Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Thursday, July 17, 2021: Interview with Ivan Penn; commentary about book 'The Women of Brewster Place.'

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 IVAN PENN. In Monday's newspaper he wrote about a sharp debate that's emerged over how to spend money in a potential Congressional infrastructure bill targeted for clean power generation and transmission. Should the nation bank on big solar and wind farms and new transmission lines to carry their power to cities….or should we go local, and focus on rooftop solar panels, batteries and micro-grids. Ivan Penn is based in Los Angeles, covering alternative energy for the Times. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW) (2.) Book critic MAUREEN CORRIGAN considers Gloria Naylor's landmark 1983 novel The Women of Brewster Place. It won the National Book Award for first fiction and has just been reprinted.