Terry Gross, host of the popular "Fresh Air" program on National Public Radio, will speak at UNLV on Nov. 8.
Part of the University Forum lecture series, "An Evening with Terry Gross: Adventures in Interviewing," is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Classroom Building Complex, Room A-106. University Forum lectures, which are sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, are free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
In her presentation Gross will talk about how she makes interviews work and what happens when they go wrong. She also will play excerpts from some favorite interviews and some that were so bad they never made it on the air.
The list of people whom Gross has interviewed over the years reads like a "who's who" of people famous in their fields. Among her dozens of interviews have been Saul Bellow, Doris Lessing, David Mamet, Lauren Bacall, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, and Elia Kazan. Others she has interviewed include Martin Scorsese, Wilt Chamberlain, David Brinkley, Bonnie Raitt, Mercer Ellington, Shlomo Mintz, Stephen Sondheim, and Jimmy Carter.
"Terry Gross is one of the best radio interviewers - one of the best interviewers, period - in the country," according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "What distinguishes her is a remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity, and sharp intelligence."
Gross says of interviewing, "Anyone who agrees to be interviewed must decide where to draw the line between what is public and what is private. But the line can shift, depending on who is asking the questions. What puts someone on guard isn't necessarily the fear of being 'found out.' It sometimes is just the fear of being misunderstood."
When it comes to talking about current affairs, Gross strives to place them in a cultural context.
"If you want to understand a political conflict, it helps to understand the culture in which that conflict is taking place," she said. "When there is a crisis in a foreign country, we sometimes call up that country's leading novelist or filmmaker to get that cultural perspective."
Gross was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and received a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her radio career in 1973 at Buffalo's public radio station WBFO. In 1975, she joined "Fresh Air," which at that time was a local show in Philadelphia. In 1985, "Fresh Air" began airing nationally on NPR.
Today, "Fresh Air" is a weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. It features interviews with prominent cultural and entertainment figures, and distinguished experts on current news and affairs. The show reaches nearly two million listeners each week and is heard on 170 public radio stations.
In 1994, "Fresh Air" received the prestigious Peabody Award for its "probing questions, revelatory interviews, and unusual insight." Other awards it has received include the Ohio State Award in 1987 and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award for "Best Live Radio Program" in 1981.
For additional information about Gross' appearance at UNLV, call the College of Liberal Arts at (702) 895-3401.
