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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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14:45

Al Pacino Takes on Shakespeare in "Looking for Richard"

Pacino is starring in "Donnie Brasco" with Johnny Depp. Before that, Pacino directed, produced and starred in the experimental film "Looking for Richard," which goes behind the scenes of a production of Shakespeare's Richard the Third. (REBROADCAST from 10/24/96)

Interview
39:10

How the Holocaust Stemmed from the Roots of Antisemitism

Saul Friedlander is the author of "Nazi Germany and the Jews, Vol. 1: The Years of Persecution 1933-1939." He examines the period looking at how Hitler's "murderous rage" and ideologies, converged with internal political pressures, and attitudes of German and European societies to create the Holocaust. Friedlander was born in Prague and was seven when his parents hid him in a Catholic seminary in France where he took on a new identity. His parents died in the Holocaust. Friedland now teaches at Tel Aviv University and at UCLA.

Interview
11:28

Determining the Culpability of Soldiers in the Holocaust

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen is the author of the controversial book "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust." He offers evidence that ordinary Germans knowingly cooperated in the Holocaust, that they were motivated by anti-Semitism, not by economic hardship, coercion, or psychological pressures, as usually put forth by historians. Goldhagen is Associate Professor of Government and Social Studies at Harvard University.

21:41

Writer Julie Hecht on Living in the World as a Normal Person

Hecht's stories have appeared in "Harper's" and "The New Yorker." All of the stories in her debut collection "Do the Windows Open?" were first published in the "The New Yorker." The book features one narrator: a married, childless, 40-something photographer who takes pictures of flowers in decline. One reviewer writes, "the stories are breathtakingly funny. . . like other classic deadpan talkers. . . she doesn't even seem to realize how funny she is."

Interview
21:34

Anticipating How China Will Treat Hong Kong

Journalist Stan Sesser is a former staff writer for the New Yorker and the senior fellow of the Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley. He's been following the imminent takeover of the British-ruled Hong Kong by the Chinese government. He says while Hong Kong will most likely preserve its economic freedom, the July 1 takeover calls into question the future of its democratic government and civil-liberties laws.

Interview
13:31

A Married Couple on the Politics of Names

Justin Kaplan and Anne Bernays are the authors of the new book, "The Language of Names: What We Call Ourselves and Why It Matters." Both have written previous books: Ms. Bernays is the author of eight novels, including the award-winning "Growing Up Rich" and "Professor Romeo," as well as numerous short stories. Mr. Kaplan won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography, "Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain." He's also the General Editor of Barlett's Familiar Quotations.

35:17

"Graduate" Screenwriter Buck Henry

Henry was also screenwriter for the popular film "Get Smart" with Mel Brooks, "Catch-22," "What's Up Doc," and other films. He also co-wrote the script for the 1967 film "The Graduate" and played the role of the hotel clerk. It is now 30 years later and an anniversary presentation of the film is being held at the New York Film Forum February 14th to the 27th. (This interview was held before an audience at the Film Forum, Feb 13th).

Interview
16:54

Director David Lynch on His Fascination with the Body

Lynch is the director of "Eraserhead," "The Elephant Man," "Dune" and "Blue Velvet," all of which have received critical acclaim and attained cult status. He is also the creator of the popular but short-lived TV series, "Twin Peaks." Lynch published a book of photographs of his movies and his art, called "Images" (Hyperion, 1994). (REBROADCAST from 12/15/94)

Filmmaker David Lynch

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