Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Film offers 'Hard Truths' about why some people are happy — and others are miserable
Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives a phenomenal performance as a profoundly unhappy woman. There isn't a lot of plot, but director Mike Leigh builds his stories from the details and detritus of daily life.
Remembering Paul Farmer, a physician and global health care champion
by Dave Davies
Dr. Farmer worked to improve health care in the developing world. He died in Rwanda Feb. 21, on the grounds of a hospital and university he helped establish. Originally broadcast in 2011.
Singer-songwriter Mitski brings surging energy and emotions to 'Laurel Hell'
by Ken Tucker
Mitski claims new ground on her sixth album, spreading herself across different kinds of pop music with each new song. The result is more varied than anything she's created thus far.
Still ripping from the headlines: 'Law & Order' reboot continues with tradition
by David Bianculli
The original series, which debuted in 1990, leaned heavily on current news stories. The new show does the same. Its debut episode centers on the crimes of a TV personality reminiscent of Bill Cosby.
Novelist Julie Otsuka draws on her own family history in 'The Swimmers'
by Terry Gross
Though the main character in Otsuka's new novel has lost much of her memory to dementia, she still remembers being sent to an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.
Lennie Tristano's private stash of recordings reveal a trove of free improvisations
by Kevin Whitehead
Despite the poor sound quality, Tristano's newly unearthed Personal Recordings from 1946-1970 are fascinating. Free jazz can be rambunctious, but these musicians step and listen carefully.
With a nod to 'Lolita,' 'Vladímír' makes a sly statement about sex and power
by Maureen Corrigan