An evening with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens

On Point host Meghna Chakrabarti moderates a conversation with Rhiannon Giddens. Giddens is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and artistic director of social-impact organization and musical ensemble, Silkroad. She wrote the music for the ballet “Black Lucy & the Bard” (aka “Lucy Negro, Redux”) and the libretto and music for her original opera, “Omar.”

In October 2022, Giddens published “Build a House,” which celebrates Black history and culture in her unflinching, uplifting and gorgeously illustrated children’s picture book. Copies of the book will be available for purchase from our bookstore partner Brookline Booksmith and Giddens will sign following the conversation.

About “Build a House” 

As an acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter, and cofounder of the traditional African American string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rhiannon Giddens has long used her art to mine America’s musical past and manifest its future, passionately recovering lost voices and reconstructing a nation’s musical heritage. Written as a song to commemorate the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth—which was originally performed with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma—and paired with bold illustrations by painter Monica Mikai, “Build a House” tells the moving story of a people who would not be moved and the music that sustained them.

Steeped in sorrow and joy, resilience and resolve, turmoil and transcendence, this dramatic debut offers a proud view of history and a vital message for readers of all ages: honor your heritage, express your truth, and let your voice soar, even—or perhaps especially—when your heart is heaviest.