction led him to playwriting.

Interview
48:29

Welcoming All Children to the Neighborhood

Fred Rogers began his popular children's program before becoming a father himself. During his lunch breaks, he attended seminary school and became an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. Though faith is central to his personal life, he aims to make his show accessible and welcoming for children of all backgrounds.

Interview

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