Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

Writing Other Voices

Clarence Major is an experimental, African American writer. His latest novel, Painted Turtle: Women with Guitar -- along with his last book, Such Was the Season -- uses more conventional narrative techniques. He joins Fresh Air to discuss language and storytelling in the black community.

09:38
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on September 7, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 7, 1988: Interview with Paul Schrader; Review of the home video release of "The Ford 50th Anniversary"; Interview with Clarence Major; Commentary on Italian…
Queue
27:22

Screenwriter Paul Schrader

Part 1 of Terry Gross's interview. Schrader's newest movie is Patty Hearst, about the magazine heiress's kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. He recently collaborated with Martin Scorsese on the film The Last Temptation of Christ.

Interview
Queue
06:51

Revisiting the First Television Spectacular

As a child, classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz was delighted by the live broadcast of the Ford 50th Anniversary Show, which featured a lively--and unprecedented--duet between Mary Martin and Ethel Merman. The program has recently been released on video.

Review
Queue
03:29

Learning Italian at the Movies

Language commentator recalls how he learned Italian by watching dubbed American movies while studying abroad, and considers why Italian filmgoers prefer dubbing over subtitles.

Commentary

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
03:37

Clarence Major's Most Conventional Work Yet

The African American writer is known for his experimental style, but in Such Was the Season, Major uses a straightforward narrative to tell the story about an older black woman in Atlanta and her doctor nephew. Guest critic Stuart Klawans says any bookstore that doesn't carry it needs to "wise up."

Review
Queue
10:23

Mystery Writer Walter Mosley.

Writer Walter Mosley. His first book, "Devil In A Blue Dress," is a hard boiled detective story starring a black gumshoe up against white prejudice. It's published by Norton.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue