Fresh Air with Terry Gross, March 9, 2005: Interview with Dexter Filkins; Interview with Fred Hersch.

Since its national debut in 1987, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has been a highly acclaimed and much adored weekday magazine among public radio listeners. Each week, nearly 4.8 million people turn to Peabody Award-winning host Terry Gross for insightful conversations with the leading voices in contemporary arts and issues. The renowned program reaches a global audience, with over 620 public radio stations broadcasting Fresh Air, and 3 million podcast downloads each week. Fresh Air has broken the mold of 'talk show' by weaving together superior journalism and intimate storytelling from modern-day intellectuals, politicians and artists alike. Through probing questions and careful research, Gross's interviews are lauded for revealing a fresh perspective on cultural icons and trends. Her thorough conversations are often complemented by commentary from well-known contributors. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR.
(1.) New York Times reporter DEXTER FILKINS. In April he will receive the George Polk Award for War Reporting for 'his riveting, first-hand account of an eight-day attack on Iraqi insurgents in Falluja.' He had accompanied the Marines of Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines for 8 days in November as they took over Fallujah. Filkins filed over a dozen stories from this extreme close-up perspective. He followed the Marines from the outskirts of the city into the maze of streets, dodging suicide bombers, waking at 1:30 AM to a rebel attack, and even sustaining the threat of friendly fire when the company was mistaken for rebels by U-S troops. He has just returned from Iraq where he was covering the elections there. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW). (2.) Pianist and composer FRED HERSCH. In his 30 year career he's performed in solo, duo, trio and quintet settings. In 2003 he received the prestigious Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship which he used to work on his latest project: 'Leaves of Grass' (Palmetto) in which he leads a 10-piece ensemble which includes vocalists singing the words of Walt Whitman set to compositions by Hersch. He is touring the ensemble this month. For information: fredhersch.com/palmetto-records.com