I was captivated by the Janis Ian song “Jesse” recently and inspired to make a recording and video. The theme seems especially fitting during these pandemic times when so many are pining and isolated. Thanks to my daughter for the camera help!
Tag: music
Visiting a Catholic Mass in Togo
When I first arrived in Togo in September 2009 to begin my Peace Corps service in that country as a Girls’ Education and Empowerment volunteer, the other trainees and I stayed in Tsévié, a town twenty miles north of the capital, Lomé. Unlike the Northern, Lamba town of Kanté that would become my home for…
Who Are My People?
Four years after my more introspective debut album, Under My Skin, pregnant with my daughter and not knowing how much time I might have to work on music after her birth, I released my second album, Who Are My People? (2013). This one draws heavily from my time in West Africa, serving as a Peace…
Under My Skin
Under My Skin was my first musical album, released in 2009 after I returned from Peace Corps service in Azerbaijan. I had started performing as a singer-songwriter in Portland, Maine in 2006 while studying documentary radio at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, and I had lots of time to practice guitar and work on…
Quante Stelle
Translation of lyrics to Lucilla Galeazzi’s song “Quante Stelle nel Cielo con la Luna,” a cover of which appears on my 2009 album Under My Skin. How Many Stars in the Sky with the Moon How many stars are in the sky with the moon? They are stars that set lovers aflame. The more brilliant…
Bathtime Serenade
I haven’t been playing a lot of music these days, but the one time I always do get out my guitar is during my daughter’s baths. I remember how my mom would always sit on the toilet seat with her guitar and serenade me while I was in the tub, and I feel called to…
Archive
I’m gradually building up a collection of my past work here. A complete list of my articles in Asheville’s Mountain Xpress can be found here. Many of my radio pieces can be found on PRX. Please also feel free to check out and subscribe to my YouTube Channel.