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48:22

Reporting on the Nicaraguan Revolution

Poet Richard Elman covered the Nicaraguan revolution of 1979, which overthrew the ruling Somoza dynasty. He later returned to the country to see what life was like in the aftermath. Elman also has a side job of writing the novelizations of Hollywood films.

Interview
52:46

A Writer Gets to the "Heart" of her Past

Poet Maya Angelou has written a new memoir which details her relationship with her son while she worked as a singer and civil rights activist. She discusses the impact of prominent African American leaders like Billie Holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcom X had on her personally and intellectually.

Interview
21:05

An Italian American's Memoir Finds New Life

Jerre Mangione's book Mount Allegro has found its fifth publisher in as many decades. He speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about straddling the line between Sicilian and American cultures and the changing nature of Italian American communities in both cities and suburbs.

Interview
47:47

A Novelist Finds New Stories in American History

Writer E.L. Doctorow is known for using real-life historical figures as characters in his period novels. Best known for his book Ragtime, his novel Loon Lake is now available in paperback. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the day-to-day work of a writer and how his job as an editor affected his prose.

Interview
39:39

A Director's Pursuit of "Shock Value"

Baltimore-based filmmaker John Waters has released a new book which explores his love of bad taste in film. With a new movie, Polyester, soon to be released, he join Fresh Air to explain his transgressive aesthetic and share his experiences working on set with a regular crew of actors.

Interview
34:33

One Woman's Irreverent "Social Studies"

Humorist Fran Lebowitz talks about her career as a writer and how her choice of profession has affected her personal life. The interview is briefly interrupted by a press conference by President Reagan about the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Interview
01:03:16

Jazz Critic Gary Giddins

The Village Voice writer has a new anthology of his music writing called Riding on a Blue Note. His tastes have expanded from jazz to pop vocals, including Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Giddins also finds much to love about contemporary European and avant-garde jazz.

Interview
58:14

Rock, Feminism, Families, and God.

Ellen Willis is a writer for the the New Yorker. Her collection of essays, "Beginning to See the Light: Pieces of a Decade," covers many of the social and political issues of the last ten years. Feminism, rock music, 60s counter-culture and the backlash against it, the changing definitions of "family" amongst the left, religion, and abortion are covered. She also discovers her reconsidering of Judaism and God in general, after a her brother became Orthodox. She joins the show to discuss the book and its subjects.

Interview
49:11

Susan Strasberg On Her Life and Career.

Susan Strasberg is an actress and the daughter of Lee Strasberg the director of The Actor's Studio who trained such actors as Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe in what came to be known as "method acting." Susan Strasberg made her acting debut at 17 as Anne Frank in a Broadway production of "The Diary of Anne Frank." Strasberg has recently written her memoirs, "Bittersweet," which discuss growing up in her eccentric family, her love affairs with figures such as Richard Burton and Warren Beatty, and her daughter, who was born with a

Interview
52:53

A South African Writer on His Return

Ezekiel Mphalele left his home country to escape persecution by the apartheid government. He lived in exile in Nigeria, Paris, and the United States, where he taught university classes. He talks about his work as a writer and the pernicious forms of racism he experienced in America.

Interview
58:14

Maurice Sendak On Childhood Frights.

Maurice Sendak is well-known for his children's books, including "Where the Wild Things Are," despite the fact that he grew up with a hatred for "kiddies' books." Sendak writes and illustrates his own work and has won many awards. Some find Sendak's work too scary for children. His latest book is "Outside Over There," in which a child is kidnapped by goblins.

Interview
28:13

William Penn's "Brotherly Love."

Poet Dan Hoffman joins the show to discuss his poem "Brotherly Love," a long poem about William Penn and his vision for the United States. The poem focuses on Penn's treaty with the Native Americans in the area that would become Pennsylvania. Hoffman is the former Poet Laureate of the U. S. and currently works at the University of Pennsylvania.

Interview

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