'Swim Lessons'

By Liane Hansen

Published August 16, 2003 at 11:00 PM CDT

Six years ago this month, Nick Irons hopped into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and proceeded to swim to Baton Rouge, La., over the course of four months. He's written a book about his effort called Swim Lessons: Ten Secrets for Making Any Dream Come True. NPR's Liane Hansen speaks with Irons about his travels and his inspiration.

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.