Hosted by journalist Jim Cotter, the Emmy Award-winning interview series “Articulate with Jim Cotter” profiles smart, creative people from authors to poets to musicians – all with great stories to tell. With a renewed focus on accessible and entertaining interviews, season 5 features guests including Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy, bass prodigy Esperanza Spalding, writer Aaron Sorkin and legendary choreographer Bill T. Jones. This series highlights how our shared humanity is expressed through arts and culture every Sunday at noon.
June 14: “Through the Fire”
KT Tunstall: From the Ashes – The Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall realized she was becoming a pop music cliché: on top, but unhappy. Tori Marchiony reports that it was then she decided it was time to change.
Pam Tanowitz: Out of the Shadows – Pam Tanowitz is among the finest choreographers in modern dance, but he refuses to put her feet up.
Natasha Trethewy’s Redemption – Natasha Trethewey coped with the tragedies of her young life by turning them into exceptional poetry, but those wounds will never fully heal.
June 21: “The Incomparable”
Caroline Shaw in Concert – Caroline Shaw is one of the most original new voices in contemporary music, yet her latest project sees her turning her ears to, of all things, cover versions.
June 28: “The Headliners”
Aaron Sorkin’s Second Act – Aaron Sorkin is best known for his award-winning screenwriting: A Few Good Men, The West Wing, Moneyball, The Newsroom. But his first love is the theatre.
Rhiannon Giddens’ Living History – Singer, instrumentalist and folk historian Rhiannon Giddens is on a musical mission, to remind us of what we all share, regardless of who we are or where we’re from.
July 5: “Power Through Purpose”
John Darnielle: From Self Destruction to Self Construction – John Darnielle has excelled as a front-man, songwriter and author, by overcoming an innately self-destructive personality.
Elizabeth Acevedo’s Literary Realizations – As a grownup, Elizabeth Acevedo realized that the books she has needed as a child still didn’t exist. So, she wrote them herself.
Meg Saligman: The Big Picture – The scale of Meg Saligman’s murals is difficult to grasp close up. But, the stories they tell are all in the details.
July 12: “From the Top”
Jonathan Safran Foer: Illuminating Everything – The best-selling author Jonathan Safran Foer writes to interrogate his own past, and all of our futures.
Nate Powell: Drawing on Experience – Tori Marchiony profiles the superstar graphic novelist Nate Powell, who’s known for beautifully rendered comics with a strong moral core.
Gustavo Dudamel: Playing Nicely – The Venezuelan-born conductor Gustavo Dudamel is on a mission to sow harmony. In the concert hall, and beyond.
July 19: “Life’s Work”
Perpetual Andrew Motion – Tori Marchiony profiles former U.K. Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion. He’s five decades in, and still finding room to grow.
Vijay Iyer: Key Changes – Among the most highly regarded jazz pianists of his time, Vijay Iyer has made his instrument of choice an instrument of discovery.
Susan Choi: Interrogator of Truth – Susan Choi’s books reflect her skepticism of authority. As Tori Marchiony reports, she even questions the credibility of the characters she creates.
July 26: “The Exceptionals”
Billy Collins: The People’s Poet – Billy Collins is one of the best-selling poets alive. Perhaps because his works effortlessly magnify the small details that make life worth living.
Gemma New: In Name and Nature – The conductor Gemma New has followed opportunity around the world. As Tori Marchiony reports, a decade in, she’s finally arrived.
Ming Peiffer: Not a “Usual Girl” – The award-wining writer Mind Peiffer forges works for stage and screen that deconstruct her own observations and experiences of life today.