Singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, former lead singer and guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning Alabama Shakes, is now a spectacular and charismatic solo artist. Brittany joins Helga in the studio following the release of her second solo album, What Now, to offer a deep-dive into her personal and artistic life. She discusses her early experiences with grief and its impact on her creative awakening; her stages of self-discovery and the importance of therapy as a critical aspect of mental health; and how she balances her many musical forms with her understanding of authenticity, spirituality and passion. 

Singer Brittany Howard on Creative Rebirth and Spirituality

Artist, performer, and host Helga Davis brings a soulful curiosity and love of people to the podcast Helga, where she talks about the intimate lives of creative people as they share the steps they’ve taken along their path. She draws listeners into these discussions with cultural change-makers, whether already famous or rising talents, whose sensibilities expand our imaginations as we explore what we think we know about each other. The new season of Helga is a co-production of WNYC Studios and the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, and Death, Sex & Money. The Brown Arts Institute at Brown University is a new university-wide research enterprise and catalyst for the arts at Brown that creates new work and supports, amplifies, and adds new dimensions to the creative practices of Brown’s arts departments, faculty, students, and community.

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Author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin has been immersed for decades in the fight for gender equality and social justice. She co-founded Ms. Magazine, which played a pivotal role in the feminist movement of the 1970s, and served as president of the Authors Guild and as chair of Americans for Peace Now. She’s also authored a dozen books, co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and the International Center for Peace in the Middle East, and earned an Emmy for her work on “Free To Be… You and Me,” a landmark early 1970s television special and album that encouraged social equality and acceptance between genders.  In this episode, Pogrebin discusses some of the pivotal moments that defined her political thinking, her feminism, and her understanding of Jewish tradition.

Author Letty Cottin Pogrebin on her Decades of Activism

Journalist Jenna Flanagan has built a career championing the necessary conversations that drive community progress. She’s worked as a producer for the New York City-based AM radio news station 1010 WINS and WNYC’s All Things Considered, and as a co-host for the PBS show MetroFocus. Recently, she hosted the podcast “After Broad and Market,” which revisits the 2003 murder of 15-year-old Sakia Gunn — one of New Jersey’s first prosecuted queer hate crime homicides. Here, Flanagan delves into the vital role of local news, the legacy of Black women in media, and her secrets to eliciting great stories from anyone.

Journalist Jenna Flanagan on Local Politics and Seeking Truth

Noliwe Rooks is a widely esteemed author and chair of Africana Studies at Brown University. A passionate advocate for education equality, Dr. Rooks has focused much of her work on the challenges that poor and African American communities face, particularly within the American public education system.  In this episode, Dr. Rooks talks about her family’s experiences with education inequality, its broader cultural context and impact, and the role that family and community play in fostering success at school.

Noliwe Rooks on Extending the Ethic of Care

Sampha is a leading British singer-songwriter and producer within the neo-soul and alternative R&B; scenes, his music a seductive blend of meditative, confessional lyrics and intricate, genre-spanning production. Active since the mid-2000s, he’s well known for his collaborations with artists like Solange Knowles, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Drake, and many others; a songwriter in his own right, his debut solo album, “Process,” won England’s prestigious Mercury Prize for best album in 2017. In this episode, Sampha discusses fatherhood, family dynamics, and the images that inspired his second album, “Lahai.” He also speaks openly about trusting his intuition in art and life.

Singer-songwriter Sampha on Fatherhood and Intuition

Suzan-Lori Parks is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Parks was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama with her 2002 play, “Topdog/Underdog,” and in 2023, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.  In this episode, Parks discusses her bold idea to write a one-act play each day for an entire year. She shares her views on storytelling, resilience, and family, and she breaks out her guitar to give a sample of one of her original songs.

Singer Brittany Howard on Creative Rebirth and Spirituality

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