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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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35:22

Boston Globe Journalist Returns to His Ancestral Home of Columbus, Ohio

Haywood has written a new memoir, "The Haygoods of Columbus" about his family, and growing up in Columbus, Ohio in the mid 60s and 70s. He lived adjacent to Mount Vernon Avenue, the center of Columbus' Black community. Haygood moved back to Columbus to write the book. Haygood has also written a biography of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and "Two on the River" a lyrical recollection of a two-thousand mile journey down the Mississippi.

Interview
43:24

The Future of the World Wide Web

The Head of MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science, Michael Dertouzos. Fifteen years ago he predicted an "Information Marketplace" like that of the Internet. In his new book, he continues to look ahead to the future of the information age, and how it will affect our lives: "What Will be: How the New World Information Will Change Our Lives."

37:10

Despite the Danger, Red Cross Workers Remain Neutral and Unarmed

Writer Michael Ignatieff's article "Unarmed Warriors" appears in the March 24, 1997 issue of The New Yorker. He writes about the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the increased dangers that workers have been exposed to, although they are considered neutral and carry no weapons. In Rwanda in 1994, 36 workers were killed in the war, and in Chechnya last December, six staff members were murdered.

Interview
06:42

New Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky

Pinsky will succeed Robert Hass in the prestigious role. The professor of graduate writing at Boston University spoke to Host Terry Gross in December 1988. His latest book is "The Figured Wheel." He spoke about his upbringing in a small town on the Jersey shore and how it influenced his work.

Interview
21:21

Fargo Star and Oscar Winner Frances McDormand

This week, McDormand won an Academy Award for her performance as the very pregnant chief-of-police in a rural Minnesota town in the film "Fargo." She's worked with the Coen Brothers for 14 years, beginning with their film "Blood Simple." She also had roles in "Raising Arizona" "Mississippi Burning" and "Lonestar." (REBROADCAST from 5/6/96)

Interview
21:42

Film Editor and Sound Designer Walter Murch

This week Murch won an Academy award for editing of the film "The English Patient" Previously, he won an Academy Award for sound design for "Apolcolypse Now." Some of the films he's edited and/or mixed are "The Conversation," "American Graffiti," "Apocalypse Now," "The Godfather (II, and III)"and "Crumb." He's also written a book about his work, "In the Blink of An Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing," (Silman-James Press, L.A.) (REBROADCAST from 4/15/96)

Interview
22:12

The Ripple Effect of Recent Rap Murders

In light of the deaths of rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, a discussion on the culture of rap and the violence that surrounds it with Chicago police officer Eric Davis. He's a member of the rap group the Slick Boys. Davis and two other officers founded the group in 1991 to provide positive role models for the inner-city kids they encountered on their jobs every day. The group has received national acclaim for their songs about the importance of getting an education and staying off of drugs and out of gangs.

Interview
27:15

Re-Evaluating the American Medical Association's Code of Ethics

A talk with two individuals at the forefront of medical ethics: Robert Baker, Professor of Philosophy at Union College in Schenectady, New York who contends that medicine is in its biggest crisis in 150 years. (It was in 1847 that the AMA wrote it's code of ethics). And Medical Ethicist Art Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

20:58

The Anthropology of Shopping

Pack Underhill studies what is called retail anthropology, in which he tracks the habits of shoppers in order to learn the best way to convince them to make a purchase. His retail consulting firm, Envirosell, has helped big-name companies such as McDonald's, Levi Strauss, and Blockbuster to study their customers browsing and buying routines.

Interview
21:08

Writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on Her Debut Novel "The Mistress of Spices"

In 1995, Divakaruni's short story collection "Arranged Marriage" garnered three awards. Her new novel, "The Mistress of Spices," tells the story of a woman whose knowledge of the healing power of spices takes her on a supernatural adventure. Divakaruni teaches creative writing at Foothill College in California and is president of MAITRI, a support hotline for South Asian women.

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