# Giving Thanks

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Giving_Thanks
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Giving_Thanks.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Thanks
> Source revision: 1324533586
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{italic title}}
{{For|appreciation|gratitude}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
'''''Giving Thanks''''' is an [American Public Media](/source/American_Public_Media) [radio](/source/radio) special that airs nationwide on [Thanksgiving Day](/source/Thanksgiving). It is hosted by [John Birge](/source/John_Birge). The show consists of classical music, songs, and dramatic readings all related to giving thanks. 

Although John Birge began doing an annual Thanksgiving program in 1985, ''Giving Thanks'' did not go national until 1999, two years after he began working for American Public Media. The program started on [Minnesota Public Radio](/source/Minnesota_Public_Radio). The readings relate to gratitude. In 2017, guests included [Jacques Pepin](/source/Jacques_Pepin) and [Francis Lam](/source/Francis_Lam), who read his [James Beard Award](/source/James_Beard_Award) winning essay "The True Meaning of Turkey". Lynne Rosetto Kaspar read [M. F. K. Fisher](/source/M._F._K._Fisher)'s essay "How to Be Cheerful While Starving". There were recordings of [W. S. Merwin](/source/W._S._Merwin) reading his poem "Gift" and [Garrison Keillor](/source/Garrison_Keillor) reading [John Berryman](/source/John_Berryman)'s "Minnesota Thanksgiving".<ref>{{cite web| title=Giving Thanks: a celebration of fall, food and gratitude| date=November 23, 2017| url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/23/giving-thanks-a-celebration-of-fall-food-and-gratitude| work=[Minnesota Public Radio](/source/Minnesota_Public_Radio)}}</ref> In 2008, guests included Rabbi [Harold Kushner](/source/Harold_Kushner) and poet [Galway Kinnell](/source/Galway_Kinnell).<ref>{{cite web| title=Giving Thanks: A Celebration of Fall, Food and Gratitude 2008| publisher=Minnesota Public Radio| url=https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2008/11/27/giving-thanks-a-celebration-of-fall-food-and-gratitude-2008}}</ref>

Recurring features are an excerpt from [Charles Laughton](/source/Charles_Laughton)'s from his 1962 album ''[The Story-Teller ... A Session with Charles Laughton](/source/The_Story-Teller_..._A_Session_with_Charles_Laughton)'' about [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWhH7Mbb85w his experiences] with Etienne Houvet and [Alfred Manessier](/source/Alfred_Manessier) at [Chartres Cathedral](/source/Chartres_Cathedral), and his reading from [Jack Kerouac](/source/Jack_Kerouac)'s ''[The Dharma Bums](/source/The_Dharma_Bums)''. Musical pieces regularly included are [Handel](/source/George_Frideric_Handel)'s ''Largo'' from ''[Xerxes](/source/Xerxes_(opera))'' and selections from [Aaron Copland](/source/Aaron_Copland)'s ''[Appalachian Spring](/source/Appalachian_Spring)''.

The 25th edition featured food experts [Stanley Tucci](/source/Stanley_Tucci), [Nigella Lawson](/source/Nigella_Lawson) and Jacques Pepin, poets [Billy Collins](/source/Billy_Collins), [Rita Dove](/source/Rita_Dove), [Nikki Giovanni](/source/Nikki_Giovanni) and [Ada Limon](/source/Ada_Limon), poetry readings from [Bill Moyers](/source/Bill_Moyers) and [Studs Terkel](/source/Studs_Terkel), the musicians [Michael Tilson Thomas](/source/Michael_Tilson_Thomas), [John Rutter](/source/John_Rutter) and [Stephen Hough](/source/Stephen_Hough). There were readings in memory of the late [John Updike](/source/John_Updike) reading [Percy Shelley](/source/Percy_Shelley)'s "[To a Skylark](/source/To_a_Skylark)", [Wendy Wasserstein](/source/Wendy_Wasserstein), [Nora Ephron](/source/Nora_Ephron) and Rabbi Harold Kushner.<ref>{{cite news|title=Celebrate 25 Years of Giving Thanks| last=Birge| first=John| publisher=[American Public Media](/source/American_Public_Media)| url=https://www.yourclassical.org/story/2023/11/13/giving-thanks}}</ref> [Johann Sebastian Bach](/source/Johann_Sebastian_Bach)'s music is frequent feature.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
[https://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/programs/giving_thanks/ Giving Thanks from American Public Media Website l]

Category:American Public Media programs
Category:1985 radio programme debuts

{{US-radio-show-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Giving Thanks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Thanks) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Thanks?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.