Acclaimed music critic Ann Powers wasn't always sure this was the career path for her. In fact, she wasn't sure there was a path to making a living as a music writer. But after falling in with the right crowd — first at Tower Records in San Francisco and later at the Village Voice in New York — she found her calling and her voice.

These days, Ann works for National Public Radio, but she calls Nashville home. Her new book, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, is a multifaceted look at a complex artist — chronological but not conventional. It was eight years in the making, as Ann balanced work, life, and parenthood with deep research and far-ranging interviews. She talks with Demetria about how she approached the book, how she listens to music, and what it's like as a critic in Music City.

Guest: Ann Powers, NPR music critic; author, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell

Host: Demetria Kalodimos

Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope

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