Out of hope? Maybe stop for a sandwich and a song.

Out of hope? Maybe stop for a sandwich and a song.

Playwright Lynn Nottage says it’s in her nature to be optimistic. And if it’s true what they say that you can manifest good things by thinking positively, well, it’s worked out for her in myriad ways. Nottage is the first and only woman to have won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice, and she’s one of today’s most produced playwrights. Her work, though, explores the experiences of Americans existing in the margins who have little reason to have hope. In this episode, she joins Kai to reflect on her remarkable career and share how she develops complicated characters that manage to be relatable, resilient and inspire optimism in audiences. Plus, musician David Byrne is known for a darkness to his lyrics. As the former frontman for the band Talking Heads with songs like “Psycho Killer,” “Road To Nowhere,” and “Slippery People,” it’s easy to assume Byrne is fresh out of hope in humanity. Instead, he says he’s motivated by the beauty of human connection he experiences when he pushes past the anxiety of being a social creature. Byrne and Kai discuss how he channeled that uplifting outlook into his Broadway show “American Utopia,” named for Byrne’s 2018 album.

Tell us what you think. Instagram and X (Twitter): @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or going to Instagram and clicking on the link in our bio.

“Notes from America” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. Tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on notesfromamerica.org.

Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.

Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Jaksot(424)

Live From Atlanta: GA Politics, a Growing Gender Gap and Scenes From Spelhouse Homecoming's Tailgate

Live From Atlanta: GA Politics, a Growing Gender Gap and Scenes From Spelhouse Homecoming's Tailgate

With the 2024 presidential election right around the corner, all eyes are on the swing states. In this episode, host Kai Wright travels to Atlanta, the heart of one swing state where early voting numb...

28 Loka 202449min

Author and Playwright Caryl Phillips on James Baldwin’s Friendship

Author and Playwright Caryl Phillips on James Baldwin’s Friendship

In the sixth episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” writer Caryl Phillips shares the experience of getting to know James Baldwin beyond the pages of his work. Phillips not only respected Baldwin as a wri...

26 Loka 202429min

How Important is College to a Successful Career?

How Important is College to a Successful Career?

There is a longstanding, widely held belief that the best chance at a better future is to go off to college – especially for people from marginalized communities.Whether it was your teacher, general p...

21 Loka 202449min

Novelist Elif Shafak on James Baldwin’s Compassion

Novelist Elif Shafak on James Baldwin’s Compassion

In the fifth episode of Notes on a Native Son, our guest is Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak. She has published 21 books, 13 of them novels — including “The Forty Rules of Love” and her latest, “The...

19 Loka 202429min

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Journey to the Supreme Court Has Been a ‘Lovely One’

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Journey to the Supreme Court Has Been a ‘Lovely One’

Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson has always aspired to be a federal judge. In fact, the newest appointed associate justice of the United States Supreme Court wrote in her application to Harvard University...

14 Loka 202455min

Writer Darryl Pinckney on James Baldwin’s Love

Writer Darryl Pinckney on James Baldwin’s Love

In the fourth episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” our guest is the writer and essayist Darryl Pinckney. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books and The Village Voice. Mos...

12 Loka 202429min

‘Imperfect Allies’: Processing a Year of War Across Communities

‘Imperfect Allies’: Processing a Year of War Across Communities

A year ago, the world was shaken when Hamas militants entered Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of hundreds more. It was one of the most devastating days...

7 Loka 202452min

Writer Siri Hustvedt on James Baldwin’s Complexity

Writer Siri Hustvedt on James Baldwin’s Complexity

In the third episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” host Razia Iqbal sits down with the celebrated writer of novels and essays, Siri Hustvedt. When Hustvedt was invited to record a conversation for the p...

5 Loka 202430min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
otetaan-yhdet
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
linda-maria
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-sinivalkoinen-islam
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-girls-finish-f1rst
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa