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January 9, 2013 The actor, who's currently starring in Glenngarry Glen Ross opposite Al Pacino, has been acting for the stage since he was a teenager in Union City, N.J. "It was the only thing I ever wanted to do, really," he says.

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 9, 2013 Alan Cheuse reviews a new collection of novellas by Jim Harrison, whom he calls "the reigning master of the form." Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall, is back with his sixth book of novellas, focusing on men in different stages of life.

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January 9, 2013 Blanco, a first-generation Cuban-American, says he identifies with the theme of the inauguration: Our People, Our Future. He is the fifth poet to take part in a U.S. presidential inauguration, and also the youngest. He says being selected was a "great honor."

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January 9, 2013 Who says you need a smoothie to feel great? Food writer Eve Turow says she'd rather gnaw than swish her way back to health after the indulgent holidays. Ingredients like ginger, tamarind and coconut are good for much more than so-called "detox" drinks.

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January 8, 2013 In a new book, Civil War historian Bruce Levine says that from the destruction of the South emerged an entirely new country, making the Civil War equivalent to a second American Revolution. Integral to the Union's victory, he says, were the nearly 200,000 black soldiers who enlisted.

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January 8, 2013 In fiction, Charlotte Rogan explores a shipwreck, while Thomas Mallon revisits Watergate. In nonfiction, Laurent Dubois considers Haiti afresh; Lawrence Krauss reinterprets the universe; and Alain de Botton finds value in religion for atheists.

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January 8, 2013 In his new collection, Tenth of December, short-story master George Saunders' quirky blend of dystopian fiction and dark satire is tempered by a new gravity. Critic Michael Schaub calls the book Saunders' best yet, filled with stories that are "as weird, scary and devastating as America itself."

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January 8, 2013 Quiara Alegria Hudes' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama opens off-Broadway on Tuesday. The play is the second in a trilogy focused on an injured Iraq veteran named Elliot — a character based on Hudes' cousin. "I just remember the instant I saw him, there was just something changed in his eye," she says.

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January 7, 2013 Huell Howser, a fixture of public television in California, has died at 67. Howser hosted the popular public TV program California's Gold, which celebrated the state's unique stories and people. The Tennessee native charmed audiences with his folksy enthusiasm for finding rich stories in the everyday.

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January 7, 2013 Michael Haneke's Amour, which has grabbed all sorts of awards this year, has a reputation for being devastating and sad, which it is. But depressing? Not really.

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January 7, 2013 The 1971 John Schlesinger film, recently released on Blu-ray, tells the story of a love triangle and makes moving use of a trio from the opera Cosi fan tutte as the film's musical theme.

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January 7, 2013 On the hit Masterpiece Theater series, the social rules the characters have always known are changing as the world events of the 20th century unfold. The series' creator, Julian Fellowes, says his relatives who lived through that era inspired his lasting interest in class.

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January 7, 2013 2012 was the year of the big collected volume when it came to poetry. It was intimidating, even for the most hardened poetry fans. But critic Craig Morgan Teicher says 2013 will be full of slim collections that are still smart, important and powerful.

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January 7, 2013 Harold Robbins' 1966 novel The Adventurers featured the lethal and stunning man of mystery, Dax. Author Manil Suri writes that Robbins' novel was his first glimpse into an adult world. What was your first "adult" novel? Tell us in the comments.

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