
Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.

Jason Isbell confronts the pain of divorce, and the possibility of new love
Jason Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album Foxes in the Snow. "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he says.
A culture critic reflects on the limits of language -- and the magic of silence
by Tonya Mosley
Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker writer Hilton Als says we "don't actually have much silence left" in our world. His latest exhibition challenges the way we see art, identity and storytelling.
Albums by Lucy Dacus and Jeffrey Lewis show the range of confessional songwriting
by Ken Tucker
Dacus mixes confession and intimacy on Forever is a Feeling. The EVEN MORE Freewheelin' Jeffrey Lewis nods to Dylan's early New York City folkie days, with a great song about the pain of existence.
Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair
Nunez's 2018 novel won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a dog after her friend's suicide. Originally broadcast in 2019.
Syria's transitional leader is a former jihadist. Can he help stabilize the region?
by Terry Gross
Ahmed al-Sharaa founded the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, but is now advocating unity. The Atlantic's Robert Worth discusses al-Sharaa's leadership and the Trump administration's group chat on Signal.
In 'The Studio,' Seth Rogen offers a hilarious take on Hollywood filmmaking
by David Bianculli
An outstanding new Apple TV+ comedy series sends up Hollywood's movie-making machine. You don't have to be a movie lover to appreciate The Studio, but the more you know, the more you'll laugh.
'The Moment of Truth' offers a solid portrait of Ella Fitzgerald on the road
by Kevin Whitehead
The jazz singer's 1960s concert career is amply documented on record, with live albums from Berlin, LA, Tokyo and the French Riviera. Now comes a newly released concert of Fitzgerald in Oakland, Calif.