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Novelist David Shields on Written and Spoken Language

Shields went to speech therapy the same time he attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Like the author himself, the protagonist of his new novel, Dead Languages, has a stutter. Shields' writing explores the gap between his mastery of written language and his difficulties speaking.

09:21
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Other segments from the episode on May 10, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, May 10, 1989: Interview with Joyce Johnson; Review of two albums of Gilbert and Sullivan's music; Interview with David Shields; Commentary on Mother's Day.
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27:47

Writer Joyce Johnson's on Women's Adventures

Johnson was part of the 1950s Beat community and had a relationship with Jack Kerouac. Her experience in the literary counterculture - and the peripheral place of women within it -- has influenced much of her work, including her memoir Minor Characters and her new novel, In the Night Cafe.

Interview
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06:40

Revisiting Early Gilbert and Sullivan Recordings

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews reissues of the songwriting team's music, recorded in the early 20th century. Schwartz praises the performers' precise renditions of these classic compositions.

Review
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03:22

For Mothers' Day, It's the Thought that Counts

The holiday has been a perpetual cause of stress for children since it was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914. Guest commentator Ilene Segalove reflects on the anxiety she felt over the years deciding on the perfect gift for her own mother, only to realize that something simple, homemade, and from the heart was best.

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