Fresh Air Weekend: Obama's White House; 'A Quiet Passion'; Updating The Dictionary

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

'I Basically Ran On Adrenaline': A Staffer Remembers Obama's White House: Alyssa Mastromonaco worked in the West Wing for six exhilarating and exhausting years. She describes that era in her new memoir, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

'A Quiet Passion' Captures The Wit And Vulnerability Of Poet Emily Dickinson: British filmmaker Terence Davies turns his attention to the gifted New England poet in his new movie. Critic Justin Chang calls the film a "sharp, sensitive portrait" of a woman ahead of her time.

From 'F-Bomb' To 'Photobomb,' How The Dictionary Keeps Up With English: For a new word to enter the dictionary, it must meet three criteria: widespread use, sustained use and meaningful use. Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper explains the process in Word by Word.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

'I Basically Ran On Adrenaline': A Staffer Remembers Obama's White House

'A Quiet Passion' Captures The Wit And Vulnerability Of Poet Emily Dickinson

From 'F-Bomb' To 'Photobomb,' How The Dictionary Keeps Up With English

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