Shadow // Yaddo

Banned Books Week: Let's celebrate and safeguard, come hell or highwater, our freedom to read! Bestselling novelist Colm Tóibín on Salman Rushdie's work and activism, the history of censorship in Ireland, and the slippery slope that is book banning. PLUS: Ariel Schrag, whose YA anthology Stuck in the Middle made the list of "Top 100 Most Banned Books of the Decade." Contributing artists: Amitava K...

Time to get out of the hammock, and into the intellectual groove, with a discussion on narrative medicine, a field of study that applies skills used in analyzing literature to medicine, and the impacts of storytelling on our health, work and lives. Andrew Solomon is a writer and lecturer on politics, culture and psychology; winner of the National Book Award; and an activist in LGBTQ rights, mental...

We're incredibly grateful to all who've listened and contributed to our "little podcast that could," which began in September 2020 and now has listeners on every continent! Before we take a short summer break, we put together a highlight reel with a few favorite moments. See you in August for more Shadow // Yaddo! Contributing artists: Joseph Keckler, Sly and The Family Stone, Lauren Groff, Sheila...

Danyel Smith on her new page-turner,  Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop . With a self-described "lust for loud," Danyel has spent decades as a reporter and editor on the music beat at major publications. This is the book she was born to write, braiding her own stories of ambition, doubt and heartbreak with those of the Black female artists she heralded. Contributing artis...

We're betting on these virtuosic minds to power a post-pandemic renaissance: Mark Morris, "the most successful and influential choreographer alive" ( The New York Times ), and "living legend" ( The New Yorker ) Fred Hersch, jazz pianist and composer, on primal improvisation, '60s tunes, the return to live performance, embracing the gay, and more.

As an antidote to Orwellian doublespeak, we're highlighting Yaddo artists whose work radiates authenticity: Bestselling novelist Terry McMillan on kicking booze to the curb, finding joy in a library, and writing clean prose with a clear head. PLUS: Theater superstar and songwriter extraordinaire Shaina Taub shares new music. Apocalypse party, anyone? Contributing artists: Joseph Keckler , Jason Is...

Celebrating the return of live performance, with Pulitzer Prize-winning theater artists James Lapine—Sondheim-collaborator, director and screenwriter—and acclaimed playwright Doug Wright, whose Goodnight Oscar opens soon. PLUS: Mega-talented singer/songwriter Carol Lipnik shares music from her new album, Goddess of Imperfection . Contributing artists: Joseph Keckler, Blossom Dearie, David Cale.

Conceptual artist, producer and activist John Sims on shredding confederate iconography, the power of Pi, quilting with the Amish, being handcuffed in his pajamas, the square root of love, and more. PLUS: Steve Buscemi reminds us why making art matters. Contributing artists: Joseph Keckler , John Sims Projects, Vi Hart; AfroDixie: The Rain Mix musicians, including Johnnie Barker, Thomas Bentley, P...

Ringing in the "Old New Year" with literary supernovas Gary Shteyngart ( Our Country Friends ) and Sloane Crosley , whose forthcoming rom-com thriller, Cult Classic , takes on metaphysics, modern love, memory and mind control. PLUS Emmy Award-winning film and television composer Nathan Barr on his Mighty Wurlitzer and the music behind The Great . Huzzah!

It's that time of year when many of us give some thought to our roots, our sense of home, where we belong. Travel is fraught, and the strain of the holiday season is real. Come share in a little insight and a few good laughs, with two of our favorite writers: poet and essayist  Marianne Boruch , author of several collections including her latest,  Bestiary Dark , inspired by wildlife in Australia,...

Success. Fallacy of the one who escaped. The roots of racism and more, with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Andrea Elliott on her new book, Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City , which offers an astonishing account of a homeless family in super-stratified New York City, where those grappling with extreme poverty live side by side with the very wealthy. PLUS: New music from...

Yaddo luminaries Brad Kessler and Uwem Akpan on empathy across boundaries, essential storytelling, the paradox of sanctuary, and the decade it takes to get it right. Kessler, "a consistently impressive writer," ( PW ) is the prize-winning author of the memoir  Goat Song  and three novels— Birds in Fall ,  Lick Creek  and his latest,  North . Akpan, whose powerful bestseller  Say You're One of Them...

Halloween, yes! Sweater-weather, dog costumes, candy discounts and more. Gather 'round for a good old-fashioned ghost story: Acclaimed actor Rufus Collins brings to life selections from "The Ghosts of Yaddo" by Allan Gurganus , author of several books of fiction, including Oldest Living Confederate Widow and his latest, The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus . Contributing artists: Joseph Keckl...

When artists get together, conversation flows! Antics, disco, cocktails and more in this week's celebration of our upcoming Yaddo Artist Reunion. Three fantastic writers who met at Yaddo discuss how peers influence each other: Lauren Groff , the bestselling author of six books of fiction, including Fates and Furies, Florida and her latest, Matrix; the ever-brilliant Sheila Heti , author of the nov...

Celebrating the launch of Season 2 with Moby ! We'll take you back to the beginning of Yaddo, with a live performance by director and Tony Award-winning actress Blair Brown and legendary artist John Kelly . PLUS the mega-talented photographer and activist Dona Ann McAdams offers a preview of "Hardboots & Legends," her ongoing project on the behind-the-scenes backstretch workers at the oldest horse...

Celebrating the finale of our first season with two of our favorite humorists and radio stars:  Elna Baker , writer, comedian, producer for "This American Life" and author of the "wickedly funny" ( People ) memoir  The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance  in conversation with  Negin Farsad —comedian, director, panelist for "Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!" and author of  How to Make White P...

Opera, voyages, battlegrounds and more: Playwright  Sandra Seaton on how she came to be a librettist, why she's moved to reimagine the past and how she inhabits the nuanced hearts of historical figures. Radiant visual artists Alexi Worth  and  Joyce Kozloff  excavate what lies beneath the surface of war cartography. Contributing artists:  Joseph Keckler ,  William Bolcom ,  Joan Osborne .

Venture behind the scenes for a glimpse of Yaddo magic: Chef and writer Gabrielle Hamilton ( Blood, Bones & Butter ) in conversation with New York magazine's "bilious gourmand" Adam Platt on the tastes of summer and what the future might hold for NYC restaurants. Award-winning journalists Mark Binelli (Detroit City Is the Place to Be) and Julian Rubenstein —author of The Holly: Five Bullets, One G...

With summer in full swing, we consider the triumph of light over dark. The luminous writer Jo Ann Beard discusses her new book,  Festival Days , with revered editor Patricia Towers. And we'll share some news about a very special Yaddo event coming up this fall: "Art Saved Us—Let's Save Art," with singer-songwriter and mega-talent Shaina Taub, who gives a preview of her performance. Contributing ar...

"Routing a racial justice revolution through Hollywood" (The New York Times): Brilliant filmmaker Shaka King, director and co-writer of Judas and the Black Messiah, discusses the difficulty of making meaningful films, New York vs. L.A., and the ebb and flow of social change with superstar Walter Mosley, celebrated writer and executive producer of Snowfall. PLUS: Photographer and veteran activist D...

Whether it's a creative pursuit, side-hustle or "real" job, work is at the heart of this episode featuring novelists Lisa Dierbeck and Jonathan Ames on his latest book, A Man Named Doll, the first in a new noir series set in Los Angeles. Plus: Spoken word artist and poet Hakeem Furious performs "Valero Valet," a piece he wrote about working the graveyard shift at a gas station. Contributing artist...

Obsession, motherhood, long-held secrets and more in this week's exploration of family: Kirstin Valdez Quade on her new novel, The Five Wounds, in which multiple generations of family converge. Illustrator and writer Margaret Kimball, whose debut memoir Now I Spill the Family Secrets offers a riveting and layered account of divorce, mental health and coming to terms with family conflict, speaks wi...

As arts venues reopen (hooray!), we asked two brilliant friends to imagine a new paradigm for concert classical music: Venezuelan/American composer, multimedia collaborator and Yaddo Board Member Manuel Sosa in conversation with Saratoga Performing Arts Center President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol on resilience, experimentation and turning our "lost year" into a boon for the next generation of perform...

Dig into the forensics of a new kind of noir, climate crime, with acclaimed novelist and nonfiction writer Nathaniel Rich, author of Second Nature: Scenes from a World Remade , and intellectual powerhouse Philip Gourevitch, longtime staff writer for The New Yorker . We'll also revisit the pioneering sonic composition about rewiring the earth's atmosphere: Landfall , the genius collaboration—and no...

Yaddo connections run far and wide! One of these circles is having a red, hot streak in the East Village scene in New York City, where a group of performers with talent to burn—many of them Yaddo artists—have found each other and are creating new, exciting work. Playwright, songwriter and performer David Cale ( Harry Clarke , We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time , Lillian ) and his friend a...