International Festival of Arts & Ideas

The 2012 Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco is joined by four-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo, Lakota playwright Larissa FastHorse, and Founder of Theatre of the Oppressed NYC and New Haven native Katy Rubin who reflect on their roles as mediators and responders during times of great social challenge.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

A conversation about income inequality in the U.S. with Anand Giridharadas, author of the recently published Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018).In his book, Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? He also points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world.Giridharadas is an editor-at-large for Time, an on-air political analyst for MSNBC, and a visiting scholar at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism at NYU. His others books include The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, and India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation’s Remaking.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTSCurious where you can get a copy of Anand's book Winners Take All?We encourage you to support our local independent bookselllers:People Get Ready: https://peoplegetreadybooks.indielite.orgAtticus (taking book orders by phone): http://www.atticusbookstorecafe.com Books & Company (Hamden): https://www.booksandcohamden.com RJ Julia (Madison): https://www.rjjulia.com/

In this Ideas event—also part of the NEA Big Read—poet Stephanie Burt discusses her book Advice From The Lights (Graywolf Press, 2017), an essential work that asks who we are, how we become ourselves, and why we make art. Burt is a poet, literary critic, and professor hailed by The New York Times as “one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation.” Her other collections of poems include Belmont, Parallel Play, and Popular Music.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

Joined by Activist Songbook Composer Byron Au Yong and Lyricist Aaron Jafferis, a panel of artists/activists will discuss music and its role in activism and democracy. Joined by a panel that includes local New Haven activist/musician New Haven musician Paul Bryant Hudson and nationally recognized organizers including Kit Yan & Melissa Li, co-creators of Interstate, we will learn how music can be a tool to effect change at every level of our democracy. How does music change people, history, and reality? What draws you to songs that name and fight oppression, versus songs that claim liberation and create the new world we're stepping into, versus both? How do you see music effecting political change within this election year, and how can it be a voice of democracy at large?Listen on Apple PodcastsAdditional support for the Activist Songbook Panel Discussion is provided by the New England States Touring Program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.For more Activist Songbook programs, click here.The Ideas Program is presented in partnership with Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional leadership support of The Whitney Center and media sponsor CT Public.

In this talk, from our 10th Annual Visionary Leadership Award, George Takei, the pioneering actor, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, and New York Times bestselling author is joined in conversation with composer, Byron Au Yong.Listen on Apple Podcasts

Join Yale-China Arts Fellows Sarah Xiao (dance) and Nicole Pun (visual art) as they share how their residency in New Haven has shaped their art.Listen on Apple Podcasts

Improved resilience and health. Enhanced ability to manage stress and anxiety. Through mindful awareness, we can avoid being on “auto-pilot,” and more often consciously choose how we live. And there is good scientific evidence that mindful practices help us to be more compassionate, toward ourselves and others. Area experts Shirley Chock, Dr. Ginger Nash, and Hanifa Nayo Washington share healing habits that we can all experience ourselves.listen on apple podcasts

In a lively talk moderated by Nicole Merritt, musicians Kaki King, Spencer Topel, and Jay Alan Zimmerman share how they are using data not just to make sounds but to see and experience music. Kaki King’s 2020 Arts & Ideas commissioned Data Not Found explores how big data and personal data have come to affect our lives, and what those effects look and sound like, Yale Quantum Institute Artist-in-Residence Spencer Topel breaks down the sounds of a single moving electron, and composer Jay Alan Zimmerman discusses his collaboration with Google and their music visualization tools.listen on apple podcasts

We spend so much energy trying to cultivate healthier habits. But what might our days feel like if, instead, we question and cut out just one habit for a short period of time? What discomfort might manifest when social media, sugar, or instant self-deprecating thought are gone from our days? How might we face that space? With time, how might our physical, social, and inner lives transform? With insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, art, and design, Jacqueline Raposo, author of The Me, Without, guides how reframing habits can lead to healing, happiness, and a purposeful personal path.listen on apple podcasts

Join visionary and inspiring leaders, Dr. Ellen Frank—founder Cities of Peace, an innovative peace and visual arts program that honors the history and culture of world cities that have suffered trauma and strife and multi visual artist, photographer and educator, Luciana McClure— for a conversation on how healing, dignity and understanding of seemingly different cultures is possible.listen on apple podcasts