Years ago, writer Pico Iyer lost everything in a wildfire. This is what he learned
After a 1990 wildfire destroyed his home and possessions, Iyer started over. The loss led him to a Benedictine monastery, where he found comfort and compassion in solitude. His new memoir is Aflame.
Robert Earl Keen Delves Into Bluegrass With A Texan Twang
The singer-songwriter usually follows in the story-song tradition of his forebears Townes Van Zant and Guy Clark. But in Happy Prisoner he brings enthusiastic curiosity to covers of bluegrass greats.
The Furniture Company That Sang The Blues
In the mid-1920s, Paramount Records was the leading blues label in America. The second box set featuring this music was released in late 2014.
The Politics Of Passing 1964's Civil Rights Act
The act, which turned 50 last year, ended the era of legal segregation in public accommodations, like restaurants and hotels. Author Todd Purdum talks about the battles that surrounded it.
If You Strip The Bondage, '50 Shades' Is A Conventional Love Story
The film, based on E.L. James' best-selling novel, has been denounced by decency brigades. But it's a surprisingly mild, corny romance that affirms traditional values: It's Jane Eyre with ropes.
David Carr Called Himself 'Part Pirate, Part Thug' But Also 'A Decent Person'
Carr, media columnist for The New York Times, died Thursday after collapsing in the newsroom. He was 58. Carr talked with Fresh Air in 2008 about his memoir and in 2011 about the future of journalism.
Schneider Quartet's Haydn Recordings Reissued
Among the best loved recordings from the 1950s were 15 LPs of Haydn string quartets. They originally appeared on the Haydn Society label, but were never reissued on CD until now.
'Ida' Director Made Film To 'Recover The Poland' Of His Childhood
The film is set in 1962 in Poland where director Pawel Pawlikowski lived until he was 14. Up for an Oscar for best foreign language film, Ida is about identity, faith, guilt and socialism.
Fresh Air Remembers '60 Minutes' Correspondent Bob Simon
Simon was killed in a car accident Wednesday. He was 73. He was a CBS reporter for nearly 50 years. In 1991, he was detained by Iraqi soldiers. He talked with guest host Marty Moss Coane in 1992.