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Anaïs Mitchell returns to her roots on a new self-titled album

XPN | By Stephen Kallao,

John Myers

Published March 3, 2022 at 1:06 PM EST

Anaïs Mitchell took Broadway by storm in 2018 after a decade spent working on her successful folk opera, Hadestown. After several grueling years on the theater circuit (and after winning eight Tony awards), Mitchell has released a new self-titled album that takes her back to her roots as a songwriter. It's a confessional, intimate album a world away from Midtown Manhattan.

Anaïs joins me to talk about the somewhat sudden move from New York City to her family farm in Vermont, and how that change of scenery set the stage for her new album. Few songwriters are as adept as Mithell is when it comes to explaining their craft.

Hear the complete session in the audio player and watch the full performance in the NPR Live Sessions video above.

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Stephen Kallao

John Myers

Since 2017, John Myers has been the producer of NPR's World Cafe, which is produced by WXPN at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Previously he spent about eight years working on the other side of Philly at WHYY as a producer on the staff of Fresh Air with Terry Gross. John was also a member of the team of public radio veterans recruited to develop original programming for Audible and has worked extensively as a freelance producer. His portfolio includes work for the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, The Association for Public Art and the radio documentary, Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul Radio. He's taught radio production to preschoolers and college students and, in the late 90's, spent a couple of years traveling around the country as a roadie for the rock band Huffamoose.