Fresh Air

The Grammy winning singer-songwriter started out in Johnny Cash's backup band. Now he's being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Stuart played some of his own music in this 2014 interview, and talked about his archive of cowboy couture.

College campuses have become the pandemic's newest hotspots, with more than 88,000 COVID cases at the nation's colleges and universities. We talk with reporter Scott Carlson about the tough decisions colleges are facing as they decide how to continue classes, test students, and quarantine the sick. We'll also talk about the financial strain these institutions were already facing before the pandemic...

Harvard historian and 'New Yorker' writer Jill Lepore tells the story of the Simulmatics Corporation. Founded in 1959, it used a so-called "people machine," a computer program it claimed could predict the impact of political messages or advertising pitches. At the time, Simulmatics drew condemnation from scholars and political leaders who saw it as a threat to democracy...

Actor, playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar won a Pulitzer Prize for 'Disgraced,' his play about an American-born Muslim who hosts a dinner party that sparks a heated discussion of religion and politics. Akhtar's new novel, 'Homeland Elegies,' explores the experiences of a Muslim man who, like Akhtar, grows up in Wisconsin, the son of Pakistani immigrants.

Also, Ken Tucker reviews the album 'What Could Be Better' by the band The Happy Fits.

Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi drew on her own ​experiences growing up in a largely white community in Alabama for her new book, 'Transcendent Kingdom.' In the novel, she explores themes of depression, addiction, religion and race.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews pastry chef Lisa Donovan's memoir, 'Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger.'

Former FBI agent Ali Soufan interrogated dozens of Al-Qaida members and other extremists in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks...

Donald Ray Pollock worked in a paper mill and meatpacking plant for 32 years before becoming a writer. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2011 about his acclaimed gothic crime novel, 'The Devil All the Time.' The film adaptation, starring Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland, will begin streaming on Netflix on Sept. 16.

Also, we listen back to an interview with Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, creators and stars of the Hulu comedy series 'PEN15...

Historian David Nasaw tells the story of the concentration camp survivors, POWs and other displaced people who remained in Germany following the war. Many had no home to return to. Nasaw's book is 'The Last Million.'

Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi drew on her own ​experiences growing up in a largely white community in Alabama for her new book, 'Transcendent Kingdom.' In the novel, she explores themes of depression, addiction, religion and race. Her award-winning debut novel, 'Homegoing,' opens in Ghana in the 1700s and ​chronicles the legacy of slavery from the perspective of several generations of the same family...

Former FBI agent Ali Soufan interrogated dozens of Al-Qaida members and other extremists in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. He says he got valuable information by preparing carefully for interviews and building rapport with his subjects. When CIA contractors used coercive techniques — like waterboarding — Soufan says subjects ceased cooperating, or gave bad information to make the torment stop. Soufan's 2011 memoir about his experiences appeared with large portions redacted by the CIA...

Today is the 90th birthday of the great tenor saxophonist and improviser Sonny Rollins. We celebrate by hearing some of his music spanning five decades, with commentary from our jazz critic Kevin Whitehead. And we'll listen back to Terry Gross' 1994 interview with Rollins.

Also, we revisit Terry's interview with Octavia Spencer. She's nominated for a best actress Emmy for her performance in the Netflix limited series 'Self Made,' inspired by the story of Madam C.J...