DATE: SAT, MAY 11, 2024, 7 PM
VENUE: LeFrak Concert Hall
TICKETS: $10/FREE with Online RSVP for QC Students, Faculty & Staff w/ ID 

Join us for an exclusive live episode of the SongWriter podcast where stories turn into songs! We welcome two iconic artists to the stage: the legendary author Joyce Carol Oates and the innovative musician and novelist Ali Sethi, recognized in TIME’s 100 Next list. Hosted by the podcast’s creator and producer, Ben Arthur, this live event promises captivating stories, mesmerizing music, and thought-provoking conversations.

There is no more versatile and accomplished American writer than Joyce Carol Oates. The author of many books, Oates has penned bestselling novels, critically acclaimed collections of short fiction, as well as essays, plays, poetry, a memoir, A Widow’s Story, and an unlikely bestseller, On Boxing. Her remarkable literary industry – which includes work as an editor and anthologist – spans forms, themes, topics and genres. Joyce Carol Oates is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University, and since 1978, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ali Sethi, a New York-based writer, composer, and performer, gained global fame with his hit single “Pasoori,” topping Spotify’s Global Viral chart in 2022 and becoming Google’s most hummed-to-search song. Blending traditional South Asian melodies with global beats and drawing on “folk” and “woke” iconographies to tell powerful tales of identity, Sethi’s work has been described as “stealthily subversive” by The New Yorker. His innovative approach has earned him a spot on TIME’s 100 Next list.”

Ben Arthur, an Emmy-nominated songwriter, hosts and produces SongWriter, a podcast transforming stories into songs. His upcoming album, “Remission,” completes a musical trilogy alongside “Collision” and “Transmission,” with many tracks inspired by episodes of SongWriter. Notable guests this season include Neil Gaiman, Kat Edmonson, and George Saunders. Past guests have included Questlove, Joyce Carol Oates, and David Gilmour. SongWriter episodes are previewed by Paste Magazine and featured on Acoustic Cafe for 1.5M listeners. “Remission” showcases performances from Byron Isaacs and Tony Trischka. Ben has released eleven albums, authored two novels, and shared the stage with artists like Dave Matthews and Tori Amos. He’s also licensed songs to major networks and co-produced the Emmy-nominated series SongCraft Presents since 2011.

This event is presented by the Queens College School of Arts, the MFA Program in Creative Writing & Literary Translation, and Kupferberg Center for the Arts.

https://kupferbergcenter.org/event/songwriter/