Collections (A-Z)

A running list of the interviews and features included in every Fresh Air+ bonus episode. Fresh Air+ is a premium feed of our show, offering every episode sponsor-free -- and exclusive bonus episodes once a week with behind-the-scenes insight and stories from Terry, Tonya and the Fresh Air staff. Find out more, and join for yourself, at https://plus.npr.org/freshair

For years Dave Davies has contributed at least one interview a week to Fresh Air, and oftentimes more — especially when the topics concern sports, investigative journalism or history. After 22 years of interviews, the longtime Fresh Air contributor and fill-in host is cutting back on his workload. Listen to some of Davies most compelling interviews including conversations with Frank Calabrese Jr. (2011); novelist Kate Christensen (2013); biographer Robert Caro (2019); and sports announcer Joe Buck (2017).

Did your favorite show get canceled? We get it. Curated by Fresh Air in collaboration with our friends at the Museum of Pop Culture, this collection features interviews with the people behind some of our favorite, dearly departed TV shows:

Freaks and Geeks | My So-Called Life | The Break with Michelle Wolf | The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore | Twin Peaks | GLOW | Chappelle's Show

Celebrate the excellence of Black History Month through Fresh Air's interviews with some of America's most prominent figures in film, sports, culture and beyond.

Fresh Air looks at how political tides have shaped the history of America's highest court.

Listen as writers, journalists, and legal scholars look at the politics behind the selection and confirmation process, as well as the way that polarization has influenced the direction of the Supreme Court in recent decades. In this collection, you'll also hear from several present or former justices, including Sonia Sotomayor, Sandra Day O'Connor, and John Paul Stevens, who offer an inside look at how the Supreme Court makes decisions that define our democracy.

We look at the 2020 election and the chaotic 2000 presidential recount.

In this collection, listen as law professors and journalists discuss some of the challenges that candidates, voters, and election officials may face this year, from voter suppression to foreign interference to problems with electronic ballots. You'll also hear reflections on the contested election of 2000, when a series of controversial events led the Supreme Court to declare that George W. Bush had won the presidency, defeating Al Gore in Florida by a margin of just 537 votes.

Fresh Air remembers its longtime language commentator, who died on August 11, 2020. He was 75-years-old. 

Celebrate change-making women like Toni Morrison (pictured in 1977) who have passed the baton from the early Women’s Rights Movements to the leaders of our modern day society.

Hear the history behind the protests. 

In this collection, you'll find interviews with authors like James Baldwin, activists like Bobby Seale, and artists like Nina Simone as they discuss their struggle for humanity against American racism. Listen to first-hand accounts from a Black police officer and a Black lawyer as they reflect on the fight for justice.

How do contagious diseases spread and what can we do to stop them? Hear from epidemiologists, historians and reporters as they look back at past outbreaks that have threatened public health, including bird flu, AIDS, malaria and the Ebola virus. This collection discusses how public policy, media coverage and paranoia have shaped our response to previous pandemics.

Hear the oral history of World War II as told by the veterans who fought in it, the filmmakers who captured it, and the historians who sought to understand it. Listen to these first-person interviews and watch history unfold in World on Fire, a new seven-part series by Masterpiece. The story begins Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 9/8c on PBS.

Miles Davis changed the course of modern Jazz throughout his remarkable career. Swing into the world of Miles Davis and his charismatic style that influenced musicians for decades to come.

What will life be like in the future? In this collection, you'll hear interviews with Steve Jobs, Michio Kaku, and other leading scientists, technologists, and environmentalists as they predict the world of our future.

As his time in office comes to a close, we reflect on the tumultuous presidency of Donald Trump.

Listen to the journalists and officials (and some comedians) who've documented one of the most chaotic administrations in American history.

Hear from the singers, songwriters and musicians who have defined the sound of country music.

Feminist leaders, activists and writers paint a picture of the movement's history. Hear from activists like Gloria Steinem and artists like Viv Albertine on what the struggle for equal rights has meant to them. 

From James Baldwin and Maya Angelou to Toni Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates, this collection includes a host of America's most celebrated black authors speaking candidly about how race and racism inform their writing.

Fresh Air has played host to some legendary in-studio performances by some of the world's greatest pianists. This collection includes Harry Connick, Jr., Regina Spektor, Jon Batiste and others tickling the ivories and talking about the music the make.

Fresh Air is deeply connected to the jazz world, and Terry has had the opportunity to interview many legends in their own time. 

Since it debuted in 1975, Saturday Night Live has launched the careers of some of comedy's biggest names. Over the years, many of the show's actors, writers, and creators have sat down with Terry Gross to talk about their auditions, the culture of the show, and life after SNL.