Terry Gross, NPR

Terry Gross

NPR

Philadelphia, PA, United States

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NPR

'If I Survive You' author grew up feeling judged — and confused — by race

Jonathan Escoffery grew up in Miami, the son of Jamaican immigrants. In a world where identity was linked to race, he says it was often confusing to figure out where he fit in. → Read More

NPR

He's edited Caro, le Carré and 'Catch-22,' but doesn't mind if you don't know his name

Robert Gottlieb has been working in publishing since 1955. The documentary Turn Every Page, by daughter Lizzie Gottlieb, examines his decades-long editing relationship with author Robert Caro. → Read More

NPR

Pioneering writer Octavia Butler on writing Black people and women into sci-fi

Butler's 1979 book, Kindred, is now a series for FX on Hulu. In 1993, the pioneering author, who died in 2006, told Fresh Air she made up her own stories so that she could see herself in them. → Read More

NPR

Trevor Noah steps away from 'The Daily Show', embarks on new standup tour

Trevor Noah is stepping down as host of The Daily Show after seven years. We'll listen back to portions of two 2016 interviews with Noah, whose newest standup comedy special just premiered on Netflix. → Read More

NPR

A journalist's plea to the West: 'Pay attention to Ukraine and its fate'

Invasion author Luke Harding began reporting from Ukraine in December 2021 and was in Kyiv the night before the Russian invasion began. "There is no mood inside Ukrainian society to yield," he says. → Read More

NPR

Singer Brandi Carlile talks ambition, avoidance and finally finding her place

The Grammy winner got her start as a kid, singing backup for an Elvis impersonator. Her memoir, Broken Horses, is about her early life and the family she's built. Originally broadcast in April 2021. → Read More

NPR

Mel Brooks says his only regret as a comedian is the jokes he didn't tell

Brooks wrote countless edgy jokes over the years, but he doesn't regret any of them. He calls comedy his "delicious refuge" from the world. His memoir is All About Me! Originally broadcast in 2021. → Read More

NPR

A cell biologist shares the wonder of researching life's most fundamental form

Physician Siddhartha Mukherjee explains how cellular science could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer, HIV, Type 1 diabetes and sickle cell anemia. His new book is The Song of the Cell. → Read More

NPR

Yiddish 'Fiddler On The Roof' is a dream come true for its lead actor

The Yiddish language production of the musical is back. Steven Skybell, who plays Tevye, and Joel Grey, who directed the original, explain the musical's resonance. Originally broadcast July 10, 2019. → Read More

NPR

'Weird Al' Yankovic wants to 'bring sexy back' to the accordion

It's "a very sensual instrument," the parody artists insists. A new over-the-top "biopic" tells the story of Yankovic's life — sort of. → Read More

NPR

'It chips away at you': Misty Copeland on the whiteness of ballet

For years Copeland was told that her skin color, her body and her hair didn't conform to what ballerinas were supposed to look like. Her memoir is The Wind at My Back. → Read More

NPR

Steven Spielberg was a fearful kid who found solace in storytelling

Spielberg's latest project, The Fabelmans, is semi-autobiographical — focused on his childhood and teen years and his parents' divorce. He jokingly refers to the film as "$40 million of therapy." → Read More

NPR

Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets'

Porter won an Emmy for Pose, and a Tony for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. In addition to performing, he's also a star on the red carpet. His memoir is Unprotected. Originally broadcast in 2021. → Read More

NPR

Venture into the 'Fresh Air' crypt for a Halloween horror fest

Ever wonder what keeps Stephen King up at night, or which movie scenes make Jordan Peele jump? For Halloween this year, Fresh Air rebroadcasting archival interviews with masters of the horror genre. → Read More

NPR

Fresh Air's Halloween special, with horror masters Stephen King and Jordan Peele

King talks about what terrified him as a child — and what frightens him as an adult. Peele talks about the fears that inspire his filmmaking. Originally broadcast in 1992, 2013 and 2017. → Read More

NPR

Remembering Angela Lansbury, a legend of the stage and screen

The Tony Award-winning actor starred in the Broadway musicals Mame, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd, as well as the TV series Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury died Oct. 11. Originally broadcast in 1980 and 2000. → Read More

NPR

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

In An Immense World, science writer Ed Yong explores the diversity of perception in the animal world — including echolocation, magnetic fields and ultraviolet vision. Originally broadcast June 2022. → Read More

NPR

Tom Waits says some songs just demand to be sung in a particular way

Wait's two lyrical concept albums, Blood Money and Alice, are being reissued on vinyl for their 20th Anniversary. We listen back to archival interviews with the musician, broadcast in 2002 and 2011. → Read More

NPR

'Fresh Air' remembers country superstar Loretta Lynn

Lynn, who died Oct. 4, grew up in poverty in eastern Kentucky and went on to have 16 No. 1 hits. Her life story was portrayed in the 1980 film Coal Miner's Daughter. Originally broadcast in 2010. → Read More

NPR

Remembering Hilary Mantel, Booker Prize-winning author of the 'Wolf Hall' saga

The British writer, who died Sept. 22, wrote a trilogy of critically acclaimed historical novels on the life of Thomas Cromwell, one of Henry VIII's most trusted advisors. Originally broadcast in '12. → Read More