Terry Gross

Host, Fresh Air

Terry Gross appears in the following:

In 'Above Ground,' Clint Smith uses poetry to confront the legacy of slavery

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Smith's poems, which are addressed to his young children, describe what their ancestors endured and escaped. He also examines the joy and anxiety of parenthood, especially as a Black father.

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'Fresh Air' marks the final season of 'Succession,' with Cox, Culkin and Macfadyen

Friday, March 24, 2023

Brian Cox plays family patriarch Logan Roy on the HBO series, Kieran Culkin is his youngest, most immature son, and Matthew Macfayden is the put-upon son-in-law. Originally broadcast in 2021 and 2022.

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Remembering Frank Griswold, an Episcopal bishop who championed gay rights

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Griswold, who died March 5, presided over the ordination of the church's first openly gay bishop. That was one of the issues which nearly caused a schism in the church. Originally broadcast in 2006.

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NYC drag queen Linda Simpson reflects on the scene that set the stage for RuPaul

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Linda Simpson performed in and chronicled the drag scene in the '80s and '90s, taking some 5,000 photos of performers. She calls Tennessee's anti-drag legislation "ridiculous."

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It's impossible to fit 'All Things' Ari Shapiro does into this headline

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Shapiro co-hosts All Things Considered, co-stars in a cabaret act with Alan Cumming, and sings with the band Pink Martini. Now, he's written a book, a memoir called The Best Strangers in the World.

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How Adam Sandler carved out a niche in musical comedy: 'The guitar helped relax me'

Friday, March 17, 2023

Sandler will be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on March 19. He spoke to Fresh Air in 2019, along with writer/directors Josh and Benny Safdie, about their film Uncut Gems.

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Drag queen (and ordained minister) Bella DuBalle won't be silenced by new Tenn. law

Thursday, March 16, 2023

DuBalle says the legislators behind a new law criminalizing public drag shows don't understand the art: "They think that every drag performer is doing something hypersexual or obscene."

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This safety-net hospital doctor treats mostly uninsured and undocumented patients

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Many of Ricardo Nuila's patients at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital are dealing with serious illnesses as a result of not being able to access basic preventive care. His new book is The People's Hospital.

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Novelist Thomas Mallon looks back on the early years of the AIDS epidemic

Thursday, March 09, 2023

The New Yorker recently published Mallon's diary excepts detailing life in Manhattan in the '80s. His new novel, Up With the Sun, is based on the life of a little-known actor who was gay and closeted.

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How researchers are trying to harness the electricity in the human body

Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Writer Sally Adee says scientists are looking into ways to manipulate the body's natural electrical fields to try and treat wounds, depression, paralysis, and cancer. Her new book is We Are Electric.

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Jimmy Carter: The 'Fresh Air' interviews

Tuesday, March 07, 2023

At 98, Carter is the oldest living president in U.S. history. After serving his term, he worked to promote safe housing, human rights and conflict resolution. Originally broadcast in '93, '95 and '96.

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'Fresh Air' celebrates the centennial of legendary bluegrass guitarist Doc Watson

Friday, March 03, 2023

Watson, who died in 2012, was born in North Carolina went on to become widely regarded as the single greatest flat-picking guitar player in America. Originally broadcast in 1988 and 1989.

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A new book explains how QAnon took hold of the GOP — and why it's not going away

Thursday, March 02, 2023

Journalist Will Sommer went to road shows and spoke to believers and their families while investigating QAnon. His book, Trust the Plan, makes the case that there are more conspiracy theories to come.

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'Whoever holds power, it's going to corrupt them,' says 'Tár' director Todd Field

Wednesday, March 01, 2023

Cate Blanchett plays a charismatic conductor who uses her power to take sexual advantage of young women she's mentoring. Both Blanchett and Tár director Todd Field have been nominated for Oscars.

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Remembering comic and 'Law & Order' actor Richard Belzer

Friday, February 24, 2023

The sharp-witted standup comic, who died Feb. 19, got his start in comedy clubs in the 1970s, but was perhaps best known for playing Det. Munch on Law & Order: SVU. Originally broadcast in 1987.

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Remembering baseball announcer and former all-star catcher Tim McCarver

Friday, February 24, 2023

McCarver, who died Feb. 16, played in the major leagues from 1959 until 1980. After retirement, he shifted to color commentary from the broadcast booth. Originally broadcast in 1987.

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'Oscar Wars' spotlights bias, blind spots and backstage battles in the Academy

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

From relentless campaigning to snubs and speeches, the Academy Awards have often reflected a cultural conflict zone. Michael Schulman sifts through the controversies in a new book.

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The human sensory experience is limited. Journey into the world that animals know

Friday, February 17, 2023

Science writer Ed Yong recently won the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for An Immense World, his book about the diversity of perception in the animal world. Originally broadcast June 22, 2022.

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Remembering De La Soul co-founder David Jolicoeur, aka Trugoy the Dove

Friday, February 17, 2023

Jolicoeur, who died Feb. 12, co-founded the hip-hop group De La Soul in the 1980s, while still in high school. The group brought a sense of fun and wit to the genre. Originally broadcast in 2000.

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After tragic loss, Marc Maron finds joy amidst grief with 'From Bleak to Dark'

Thursday, February 16, 2023

After the sudden death of his girlfriend Lynn Shelton in 2020, Maron was forced to grieve in isolation. He talks about finding humor — and lightness — in his new HBO special.

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