SongWriter turns stories into songs

Bestselling author Joyce Carol Oates reads a haunting story, and banjo legend Tony Trischka and songwriter Jennifer Marks each play songs written in response. The show was recorded at a live performance in New York City, with Grammy-nominated musician Tracy Bonham performing with Tony Trischka, and comedy legend Steve Martin in the audience. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Ins...

Author Alison Gaylin reads an excerpt from "Never Look Back," a novel based loosely on the Starkweather murders. Gaylin discusses how Caril Ann Fugate was understood at the time to be a willing accomplice (she is portrayed that way in Springsteen's "Nebraska" and "Natural Born Killers," which were also based on the notorious murder spree), but points out that Fugate was just 14 years-old when she...

Lauren Morrill , who writes young adult fiction, tells a true story about adolescent infatuation and the humiliations it can cause. Acoustic guitarist Justin Cutway performs a song that he says was NOT easy to write, and rapper Vinson Muhammad performs a spoken word piece inspired by both Lauren and Lil' Wayne. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Fa...

Poet Mike Veve reads a ghost story on themes of homelessness at a live performance in New York City, and Johnny Leitera of the band Tuff Sunshine talks about writing with an assist from technology, and performs “Middle Man.” https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast  

Poet and author Lou Barrett tells a story about falling in love with their high school best friend, and about coming to grips with their sexual identity. Songwriter Michelle Gaw speaks about friendship and sexuality, and performs her song “What Makes a Friend” live at a house concert in Cleveland, Ohio. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.c...

Playwright and songwriter Ethan Lipton reads a fictional speech at a live performance in New York City, and Texan songwriter Sarah Jaffe plays a song she wrote in response. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast  

Poet Amy Turn Sharp reads a piece inspired by the death of her mother. In it she describes how she began leaving her baby teeth, one by one, in places that have emotional resonance in her life. Songwriter Parker Paul, who is an old friend of Amy’s, performs his song “Baby Teeth,” at a live performance in Columbus, Ohio. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterP...

Author Louisa Young reads from her memoir You Left Early, about love and alcoholism, and discusses how insidious the disease is for its victims, and for the people that love them. Pianist and songwriter Miranda Joy performs “Carry You Around,” live in the clock tower of St. Pancras Station in London. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/...

Writer and NYT editor Dodai Stewart tells a story about destiny, choice, and tarot cards that she wrote specially for SongWriter, and slide guitarist Natalia Zukerman performs her song “Storm Cloud Rising,” and talks about her own recent tangles with fate. https://SongWriterPodcast.com/Stewart Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Author of the bestselling School for Good and Evil series (which is currently becoming a Netflix show), Soman Chainani , reads a children’s story he wrote for SongWriter, about an evil bear that eats children. David Mayfield and Abby Rose, who perform as Cave Twins , share their song, “Mighty Mountain Monster,” and talk about how America’s political divisions inform their art. https://SongWriterPo...

Malachy McCourt is the 87 year-old brother of Pulitzer Prize-winning memoirist Frank McCourt, who wrote Angela’s Ashes about their childhood in Ireland. Malachy tells a story about a walk he and his father took together when he was a small boy, and Scottish songwriter Louise Cairns performs her response song, “Baby Rocks.” https://SongWriterPodcast.com/McCourt Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/...

This is a preview for the second season of SongWriter, the podcast of stories and "answer songs," This season will feature stories from Joyce Carol Oates , Soman Chainani , and Michael Ian Black , and songs written in response by Sarah Jaffe , Cave Twins ,  and Tony Trischka . Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast  

Novelist and MacArthur "Genius Grant" award-winner Jonathan Lethem reads his story "Vivian Relf," and songwriter Cindy Lee Berryhill performs a song written in response. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Novelist and journalist Anna North reads two pieces of flash fiction, "The Machine" and "Cheese Baby," and rapper and filmmaker Miss Eaves performs a song written in response the second piece. The two friends also discuss how they met, and their reaction to each others' work. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Patricia Lockwood reads a chapter from her bestselling memoir, Priestdaddy, about a hunting trip, a disgusting motel room, and her brother, the "Poop Jentleman." Sasha Dobson performs her song, "Cross on My Heart," inspired by Patricia's writing, and about her own father. The show was recorded at a live performance at Joe's Pub in New York City. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter...

Aura Hernandez has been living in a church on the Upper West Side for more than a year. She tells the story of how she came to take sanctuary in the church, and about her hopes for the future. Brazilian songwriter Denise Reis performs a song written in response to Aura's life story. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Retired police captain Rita Mullaney tells a story about two dislocated people who secretly lived for years in New York City police precincts, and veteran musician Byron Isaacs , of the Lumineers , shares a song he wrote in response. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Public radio's Kurt Andersen reads from his critical history of America,  Fantasyland. He tells the story of colonist Anne Hutchinson and the singular religious rebellion she started, which led to her eventual banishment and death. Vienna Teng plays a song written in response, using a looper pedal and backwards vocals to depict an argument between the complex truth and simplistic jingoism. https:/...

Bestselling author Rick Moody reads a chapter from his novel Hotels of North America, about love, marriage, and an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction. Xenia Rubinos talks about transience on tour, and plays her answer song, "Three Stars." https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Bestselling author Roxane Gay reads her short story "Baby Arm," about love, friendship, and a women's fight club. Songwriter and playwright Aya Aziz performs "Push," and talks about how she came to write the song in response to Roxane's story. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

In the fifth episode of SongWriter, legendary author Joyce Carol Oates reads "Deceit," from her collection  Black Dahlia & White Rose , about a young mother dealing with allegations of abuse made about her teenage daughter. Songwriter Ted Leo talks about his reaction to the story and reflects on his own history of abuse, and shares his song "Deceit," which was written in response. https://Song...

Brooklyn author and illustrator Dolan Morgan reads a story called "The New Middle Class," and cellist Emily Hope Price plays a song she wrote in response. Price talks about the recent loss of a friend, and how that loss informed the song, also called "The New Middle Class." https://SongWriterPodcast.com/Joyce-Carol-Oates-Katie-Melua Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.c...

In the third episode of SongWriter, Deborah Copaken reads an excerpt of her upcoming book Ladyparts, and Tommy Siegel (of Jukebox the Ghost ) performs his song "Dear Science," which he wrote in response. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

Gary Shteyngart reads from his novel Lake Success, about the flame out and subsequent freak out of hedge fund manager Barry Cohen, and Elissa LeCoque shares her song written in response, "Weak Wrists." https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast

This is the first episode of SongWriter, featuring a story from bestselling author Susan Orlean , and a song written in response by host Ben Arthur. Ben and Rob Reinhart, of the syndicated radio program Acoustic Cafe , introduce the series and briefly discuss inspiration and answer songs. https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPo...