The Center for Fiction welcomed beloved novelist and memoirist Paul Lisicky to discuss Song So Wild and Blue, his account of how Joni Mitchell and her music have shaped his writing. A memoir, biography, and homage all in one, the book is a testament to the power of songwriting, and an ode to the artists who influence the people we become. Lisicky was joined in conversation with Ricky Ian Gordon, a celebrated composer of art song, opera, and musical theatre, and author of Seeing Through: a Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera.
Song So Wild and Blue is a deep and thoughtful exploration of what it means to live an artist’s life. Within these pages of heartfelt honesty and admiration for Mitchell, Lisicky tells a beautiful coming-of-age story, detailing how he returned time and again to her music when in need of solace or inspiration. Lisicky and Gordon discussed the interplay between writing and music, and the guiding role that both creative media can play in an individual’s life.
Featured Book
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Song So Wild and Blue
By Paul Lisicky
Published by Harper One
From the moment Paul Lisicky heard Joni Mitchell while growing up in New Jersey, he recognized she was that rarity among musicians—a talent whose combination of introspection, liberation, and deep musicality set her apart from any other artist of the time. As a young man, Paul was a budding songwriter who took his cues from Mitchell’s mysteries and idiosyncrasies. But as he matured, he set his guitar aside and turned to prose, a practice that would eventually take him to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and into the professional world of letters.
As the decades passed, Paul’s connection to Mitchell’s artistry only deepened. Joni’s music was a constant, a guide to life and an artist’s manual in one. As Paul navigated love and heartbreak and imaginative struggles and the vicissitudes of a creative career, he would return again and again to the lessons found in Joni’s songs, to the solace and challenges that only her musicianship could give.
Song So Wild and Blue is a gorgeously written, beautifully intimate, and unique tribute to the woman who shaped generations of creators and thinkers. Lisicky offers his own coming-of-adulthood as testimony to the power of songwriting and staying true to your creative vision. A guide to life that is part memoir, part biography, and part homage, Song So Wild and Blue is a joy for devoted Joni enthusiasts, budding writers, and artists of all stripes.
In Conversation
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Paul Lisicky
Paul Lisicky
Paul Lisicky is the author of seven books including Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell, Later: My Life at the Edge of the World, The Narrow Door: A Memoir of Friendship. A recipient of Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the NEA, he is a professor of English in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Rutgers University-Camden. He lives in Brooklyn.
Photo Credit: Jude Theriot
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Ricky Ian Gordon
Ricky Ian Gordon
Ricky Ian Gordon was born in Oceanside, New York and raised on Long Island. After studying piano, composition, and acting, at Carnegie Mellon University, he settled in New York City, where he quickly emerged as a leading writer of vocal music that spans art song, opera, and musical theater. Gordon’s songs have been performed and recorded by Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Nathan Gunn, Judy Collins, Kelli O’Hara, Audra MacDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, and many others. His works include “Dream True”; “Orpheus and Euridice”; “Green Sneakers for Baritone, String Quartet, Empty Chair and Piano”; “The Grapes of Wrath”; and “Intimate Apparel”. His book Seeing Through: a Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera was published in 2024.
Photo Credit: Kevin Doyle
