Showing results by narrator "Terry Gross" in All Categories

African novelist and chemist Emmanuel Dongala on this edition of Fresh Air. He was born in the Congo Republic, was educated in the US, and left the Congo with the outbreak of civil war in 1997. Two of his novels have just been translated to English: Little Boys Come from the Stars and The Fires of Origins. With the help of writers Philip Roth and William Styron, Dongala now has a visiting professorship in chemistry at Simon's Rock of Bard College in Massachusetts.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss on this archive edition of Fresh Air. His new book is called Reaching for Glory: The Secret Lyndon Johnson Tapes, 1964-1965. It is Beschloss's second volume on the LBJ tapes. Beschloss will talk about the tapes, and we will hear excerpts, including some recordings of conversations about Vietnam, Civil Rights, and with Jackie Kennedy. Beschloss has written five previous books on American presidents.

Neal Conan, host of NPR's Talk of the Nation, on this edition of Fresh Air. During the summer of 2000, Conan took a hiatus from his duties at NPR to follow the fortunes of the Aberdeen Arsenal, a minor league baseball team. He was pursuing a lifelong dream: to become a baseball announcer. He writes about it in his new book: Play by Play: Baseball, Radio and Life in the Last Chance League. (Broadcast Date: May 8, 2002)

Cookbook author and food writers Jack Bishop and Marie Simmons on this edition of Fresh Air. Jack Bishop's latest book is called Vegetables Everyday. Bishop writes about food for The New York Times, Cooks Illustrated, and Natural Health Magazines. His other cookbooks include Pasta e Verdura, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, and Lasagna.

Journalist John Burns and Mexican film director Alfonso Cuaron on this edition of Fresh Air. John Burns is the Islamabad Bureau Chief for the New York Times. He will talk about reporting on Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the past, Burns has been posted in China, Bosnia, South Africa, and Russia. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes, one of them in 1997, for his reporting on the Taliban.

Actor Jared Harris and writer James Sallis on this edition of Fresh Air. The son of actor Richard Harris, Jared has acted in theater and on the big screen. He's appeared in movies like I Shot Andy Warhol, Happiness, Sunday, Smoke, and VH1's Two of Us in which he plays Beatle John Lennon. He talks to us today about his newest movie called Shadow Magic, which is set in China. Harris plays the man that brought the motion picture projector to China.

Journalist Anne Nivat is the Moscow correspondent for the French paper Liberation. Two years ago, after the Russians denied her press access to Chechnya, she disguised herself as a Chechen peasant woman and snuck across the border. For six months, she followed the war, traveling with the underground rebels and staying with families. Her reports were published in Liberation. Her new memoir is Chienne De Guerre: A Woman Reporter Behind the Lines of the War in Chechnya.

Journalists Ken Herman and Joseph Hallinan on this edition of Fresh Air. Ken Herman writes for the Austin American Statesman. He's has been covering Texas politics for over 20 years and is currently in Washington, covering the first six months of President George W. Bush's administration. He'll talk about the differences between George W. Bush (the governor) and George W. Bush (the president).

Actress Ellen Burstyn and Tejano musician Ruben Ramos on this edition of Fresh Air. Ellen Burstyn's up for an academy award for her portrayal of the mother of a drug addict who is also an addict herself in the film Requiem for a Dream. This is her fifth nomination and could be her second win.

Mark Malloch Brown of the UN Development Programme and poet Donald Hall on this edition of Fresh Air. Brown heads the United Nations Development Programme. He'll discuss their efforts in Afghanistan, the West Bank, and Gaza to help with reconstruction. Brown is from Britain. He is also the chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee of the heads of all UN development funds, programmes and departments.

Looking at HBO's hit series The Sopranos as it enters its third season on this edition of Fresh Air. First, an interview with creator and executive producer David Chase. Actor Michael Imperioli, who stars as Christopher, has written some episodes. Imperioli also appeared in five Spike Lee films, and starred in, co-wrote, and executive produced Lee's film Summer of Sam. Imperioli also appeared in the films Goodfellas, Malcolm X, Clockers, and Household Saints.

Playwright and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan on this edition of Fresh Air. The writer behind five screenplays and several theater productions, his new play is called Lobby Hero and opens March 13 at Playwrights Horizons. He also wrote, directed, and acted in the Oscar nominated You Can Count on Me, which came out last year. The screenplay for that movie recently won Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America and is up for an Oscar in the same category.

The 10th anniversary of the use of ground forces during the Gulf War on this edition of Fresh Air. NPR's Neal Conan talks with two former lieutenants who were tank platoon leaders with the 24th Infantry Division: Alex Verdon and Greg Downey. The two were just out of college and leading platoons for the first time. They tell their story in the new book, The Eyes of Orion.

Religion scholar Karen Armstrong on this edition of Fresh Air. The best-selling author of The History of God and The Battle for God, has a new book, Budda, about the life of Sidhatta Gotam. From North India, Sidhatta Gotama renounced normal life, leaving his wife and child to live alone and attain enlightenment.

Director, co-writer Stacy Peralta on this edition of Fresh Air. Stacy Peralta directed the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. The film is about the community of skateboarders in California in the 1970s who originated extreme skateboarding. They did so in rundown urban beach neighborhood near Santa Monica and Venice called Dogtown. They became international stars. Peralta was one of the Z-boys and is considered one of the founding fathers of modern skateboarding.

Investigative journalist Robert Bryce and remembering labor activist Anthony Mazzochi on this edition of Fresh Air. Robert Bryce'sHis new book is Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego and the Death of Enron. It's a gossipy, irreverent analysis of the Enron scandal.

Journalist Bill Keller and actresses Lupe Ontiveros and Bonnie Hunt on this edition of Fresh Air. Bill Keller is a columnist for The New York Times and senior writer for the magazine section. He just returned from a trip to Russia. He'll discuss Russia's position on Iraq. Actress Lupe Ontiveros stars in the new film Real Women Have Curves as a mother at odds with her two teenage daughters. She recently starred in the independent film Chuck and Buck.

Jazz bassist Ron Carter and filmmaker Burr Steers on this edition of Fresh Air. Ron Carter has more than two thousand recordings to his credit. From 1963-1968 he was part of the Miles Davis Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter. Over the years, he's played with Randy Weston, Herbie Mann, Betty Carter, Eric Dolphy, Sony Rollins, McCoy Tyner and others.

Journalist Jonathan Landay and former White House Director of Counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin on this edition of Fresh Air. Jonathan Landay co-wrote an article called "Officials' Private Doubts on Iraq War. The piece appeared yesterday in newspapers owned by the Knight-Ridder-Tribune News Service, including the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Because Audible was not granted digital audio rights to today's issue of Fresh Air, we have selected a great interview with record producer and songwriter Neil Innes and actress Joan Cusack for this edition of Fresh Air. Neil Innes is a founding member of the comedy-rock group "The Bonzo Dog Band". He's also a member of "The Rutles", the band that he and Eric Idle of Monty Python created as a spoof of the Beatles.