Ani DiFrancoEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

If you had told me as a student at James Madison University that one day, decades later, I'd be waiting to go onstage for a conversation with Ani DiFranco, I would've NEVER believed you. Her songs were on repeat on our playlist. Somehow, as my roommates and I danced to her music in our dorm or as I listened through my headphones making my way across campus, I felt like her lyrics were intended specifically for me. Turns out that’s exactly how all of her fans have felt for decades. That ability to connect through vulnerability is what has always made Ani DiFranco so special as an artist. This live conversation with Ani started as a look at her journey and new book, The Spirit of Ani , but it quickly turned into an impromptu talk about her views on life after death, her longstanding fight against the patriarchy, and yes, even donkeys. The powerful connection within the room was palpable from the moment she took her shoes off to sit cross legged at the start of our conversation. It felt like we were at a sleepover with 150 plus of our closest friends listening in and that vibe was certainly because of her ability to be so present in the moment. Many thanks to the Westport Library and Verso Studios for creating the environment to have such a memorable evening and for hosting this conversation as part of VersoFest 2026. We spend so much time thinking about where we’re going. We rarely stop to ask if we’re already where we need to be. Ani DiFranco has spent decades doing exactly that, choosing presence over pressure, connection over convention. Ani reflects on building a career rooted in independence, turning down the traditional music industry, and learning to trust her instincts from a young age. What I loved most is how honest she is about the process. The exhaustion, the doubts, and the realization that fulfillment isn’t waiting somewhere ahead, it’s in the moment you’re in. What You’ll Discover: How vulnerability became Ani’s superpower (00:09:56) Being on her own at 15 and finding her path (00:22:05) Turning down record labels and choosing independence (00:25:29) What success meant early in her career (00:30:36) The moment Ani realized music connected people (00:31:03) Why presence is everything (00:32:45) This conversation is about more than music. It’s about identity, intuition, and the courage to choose your own way, even when it doesn’t look like anyone else’s. If you’re enjoying these conversations, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review, and share this episode with a friend. It helps us keep bringing these conversations to you. This live event interview was recorded at Verso Studios in the Westport Library as part of VersoFest 2026 . You can watch this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3C6891Vpvf4 For a full transcript and more, check out our blog post: https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/ani-difranco-42 Check out more from Ani DiFranco: Follow Ani DiFranco on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anidifranco/ Check out Ani DiFranco’s label Righteous Babe Records https://www.righteousbabe.com/ Discover Ani DiFranco’s last book The Spirit of Ani: R

Jason Blitman talks with singer-songwriter and queer icon Ani DiFranco about her reading life and the story behind her new book, The Spirit of Ani. ANI DiFRANCO is a Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter and musician who has released twenty-three albums, traversing genres and addressing a range of autobiographical, political, and social issues. She is widely considered a feminist icon, and created her own record label, Righteous Babe Records, in 1990. She regularly releases new music, and continues her decades-long career as a major touring artist. DiFranco released a collection of poems and paintings titled Verses in 2007. Her memoir, No Walls and the Recurring Dream , was a New York Times bestseller, and she is the author of two children’s books, The Knowing and Show Up and Vote . In 2024, she completed a five-month run on Broadway in the role of Persephone in Hadestown. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Singer Ani DiFranco's career took off in the 90s when she became a big hit with people from the millennial generation, like my son Jon who spent his teenage years listening to DiFranco's song Untouchable Face over and over again. Her lyrics speak to the raw emotions of adulthood, especially when it comes to relationships and identity. And all these years later DiFranco's career is alive and well. She's about to embark on her Spirit of Love tour heading for cities across the country. I attended one of her concerts recently. Her fans are passionate and the energy is electric. "Now What?" is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

We dive in with Ani DiFranco to talk about the songs she’s written, including 32 Flavors, Genie, and This Bouquet, along with the music and voices that shaped how she hears and writes songs, from Suzanne Vega to Betty Carter to Baaba Maal. Ani talks about her new book "The Spirit of Ani," learning patience in her songmaking, collaborating with spirit, and the impossible work of finding words to describe feelings. It’s an open conversation about presence, trusting the process, and standing at the far edge of a long creative era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ani DiFranco joined DJ Jules for a conversation about her recent transition from a six-month run in Hadestown on Broadway back to the open-ended freedom of touring her own music. She talks about the challenges of performing a scripted role every night, the joy of returning to improvisation on stage, and how these experiences inform her ongoing creative work, including her forthcoming record The Telepathy Tapes and the development of her own musical. Ani also reflects on the importance of metaphor in songwriting, the search for stillness and connection in a distracted world, and the balance of parenting with her life as an artist. She’ll bring her trademark honesty, wit, and spontaneity to Colorado when she performs on September 10th at Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder. (Interview: 8/19/25)

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Ani DiFranco, singer/songwriter, activist and feminist icon. Ani started her own record company in 1989, put out her first record in 1990 and just released her 23rd album. But what do her two school-aged children think about her music? She will discuss! Plus she shares her family’s boozy holiday traditions, and reveals what is no longer on her rider. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube . Follow along on Instagram ! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame & get tickets to an upcoming book event! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle ! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a text Ani DiFranco, the trailblazing singer-songwriter and activist left an indelible mark on the indie folk scene. In this mini podcast, we explore how DiFranco's powerful lyrics, genre-defying style, and unwavering commitment to social justice have shaped her groundbreaking career spanning over three decades.

Ani DiFranco, the trailblazing singer-songwriter and activist left an indelible mark on the indie folk scene. In this mini podcast, we explore how DiFranco's powerful lyrics, genre-defying style, and unwavering commitment to social justice have shaped her groundbreaking career spanning over three decades.

Our Pride Month series SHEROES & QUEEROES comes to a close with an in-depth conversation and look back at ani difranco's iconic and most commercially successful eighth studio album, 1998's Little Plastic Castle. The 25th anniversary reissue has arrived, and with it, many reflections on that chapter of ani's career. Ani holds nothing back in openly discussing the complexities of that time, as many of her queer fans expressed feelings of betrayal when their SHERO/QUEERO ani difranco married a man (gasp!), and her anti-capitalist fans called her a sellout for producing what was her most polished studio album to date and all the media attention that came with it. Yet, its massive success and magazine cover stories was a major accomplishment for this openly bisexual woman who had blazed trails in every way, including building her career from the ground up as a 100% independent artist who started one of the very first female owned, "queer happy" record labels in 1990, Righteous Babe Records. And while, haters gonna hate, there were countless young women and queer folx who finally found their SHERO, felt seen, and found inspiration and empowerment by witnessing ani's against-all-odds success.

Ani DiFranco speaks with Kyle Meredith about her collaboration with the Prison Music Project on Long Time Gone . DiFranco takes us through her team up with Zoe Boekbinder, who brought in songs from inmates incarcerated within New Folsom Prison, and how it’s set to be adapted into a stage play. The legendary musician and activist also weighs in on capital punishment, citizen journalism, her hopes for Joe Biden, and the importance of voting in November’s election. Follow on Facebook | Podchaser | Twitter --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Our Sponsors: * Check out Badlands Ranch: badlandsranch.com/KMW Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy