A Podcast Series Featuring Fearless Conversations on Art and Activism, Hosted by Performing Artist Helga Davis

Debuts Tuesday, April 16 

Audio Trailer Available Here

Guests include Brittany Howard, Whitney White, Tremaine Emory, Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo (a.k.a. SAMMUS), and Suzan-Lori Parks, among others

New York, N.Y. and Providence, R.I., April 9, 2024 — WNYC Studios, WQXR, and Brown Arts Institute at Brown University announce the April 16 launch of a new season of HELGA, a podcast hosted by critically acclaimed actress, singer, writer, and composer Helga Davis. The upcoming season features guests from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, including Brittany Howard, Whitney White, Tremaine Emory, Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, Suzan-Lori Parks, Noliwe Rooks, and Sampha, and will engage in artist-to-artist discussions with Davis on topics related to their creative practices such as identity, legacy, activism, and self-discovery.

Dubbed “fearless conversations that reveal the extraordinary in all of us,” HELGA will feature 12 new episodes dropping every Tuesday from April 16 through July 1 at www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/helga and wherever podcasts are available.  

In each episode Davis and her guest share stories of struggle and resilience, challenges and victories along their creative journeys, providing inspiration and hope to listeners. HELGA offers thoughtful and thought-provoking conversations to expand our collective perspective on the human condition and the daily stressors of the world today. Season six is the second season co-produced by WNYC, WQXR, and Brown Arts Institute (BAI), a collaboration that grew from Davis’ longtime work with BAI Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman, who, while Program Director at Park Avenue Armory in New York City, also executive-produced season four of HELGA. 

“I’m so excited to welcome our listeners to season six of HELGA,” said host Helga Davis. “As in past seasons, we continue to create an atmosphere where fierce inquiry is at home. Through the eyes of our guests, we explore a broad range of perspectives and ideas built on a foundation of curiosity and care. We always remember that these are conversations, moments where something transformative can awaken in each of us. Together, we plant the seeds and lay a path for what’s possible in our lives and in our world.”

“Helga is a valued part of the Brown Arts Institute community as a member of our Artistic Innovators Collective and we are thrilled to bring our partnership with her podcast into its second year as we continue our shared work in providing platforms for creativity across disciplines,” said Avery Wills Hoffman, Artistic Director of Brown Arts Institute. “As we continue to foster a spirit of fellowship on campus and beyond, we hope that HELGA will continue to be a source of solace, inspiration, and hope in tumultuous times for its listeners and guests alike.” 

“Every episode of HELGA opens a window to a new way of looking at the world through culture, representation and inquiry,” said Ed Yim, Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President of WQXR. “We’re honored to co-present a new season of Helga’s intimate and fearless conversations with the artists, thinkers, and makers of our time, and to do so in partnership with our wonderful colleagues at Brown Arts Institute.”

Since its debut in 2016, HELGA has featured guests including Solange, Peter Sellars, Krista Tippett, Elizabeth Alexander, Bethann Hardison, Esperanza Spalding, Judy Collins, Sarah Jones, Hilton Als, Kara Walker, and Carrie Mae Weems.

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS  

Episode 1: Brittany Howard (April 16, 2024)

Formerly the Grammy Award-winning Alabama Shakes’ lead singer and guitarist, and now a spectacular and charismatic solo artist, singer-songwriter Brittany Howard joins Helga in the studio after her second solo album, “What Now.” In this episode Howard 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 therapy, and how she balances her many musical forms with her understanding of authenticity, spirituality, and passion. 

Episode 2: Whitney White (April 23, 2024)

Whitney White is an actor, singer, Obie Award winner, and winner of the Lilly Award, which recognizes extraordinary women in theater. Whitney has directed productions of James Baldwin’s “The Amen Corner;” Aleshea Harris’ “What to Send Up When It Goes Down,” about the victims of racialized violence; and Jocelyn Bioh’s “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” on Broadway. She’s also directed productions of “Richard III”and “Othello,” and her five-part musical exploration of Shakespeare’s women and ambition, entitled “Reach for It,” was commissioned by American Repertory Theater in Boston. In this episode, Whitney shares how powerful moments on stage originate in the body, not the mind; how she preserves her inner self amidst the demands of large-scale productions; and what it means to embrace and live in her full self.

Episode 3: Tremaine Emory (April 30, 2024) 

Tremaine Emory is a visionary fashion designer, once the creative director at the streetwear brand Supreme, and founder of his own brand Denim Tears which aims to tell the stories of the African Diaspora through fashion. His work has been recognized widely for its bold originality and counter-cultural drive. In this episode Emory discusses the psychology of how we validate ourselves in consumer culture, the layers of history held in terms of Black self-identification, and what it means to leave the world looking different than when you started out. 

Episode 4: Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, a.k.a. SAMMUS (May 7, 2024) 

Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, otherwise known as SAMMUS, is a dynamic rapper, producer, and scholar. Poetically exploring themes of anxiety, awkwardness, Afro-futurism, and activism in three full-length albums, three EPs, a beat tape, and several collaborations with notable artists, her productions are nothing short of riveting and reflexive. As a Brown Practitioner Fellow, Enongo’s research continues to expand the bounds of Black feminist sound studies, ludomusicology, and hip-hop praxis. In this episode, Sammus remembers how she crafted “elsewhere spaces” in her childhood to navigate nervousness and dream up cartoons, video games, and music. She also discusses how she learned to reconcile her love of being an unapologetic nerd with her drive to be an emcee, and what it means to show up as a socially conscious artist.

Episode 5: Suzan-Lori Parks (May 14, 2024) 

Suzan-Lori Parks is a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Suzan 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 “365 days/365 plays,” her bold idea to write a play each day for an entire year. She shares her views on storytelling, resilience, and family—along with a few songs on her guitar.

Episode 6: Sampha (May 21, 2024) 

Sampha, whose full name is Sampha Sisay, is a British singer-songwriter and producer of Sierra Leonean descent. He won England’s prestigious Mercury Prize in 2017 for his debut album, “Process.” His music is a seductive blend of meditative, confessional lyrics and intricate, genre-spanning production. In this episode, Sampha discusses the images that have inspired his second album, “Lahai,” alongside family dynamics, fatherhood, and trusting his intuition in art and life.

Episode 7: Noliwe Rooks (May 28, 2024) 

Noliwe Rooks is an author and chair of Africana Studies at Brown University. A profound advocate for education equality, her work has shed sustained light on the challenges that poor and African American communities face. In this episode, Noliwe discusses her family’s and her own decisive experiences with education inequality, its broader cultural context and impact, and the role that family and community can play in fostering success at school.

Episode 8: Jenna Flanagan (June 4, 2024) 

Jenna Flanagan is a journalist known for her past work as a contributing reporter for WNYC’s All Things Considered and former host for PBS’s MetroFocus. Throughout her career, Jenna has been a champion of the uncomfortable, but necessary, conversations that move us forward as a community. In this episode, Jenna discusses why local news is so essential, the legacy and lineage of Black women in the media, and the secret to getting a great story out of just about anyone.

Episode 9: Letty Cottin Pogrebin (June 11, 2024) 

Letty Cottin Pogrebin is an author and activist immersed in the tireless fight for gender equality and social justice. In the course of her career, she co-founded Ms. Magazine, which played a pivotal role in the feminist movement of the 1970s, served as president of The Authors Guild and chair of Americans for Peace Now, and co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and the International Center for Peace in the Middle East. In this episode, Letty discusses some of the pivotal moments that defined her political thinking, her feminism, and her understanding of Jewish tradition. She sees her activism as a seesaw, always moving to protect those who are under attack.

Episode 10: Anna Martin (June 18, 2024) 

Anna Martin is the host of the New York Times’ popular Modern Love podcast about “relationships, feelings, betrayals, and revelations.” In this episode, Anna and Helga discuss how love is perceived and expressed across cultures with widely contrasting languages; the role of host when people share often their most important, formative memories; and their own personal Modern Love stories. 

Episode 11: Walter Mosley (June 25, 2024) 

Walter Mosley is an acclaimed author whose work comments on the intricacies of Black livelihood by grounding science fiction and mystery in America’s turbulent social and racial climate. Decorated with the O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, with his works translated into 25 languages, Walter is a testament to Black artistry. In this episode, Walter discusses the release of his latest novel, Farewell, Amethystine, and the types of overlooked characters and stories he wanted to celebrate in his novels. He also reflects on the complicated relationship he had with his father and what it is like to write about love—and closes us out with a recitation of the very first lines he wrote that made him realize he could be a writer.

Episodes 12 and 13: Fredara Hadley (July 1, 2024) 

Fredara Hadley is an ethnomusicology professor in the Music History Department at The Juilliard School. Her research pays homage to Historically Black Colleges’ and Universities’ (HBCU) influence on music. Her works have appeared in The Washington Post, Billboard, the ICTM Yearbook, and the Journal of Popular Music Studies, among other magazines. In this episode, Hadley discusses the underappreciated musical legacies of HBCUs, the communal value of sacred spaces, and the need to reckon with culture when appreciating music.

About Helga Davis 
Helga Davis is a vocalist and performance artist whose work draws out insights that illuminate how artistic leaps for an individual can offer connection among audiences. Davis was principal actor in the 25^th-anniversary international revival of Robert Wilson and Philip Glass’s seminal opera Einstein on the Beach. She also starred in Wilson’s The Temptation of St. Anthony, with libretto and score by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Among the collaborations and works written for her are Oceanic Verses by Paola Prestini, You Us We All by Shara Nova and Andrew Ondrejcak, and Yet Unheard, a tribute to Sandra Bland by Courtney Bryan, based on the poem by Sharan Strange. She has conceived and performed First Responder and Wanna as responses to Until and The Let Go by multidisciplinary artist Nick Cave. In addition to hosting HELGA, she is artist in residence at National Sawdust and Joe’s Pub, winner of the 2019 Greenfield Prize in composition, a 2019 Alpert Award finalist, and the 2018-21 visiting curator for the performing arts at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  

About Brown Arts Institute (BAI)
Brown Arts Institute, part of the Perelman Arts District, is a 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. Through year-round programming, research-focused courses, initiatives, collaborations, and partnerships, along with rigorous artistic and academic programs, BAI commissions and presents new work on campus, across Providence, Rhode Island, and beyond, from students, faculty, and on-campus arts groups, as well as in collaboration with forward-focused visiting artists and other performing arts organizations. 

ABOUT WNYC STUDIOS
WNYC Studios is a premier producer of on-demand and broadcast audio, and home to some of the industry’s most impactful award-winning podcasts and national radio shows, including Radiolab, On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, and Notes from America with Kai Wright. WNYC Studios informs, inspires, and delights millions of curious and highly engaged listeners across digital, mobile, and broadcast platforms. Programs include personal narratives, deep journalism, revealing interviews, and smart entertainment as varied and intimate as the human voice itself.