SongWriter Podcast
1) Belonging & Collective Action: Viet Thanh Nguyen + Thao Nguyen
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen (The Sympathizer) gives a talk about belonging at a live performance at the Litquake Festival. San Francisco State University’s Dr. Russell Jeung speaks...Show More
2) Fear and political polarization: Beth Macy + Palmyra
Journalist and bestselling author Beth Macy (Dopesick) reads a piece she wrote to accompany her new memoir Papergirl, about her family's struggle with opposing political views. She describes a slow pr...Show More
3) Season 7 Trailer
The trailer for season seven includes mention of the themes we'll be working on, and some of the upcoming guests, including Jennifer Egan, Jamila Woods, Kaveh Akbar, Rhett Miller, and others!
4) Ben Okri + Matshidiso
Poet, author, and playwright Ben Okri reads his story “A Wrinkle in the Realm,” and talks about music and dream logic. Stanford’s Dr. Tomás Jiménez speaks about polarization, belonging, and empathy....Show More
5) Sarfraz Manzoor + SK & the Kings
At a live performance in London, journalist, filmmaker, and author Sarfraz Manzoor reads a piece he wrote for SongWriter about the things he had to learn for himself. Researcher Dr. Elizabeth Gullifor...Show More
6) Asli Perker + Tuna Kiremitçi
Turkish journalist and author Asli Perker shares a story she wrote for SongWriter about a terrible car accident, and how it helped to make her the artist she is today. Scientist and researcher Dr. Iti...Show More
7) Hala Alyan + H.Sinno
Palestinian poet and clinical psychologist Hala Alyan shares her poem “Dear Gaza,” about guilt, memory, and hope. Scientist Dr. Salma Mousa talks about her research on empathy and polarization, and de...Show More
8) Maggie Smith + Kat Edmonson
Poet and author Maggie Smith shares two poems about caregiving for young children, and the complicated calculus around exposing them to the darkness (and sweetness) of the world. Dr. Chrissy Salley fr...Show More
9) Naz Riahi + Rahill
Naz Riahi + Rahill
10) Ina Cariño + Alex Wong
Filipinx American poet Ina Cariño shares a brand new “sonnet crown” poem that they wrote for SongWriter on the subject of family and empathy. Scientist Sarah Nila describes her experiments exploring e...Show More