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

'The Shrouds' introduces a new stage of grief: Watching your loved one decompose
David Cronenberg's thriller centers on an unusual technology that allows people to watch their loved ones decompose in real time. The Shrouds is both deeply morbid and disarmingly funny.
In Defense Of Jazz Biopics: Melodramas And Morality Tales, Set To Music
by Kevin Whitehead
Many jazz fans hate biopic films, but critic Kevin Whitehead likes noticing which true elements get in — or get left out — as messy lives are squeezed into stock-story formulas.
Reissue Of 'The End of Me' Helps Cement Alfred Hayes' Status As A Great Novelist
by John Powers
A poet, novelist and screenwriter, Hayes' name largely fell from view following his death in 1985. Now, with the re-issue of three of his novels, his reputation has been making a comeback.
Poet Eve Ewing Connects 1919 Chicago To Today's Racial Unrest
by Terry Gross
Ewing's 1919 looks back on a century-old riot in Chicago, set off after a black teen drowned while being stoned by white people. She says the systemic racism that plagued the U.S. then still exists.
How Taking A Stand For Justice Can Threaten The Careers Of Black Athletes
by Dave Davies
Howard Bryant, author of The Heritage, discusses the history of social protest among African American athletes, including Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali. Originally broadcast Jan. 13, 2018.
'Fresh Air' Listens Back To James Baldwin And Documentary Filmmaker Raoul Peck
by Terry Gross
In 1986, Terry Gross interviewed Baldwin, one of the most influential black writers of the civil rights era. Then, in 2017, she spoke to Peck, director of I Am Not Your Negro, about Baldwin.
Reporter Details William Barr's Effort To Uphold Trump's 'Law And Order' Image
by Terry Gross
Washington Post reporter Matt Zapotosky talks about the attorney general's role in the Trump administration's forceful response to the largely peaceful George Floyd protests in Washington, DC.
'Cult Of Glory' Reveals The Dark History Of The Texas Rangers
by Dave Davies
Author Doug Swanson chronicles centuries of abuse within the famed Texas law enforcement agency, including burning villages, hunting runaway slaves and murdering Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.