Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Actress Gabourey Sidibe On Anxiety, Phone Sex And Life After 'Precious':As a young woman, Sidibe struggled to find work before landing the film role that would change her life. "This is my path, and I'm really grateful that I'm on it," Sidibe says of her acting career.

'No One Can Pronounce My Name' Is A Charming Take On Loneliness And Connection:Set in an Indian-American community in suburban Cleveland, Rakesh Satyal's new novel uses intertwined plots to explore the comedy of everyday life. Critic Maureen Corrigan says readers will be amused.

Rhiannon Giddens Speaks For The Silenced:Giddens' Freedom Highwayis an exploration of African-American experiences accompanied by the banjo, with "a sound, that deepness, that quality is what people associated with American music."

You can listen to the original interviews here:

Actress Gabourey Sidibe On Anxiety, Phone Sex And Life After 'Precious'

'No One Can Pronounce My Name' Is A Charming Take On Loneliness And Connection

Rhiannon Giddens Speaks For The Silenced

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