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Terry Gross at her microphone in 2018

Terry Gross

Terry Gross is the host and an executive producer of Fresh Air, the daily program of interviews and reviews. It is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia, where Gross began hosting the show in 1975, when it was broadcast only locally. She was awarded a National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2016. Fresh Air with Terry Gross received a Peabody Award in 1994 for its “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight.” America Women in Radio and Television presented her with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award for her “outstanding contributions to public radio” and for advancing the “growth, quality and positive image of radio.” Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received a bachelor’s degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, NY.

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14:33

From the Archives: Resurrecting Lost, Silent Films.

Film historian Kevin Brownlow. Brownlow's best‑known as the man who reconstructed the silent movie masterpiece "Napoleon." He also wrote a highly respected history of silent film , "The Parade's Gone By." His book, "Behind the Mask of Innocence," (Knopf, 1991) is an examination of how pre‑World War One silent film makers addressed social issues of the day. He also collaborated (with David Gill) on the documentaries: The Unknown Chaplin, Buster Keaton--A Hard Act to Follow and D.W. Griffith--Father of Film.

Interview
20:08

From the Archives: Violinist Itzhak Perlman Expands to Klezmer Music.

Internationally-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. Last year, he released "The Beethoven Triple Concert," two live concert recordings with pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, and cellist Yo Yo Ma. Also, the CD "In the Fiddler's House," featuring Perlman playing Klezmer music with four Klezmer bands. (Both CD's are on the EMI Classics label). In November, he was also featured on a PBS Great Performance special on Klezmer music. On July 2, Perlman will be in New York performing at Radio City Music Hall. (Rebroadcast of 11/30/1995)

Interview
21:11

The Burning of Black Churches.

Of the Canaan AME church in Columbia, Tennessee, Pastor Dennis Lawson. In January last year the church was damaged when three local men erected a cross and threw fire bombs into the basement kitchen-area. In the last 18 months, over three dozen churches with predominantly black congregations have been destroyed or damaged in fires. LAWSON and other church leaders have joined forces to support each other in the wake of this crisis. Today, he discussed the epidemic in Washington with President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and members of the cabinet.

Interview
21:08

Growing Up the Daughter of Jackie Robinson.

Author and daughter of Jackie Robinson, Sharon Robinson. Her new book is "Stealing Home: An Intimate Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson" (Harper Collins). She grew up highly privileged in a comfortable Connecticut suburb in the 1950s. Despite the celebrity of her father, Robinson was not immune to racism and was often conflicted over her father's role in the civil rights movement. The book traces Robinson's search for her own success and identity.

Interview
37:53

Coming of Age in the Era After the Civil Rights Movement.

Journalist and author Veronica Chambers. Her new memoir, "Mama's Girl" (Riverhead Books), describes her ascent from childhood poverty into the middle class. Growing up in the 1970s in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Chambers struggled to ease the strain on her single mother and to help her brother stay out of trouble. She overcame racial stereotypes by excelling in the gifted and talented program in school and graduating from college at the age of 20.

Interview
16:16

"The Life and Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson."

Author and journalist, Marshall Frady. His new book is "Jesse: The Life and Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson (Random House). The book tells the story of Jackson's ambitious life, from his illegitimate birth in poverty stricken South Carolina through his years working with Martin Luther King and his unprecedented runs for the presidency. Frady writes about political figures and social and racial tensions in the United States for the New Yorker. His first two biographies were about George Wallace and Billy Graham.

Interview
21:55

Filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci Discusses "Stealing Beauty."

Film director Bernardo Bertolucci. His new film is "Stealing Beauty". It's the first time in 15 years that he has worked in his native country, Italy. At the age of 20, he began his career working for filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini and wrote his first screenplay the next year. In 1973, Bertolucci achieved international, critical and commercial success with the release of the controversial "Last Tango in Paris" with Marlon Brando.

46:05

The Godmother of Punk On Life and Loss.

Singer and poet, Patti Smith. Her new CD, "Gone Again" (Arista), is inspired by the passing of her musician-husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5, and her brother, Todd. They died weeks apart in the fall of 1994. Her first four albums, recorded in the 1970s, established Smith as skinny "Godmother" of punk. Through the 1980s, while raising her children in a Detroit suburb, Smith recorded one album but made plans to record new music with Fred in the summer of 1995.

Musician Patti Smith

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