SongWriter is a storytelling and songwriting podcast where stories become brand new songs. In each episode, a celebrated writer shares a story, and a musician writes and performs a song inspired by it — revealing how narratives turn into music, lyrics, and emotion. Hosted by Ben Arthur, SongWriter features conversations and performances from artists including Questlove, Joyce Carol Oates, George Saunders, Steve Earle, Isabella Rossellini, Sharon Van Etten, and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. The show blends the craft of writing, the creative processes of art, and intimate connections between authors and musicians. If you love great stories and great songs — and wa...
Latest episodes
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47 min
Reissued: Laurie Woolever + Mike Ruffino
While we're busy making season eight, the SongWriter team decided to reissue a few favorite episodes. In this one, SongWriter's own Laurie Woolever reads a story she wrote for the…
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56 min
AI Dreams: Jennifer Egan + Rhett Miller
At a live performance at Joe's Pub in New York City, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan shares a chapter from her recent novel The Candy House. NYU’s Dr. Chris Barrie spea…
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54 min
Caregiving After Disaster: Sonia Khan & Ian Lovatt + Tom Marsh
Married couple Sonia Khan and Ian Lovatt tell the story of a near-death experience and the long journey of recovery. Caregiving researcher Dr. Brianna Morgan speaks about ageism an…
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49 min
Isabella Rossellini & Diana Reiss + Sharon Van Etten
Filmmaker and actress Isabella Rossellini describes the night she went to see Temple Grandin speak at Hunter College, and ended up enrolling in graduate school to study animal beha…
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51 min
Forgiveness After Genocide: Laurence & Aloys + Solange & Vedaste
In this episode Niyonagira Laurence recounts her experience of the Rwandan genocide. She talks about the process of forgiving Mutiribambe Aloys – a neighbor who killed members of h…
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53 min
A Troublesome Cat: Bruce Holsinger + The Golden Hours
At a live performance at The Guild in Charlottesville, Virginia, bestselling novelist and professor Bruce Holsinger reads a short story he wrote about a troublesome cat. Dr. Jennif…
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51 min
Ali Selim + Carla Kihlstedt
Filmmaker and director Ali Selim shares a story about his complicated relationship with his father. Dr. Emily Gaarder talks about her work in restorative justice, and explains why…
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34 min
Forgiveness in Rio: Maria Rezende + Pedro Mann
Brazilian poet and film editor Maria Rezende reads a poem about a man who could not forgive her. Dr. Rita de Cacia Oenning da Silva and Kurt Shaw speak about how the poem made them…
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41 min
Unicorn-Level Positivity: Helen Cho + Alison Mosshart (The Kills)
Director Helen Cho shares a story that she wrote for SongWriter about learning to appreciate her mother’s perspective on caregiving and life. Dr. Komal Patel Murali talks about the…
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47 min
Caregiving and Reconciliation: Silas Howard + Dorian Wood
Filmmaker and director Silas Howard reads a story about caring for his mother in the years before her death. Dr. Fayron Epps speaks about her research in caregiving, and about care…
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46 min
Flourishing After Disaster: Patrice Francis + Selah Moonie
Bahamian playwright and teacher Patrice Francis performs a dramatic piece about recovering from Hurricane Dorian, live at the Fuze Art Fair at Bahamar. Patrice wrote the piece base…
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35 min
The Echo of Theodicy: Kaveh Akbar + Jamila Woods
At a live show at Metro in Chicago, bestselling author Kaveh Akbar reads a poem about empathy that he wrote for Jamila Woods. Jamila and Kaveh are old friends, and they discuss emp…
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49 min
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.…
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49 min
Fear & 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…
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1 min
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,…
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1 h 06
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, bel…
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45 min
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…
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40 min
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 an…
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44 min
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…
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56 min
Fear, Parenting, and Finding Light in Darkness: Maggie Smith + Kat Edmonson
Poet Maggie Smith reads her viral poem Good Bones and reflects on what it means to raise children in a world that is both beautiful and frightening. She also shares What I Carried,…