STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
For the next several days, I'll be off the air here on MORNING EDITION, off reporting on immigration in Arizona.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
And I'll be here in Studio 31 collaborating with a guest host in Alabama who you know well. NPR's Debbie Elliott will fill in. Debbie, I'm so excited to host with you.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
Good morning. Me, too.
FADEL: So people know you, of course, as a national correspondent bringing us stories mainly from the South, but really across the country. Weren't you recently in Hawaii?
ELLIOTT: I was. Producer Marisa Penaloza and I spent some time in Maui following up on the cleanup after the deadly wildfires there last summer.
FADEL: Yeah.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
ELLIOTT: In particular, we looked at, like, the cultural and historical implications for the recovery there. It was really interesting. And they've got a long road ahead. And then on my usual southern beat, I'm working on a story right now out of Louisiana, where The Descendants Project has recently bought the plantation house where one of the largest slave revolts in U.S. history began.
INSKEEP: Wow.
ELLIOTT: And it's the first time the property has been in Black ownership. And they're hoping to tell that story the right way.
INSKEEP: OK, we've got a few seconds here. I know you're working on an interview with Sheryl Crow for us this week.
FADEL: Oh, wow.
ELLIOTT: I'm so excited. I hate to be a fangirl, but I love the music interviews when I get to sit in the host seat.
FADEL: Yeah.
ELLIOTT: And I am looking forward to that so much.
INSKEEP: Are you...
ELLIOTT: She's been the soundtrack of my life, really.
FADEL: (Laughter).
INSKEEP: Awesome. You got any questions for us, since hosts ask questions?
ELLIOTT: I do. You two morning pros, I'm wondering if you have advice for me, especially, like, how to get up in the middle of the night and sound like I'm awake.
FADEL: I set five alarms, so you could try that.
(LAUGHTER)
FADEL: And that usually gets me up. I'm, like, shocked awake.
ELLIOTT: OK.
INSKEEP: Drink lots of fluids. I think that's the key. Whether you're a...
ELLIOTT: Coffee, coffee.
INSKEEP: You're a coffee drinker. That is awesome. I went off coffee for a while, didn't help. Coffee is better.
ELLIOTT: Well, Steve, have a productive reporting trip and I can't wait to see you tomorrow, Leila.
FADEL: Talk to you tomorrow.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALL I WANNA DO")
SHERYL CROW: (Singing) I got a feeling. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.