Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
This collection may be the closest we'll ever come to a Dickinson autobiography
by Maureen Corrigan
The Letters of Emily Dickinson collects 1,304 letters, starting with one she wrote at age 11. Her singular voice comes into its own in the letters of the 1860s, which often blur into poems.
Jazz Master Kenny Barron Dazzles As A Soloist 'At The Piano'
by Kevin Whitehead
Barron, an official NEA Jazz Master, shines on his recently reissued 1981 solo album. Critic Kevin Whithead says the album is beguiling "no matter how fast or slow or loud or quiet [Barron] gets."
Celebrating Sinatra's Centennial: A Biographer Reflects On Ol' Blue Eyes
On the eve of what would have been Sinatra's 100th birthday, Fresh Air re-airs an interview with musical biographer Will Friedwald, author of Sessions With Sinatra. Originally broadcast in 1997.
'The Big Short' Puts A Suspenseful, Comic Spin On The 2008 Financial Meltdown
by David Edelstein
Adam McKay lampoons the financiers who contributed to the collapse of the subprime mortgage market in his new film, The Big Short. Critic David Edelstein calls it "one of the best films of the year."
Remembering Islamic Feminist Fatema Mernissi
Mernissi, a Moroccan sociologist whose books include Beyond the Veil, Islam and Democracy and Dreams of Trespass, died in Morocco on Nov. 30. She was 75. Originally broadcast in 1993.
The U.S. Has A Mass Shooting Epidemic, But No Government Database On Gun Violence
In 2012, journalist Mark Follman searched for comprehensive data about America's mass shootings and found that very little existed. So he and his colleagues began compiling a database of their own.