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Joe Kane Discusses "Running the Amazon."

Writer Joe Kane. In 1985, Kane, who had been a freelance writer living in San Francisco, was asked to follow the first attempt to navigate the entire Amazon River, starting in the Andes of Peru and ending in the Atlantic Ocean. Kane was going to follow the group at intervals, publicizing their progress for the American and European press. But the logistics of the trip quickly fell apart and Kane went from observer to participant in a harrowing journey through some of the most difficult rapids in the world, and through territory controlled by the Shining Path guerrillas and Peruvian drug lords. In end, only Kane and a companion were left to kayak the 3,600 miles of calm waters to the Atlantic. Kane's account of his odyssey is titled Running the Amazon.

22:52
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Other segments from the episode on August 2, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 2, 1989: Interview with Joe Kane; Review of performances at the PepsiCo Summerfare Festival; Interview with Marta Renzi; Commentary on moving.
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06:59

PepsiCo's Final Season Offers Innovative Productions of Mozart Operas.

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the final three performances of the PepsiCo Summerfare Arts Festival at Purchase, New York. For ten years, the Pepsi-Cola company has underwritten an annual international arts festival that will best be remembered for its ambitious presentations of operas by Mozart and Handel that were directed by Peter Sellars. In this segment, Lloyd reviews performances of Mozart's three great Italian operas, "The Marriage of Figaro," "Don Giovanni" and "Cosi fan tutte."

Review
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11:18

Marta Renzi Believes in Narrative Dance.

Dancer and choreographer Marta Renzi. Typical of her work is "Mountainview," a half-hour dance narrative that premieres this Thursday, August 3 on the PBS program "Alive From Off Center." "Mountainview" is set at the bar of rundown resort run by three generations of the same family. The families loves and jealousies are played out to the sounds of the jukebox, which features the music of Bruce Springsteen, Tammy Wynette and Aretha Franklin. RENZI choreographed the dances and other movements and collaborated with filmmaker John Sayles on the camera work.

Interview
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03:51

On the Ordeal of Moving.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan talks about the travails of moving. Maureen is a recent victim, having moved from Philadelphia to Washington.

Commentary

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06:39

Book Suggestions For A Passionate Holiday.

The act of passing on a passion is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Book critic Maureen Corrigan promises that the books on this list — mostly slim, unforgettable volumes about places or things that the writers themselves deeply love — are merrily infectious.

Review
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20:48

Adventure Writer Randy Wayne White.

Adventure writer Randy Wayne White. He wrote the "Out There" column for "Outside" magazine for many years. He's now a monthly columnist for "Men's Health" and is the author of the new book, "The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua: True tales of adventure, travel, and fishing." (The Lyons Press).

Interview
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21:50

Exploring "The Nation's Eyesore."

Writer Robert Sullivan. His new book "The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures At the Edge of a City" (Scribner) is about his intrepid trek into the swamp land five miles outside of New York City, where decades of garbage, chemicals, and corpses have been dumped. Ian Frazier calls is "funny, interesting, surprising and bizarre." Part of the book was excerpted recently in The New York Times Magazine (Feb 15). Sullivan is contributing editor at Vogue. He also writes for The New Yorker, Conde Naste Travler, The New Republic and Rolling Stone.

Interview

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'The Great Refusal' author Casey Gerald says ruining his reputation saved his life

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Netflix's 'SCTV' is a treasure trove of underdog humor

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Rosanne Cash shares the list of music her dad, Johnny, insisted she know [REBROADCAST]

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