All Of It – Kara Jackson on 'Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?' (Listening Party)

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Kushan Avadar (filling in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Kara Jackson, singer-songwriter, poet, former National Youth Poet Laureate
Air Date: May 15, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It features an in-depth listening party and interview with Kara Jackson, the acclaimed singer-songwriter and former National Youth Poet Laureate. The conversation explores the blend of poetry and music in her artistic work, the healing and community-building aspects of her latest album ("Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?"), navigating themes of love, grief, and humor, and the collective creativity behind her music. Live tracks from her album are played, and the episode highlights the intimate connections between words, sound, and audience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Poetry as Community & Performance

Timestamps: 03:19–05:17

• Audience Participation: On her tour, Jackson invites audience members to submit their favorite poems, which she reads between her songs.
  • "Each night at all of my shows, I've been reading a poem in between songs...things I've chosen if I feel like they're kind of relevant to the city I'm in or, you know, is someone I know or a poet." —Kara Jackson [03:35]
• She describes this as a way to reconnect with her beginnings in poetry, create shared moments, and foster community with the audience.
  • "I'm nodding to my past and my experience as a poet, but also just trying to connect with the audience and with words." —Kara Jackson [04:05]
• Memorable submission: She recalls a standout poem in Portland centered on water as a life-giving metaphor.
  • "It was like their original work, and I just thought it was really beautiful." —Kara Jackson [04:52]

2. Roots: Music vs. Poetry

Timestamps: 05:17–06:22

• Music was her first love, though she was always drawn to lyrical songwriting.
  • "I've always been attracted to songs that have really interesting lyrics and beautiful lyrics. So I've always been attracted to words and language." —Kara Jackson [05:47]
• Her lyric inspirations include Joni Mitchell, Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), and Laura Marling.

3. Grief & Love as Creative Fuel

Timestamps: 06:40–08:27

• Kara’s debut album is both an expression of grief—inspired by the passing of a high school friend—and a celebration of love and relationships.
• She reflects on love and grief’s complex entanglement:
  • "I think the really interesting thing about grief is it's also a confirmation of just how deeply you can love someone...It's something that I've learned to, like, lean into instead of being afraid of, you know, the sadness that comes with it." —Kara Jackson [07:07]
• The track "Lily" is highlighted as a rare, straightforward love song on an album filled with more complicated emotional terrain.

4. Storytelling Through Song: "Rat"

Timestamps: 09:19–10:45

• "Rat" is described as one of her favorites—a nearly eight-minute folk epic about chasing dreams, California ambition, and humility.
  • "It follows the tradition in folk music of just telling stories and, you know, having these divine kind of larger than life characters." —Kara Jackson [09:43]
• Influenced by Joanna Newsom’s narrative songwriting.

5. Collaboration and "Collective Weirdness"

Timestamps: 11:49–13:32

• Jackson speaks about producing the album with fellow Chicago musicians (Namdi, Sen Morimoto, Kainia).
• The collaborative process was organic and experimental:
  • "I think the album really sounds like a effort of friends and our just kind of collective weirdness." —Kara Jackson [12:06]
• Trust and long-standing friendships allowed them to "unpeel the layers" and unlock creative oddities together.

6. Evolution of Her Sound

Timestamps: 13:32–14:46

• Contrasts the stripped-back sound of her earlier EP ("A Song for Every Chamber of the Heart") with the lush, layered, genre-fusing production of her debut album.
• Example played: "Pawn Shop"—demonstrates sonic experimentation and emotional depth.

7. Humor as a Coping Mechanism

Timestamps: 14:46–16:33

• Humor is woven into Jackson’s songwriting, especially surrounding romantic relationships.
  • "I think humor has always been a way for me to kind of move through the heaviness of the world and juxtapose the heaviness of the world." —Kara Jackson [14:57]
• Family influence ("my parents are just really hilarious people to me").
• On the duality between humor and seriousness in songs, especially the "blues song" with an unbroadcastable title:
  • "I think there was definitely a level of humor, but I also think it was really real emotions at the same time. So I feel like the funniness kind of allows you to have a nice entry point and to kind of trick people into really just, you know, being down bad alongside you." —Kara Jackson [15:45]

8. New Work and Ongoing Inspiration

Timestamps: 16:33–17:29

• Kara recently covered "Right, Wrong or Ready" by Karen Dalton—one of her staples in live sets and a personal artistic touchstone.
  • "It's from one of my favorite albums [by Karen Dalton]...it just has kind of really become a staple in my live sets and a song that really means a lot to me." —Kara Jackson [16:44]
• No immediate plans for a new LP, but she hints, "you never know."

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On love and grief:
  "Love is a really complex and sometimes devastating emotion to really tend with. And I think I'm always interested in the ways in which love and grief are entangled."
  —Kara Jackson [07:07]

• On collaboration:
  "We would meet up like every week and just kind of dream up different sounds and come up with weird stuff together."
  —Kara Jackson [12:06]

• On humor and vulnerability:
  "The funniness kind of allows you to have a nice entry point and to kind of trick people into really just, you know, being down bad alongside you."
  —Kara Jackson [15:45]

Featured Tracks & Their Context

• "Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?” [02:02] – The title track, reflecting on life, loss, and longing.
• "Lily" [08:51] – A straightforward, tender song about affection and friendship.
• "Rat" [11:02] – A story-driven narrative about chasing and confronting dreams.
• "Pawn Shop" [14:18] – Showcases the album's experimental edge.
• "Right, Wrong or Ready" (Karen Dalton cover) [17:59] – A heartfelt reinterpretation that’s become a live show mainstay.

Additional Highlights

• Kara’s creative process is deeply intertwined with community—be it the in-person audience, digital submissions, or studio collaborators.
• The album is alternately heavy, whimsical, direct, and experimental, capturing the emotional spectrum of young adulthood.
• The episode doubles as a listening party, giving listeners both context and emotional entry points into the music.

For newcomers to Kara Jackson’s work, this episode offers a warm, insightful orientation, echoing the mix of vulnerability, wit, and poetic craft at the heart of her artistry.