Poet David Lehman is the editor of “The Best American Poetry” and on the faculty of Bennington College and The New School. His new book of poems chronicles his attempt to write a poem a day. It’s called “The Daily Mirror: a journal in poetry.” (Scribner)
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. In the early 60s, Carter was a top contender for the middleweight boxing crown. Then in 1967, he was convicted of three murders he did not commit. He was in prison for nearly 20 years, but continued to fight for his freedom in state and federal courts. Finally in 1985, he was found innocent and set free. We talk with Carter, and his biographer, James Hirsch, author of "Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter" (Houghton Mifflin Company). A new movie about Carter, called Hurricane, just opened.
Conductor Benjamin Zander, of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been called "a Pied Piper" of classical music and "one of music's evangelists." His passionate performances have earned him quite a following. Through his teaching and his pre-concert discussions, he has tried to spread his love of classical music to a wider public. He has conducted the Boston Philharmonic for over 20 years. His recording of Mahler's Ninth Symphony was just nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
Dr. Edward Hallowell talks about his book Connect (Pantheon), about the importance of connectedness and what he sees as the essential need for intimate attachments. Hallowell is a practicing psychiatrist and an instructor at the Harvard Medical School. His other books include Worry(1997), and Answers to Distraction(1995) about attention deficit disorder.
Fresh Air Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of Puccini’s Il Trittico (ill TRIT-I-co). Schwartz says this group of one-act operas contains some of Puccini’s best music.
Filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn. In her debut documentary Regret to Inform, Sonneborn weaves together the stories of widows from both sides of the American-Vietnam War. Sonneborn is a war widow herself; her husband was killed in Vietnam in 1968. Regret to Inform will air on PBS later this month. IT has already received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary feature, and won the Best Director and Best Cinematography documentary awards at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Singer/Songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. He will talk about and sing songs from his new CD, “No. 447.” Crenshaw has been writing, recording and performing his songs for some 20 years. “No. 447” is his 10 th album. Singer/Songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. He will talk about and sing songs from his new CD, “No. 447.” Crenshaw has been writing, recording and performing his songs for some 20 years. “No. 447” is his 10 th album.
We talk about the state of welfare with journalist Jason DeParle (dee- PARL). De Parle has been covering welfare for the last 10 years. He has been monitoring welfare programs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where work requirements have been the toughest. He just finished a yearlong series for the New York Times, about the changes in the welfare system. He says that although there are far fewer people on welfare, the lives of the poor haven’t changed much.
Writer Lee Stringer. He spent eleven years on the streets of New York City, living n the tunnels under Grand Central Terminal, addicted to crack. His acclaimed memoir "Grand Central Winter: Stories from the Street" (Washington Square Press) chronicled his unraveling, from a marketing executive to being homeless and crack addicted. He collaborated on his new book with Kurt Vonnegut: "Like Shaking Hands with God: a conversation about writing" (Seven Stories Press)
Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker gives us HIS ten best list for the year 1999, and then picks the recordings from the century he'd take with him If he were stranded on a desert Island.
Fresh Air film critic John Powers gives us his ten best list for the year 1999, and then picks the films from the century he'd take with him If he was stranded on a desert Island.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz tells us what music he most wants to remember from the 20th Century. His selections come from the new box set “Stravinsky REV: Conducting Stravinsky” (Sony), The Dvorak Cello Concerto with Pablo Casals (EMI Reference disc), Joseph Szigeti’s Prokofiev Concerto (Pearl), Artur Schnabel on a currently out-of-print Schubert CD (Arabesque). And Maria Callas’s recordings (EMI)
We feature an interview with screenwriter/director David O. Russell. His movie Three Kings is being re-released for the holiday season. His other movies include Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster.
We feature a conversation with Fresh Air film critic John Powers about this year's holiday movies. A series of new films are being released this season-- some of them featuring huge stars (like Tom Hanks in The Green Mile, and Jim Carrey in The Man on the Moon), some of them based on popular books (like Angela's Ashes, Snow Falling on Cedars, and Girl Interrupted.) John tells us about the hype, the movie trends, and his picks for the season's best films.
