Song So Wild and Blue

From the celebrated novelist and memoirist, a gorgeous account of how Joni Mitchell’s work has shaped his writing throughout his life.

From the moment Paul Lisicky heard Joni Mitchell’s music 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, Lisicky 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, Lisicky’s connection to Mitchell’s artistry only deepened. Her music was a constant, a guide to life, and an artist’s manual in one. As he navigated love and heartbreak and imaginative struggles and the vicissitudes of a creative career, he would often return to Mitchell’s songs, to the solace and lessons that only her musicianship could give.

Payingunique 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. Part memoir, part biography, and part homage, Song So Wild and Blue is a joy for devoted Mitchell enthusiasts, budding writers, and artists of all stripes.

***************

Paul Lisicky (Author)

Paul Lisicky is the author of LATER: MY LIFE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, THE NARROW DOOR, UNBUILT PROJECTS, THE BURNING HOUSE, FAMOUS BUILDER, and LAWNBOY. His work has appeared in THE ATLANTIC, CONJUNCTIONS, THE CUT, FENCE, THE NEW YORK TIMES, PLOUGHSHARES, TIN HOUSE, and elsewhere. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, his awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the James Michener/Copernicus Society, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, among others. He has taught in the writing programs at Cornell University, New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Texas at Austin, and elsewhere. He is currently a Professor of English in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Rutgers University-Camden. He lives in Brooklyn. His seventh book, SONG SO WILD AND BLUE: A LIFE WITH JONI MITCHELL, is forthcoming from HarperOne in February 2025.