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Writer Ved Mehta Says "All Memory, By Definition, Is Current"

A childhood bout with meningitis left New Yorker staff writer Ved Mehta blind. Born in India, he moved to Bombay, then Arkansas, to attend schools for the blind. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how he navigates the world as a blind person, his career in publishing, and the importance of memory to his writing and everyday life.

25:05
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Other segments from the episode on September 22, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 22, 1988: Interview with Ved Metha; Review of Fishbone's album ; Interview with Laurie Colwin; Review of the film "Dead Ringers."
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05:58

New Songs Filled with "Truth and Soul"

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that the black rock band Fishbone takes African American stereotypes and stretches them until they break. The band deserves more attention for their insightful social commentary and screaming live shows.

Review
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08:54

A Fiction Writer Turns to Food

Novelist Laurie Colwin has published a collection of essays about food called Home Cooking. While many of her friends enjoy traveling, her idea of a good time is staying home and making a good meal. She also cooks for the needy at homeless shelters.

Interview
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03:48

Horror as High Tragedy

Film critic Stephen Schiff says some viewers can't get past the graphic violence in David Cronenberg's movies to see the craft beneath. Now they have a chance with Dead Ringers, about twin gynecologists, both played by Jeremy Irons. The film may be less explicit, but it still features Cronenberg's signature psychological dread.

Review

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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25:29

Indian Writer Ved Mehta on His Life and Career.

Indian writer Ved Mehta. He's written several books of autobiography, most all of which have been serialized in "The New Yorker" magazine. His autobiographies are poignant accounts of his blindness, his education in England, and the role that language came to play in his life.

Interview

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52:30

How the duo behind 'The Invite' wrote a sex comedy (that's not really about sex)

Screenwriters RASHIDA JONES and WILL MCCORMACK. They're the writing team behind the new film The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. They've been creative partners for more than two decades, first as co-writers of Celeste and Jesse Forever. JONES is an actor, writer, producer, and director. She won a Grammy for co-directing the documentary Quincy, about her father, Quincy Jones, and recently earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in Black Mirror. MCCORMACK is an Academy Award-winning writer, director, and actor.

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Remembering music theater historian Robert Kimball

(1.) ROBERT KIMBALL, the musical historian who rediscovered and rescued music and manuscripts by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and others – and who co-wrote important books about George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Eubie Blake – died last week, at the age of 86. He was the artistic advisor to the Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin estates.

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