Fear & Political Polarization: Beth Macy + Palmyra

Journalist and bestselling author Beth Macy ( Dopesick ) reads a piece she wrote to accompany her new memoir Papergirl , about her family's struggle with opposing political views. She describes a slow process of reconnecting with her conservative brother through simple things like fly fishing and the love of music. The University of Virginia’s Dr. Rachel Wahl talks about how hard it can be to break through polarization, and gives some simple advice for people struggling with the issue. The band Palmyra –whose guitarist and singer is Beth’s youngest child – talks about trans rights, and plays a song written in response to Beth's story titled “Appalachian Adam’s Apple Smile.” Chapters: 00:01:36 Distorted Connections: Beth Macy tells a story about family and political polarization, and the power of music 00:15:46 Breaking Polarization: Dr. Rachel Wahl discusses ways to engage, even across tremendous divides in politics and even facts. 00:25:29 The Conduit of Music: the members of Palmyra discuss identity, the ways that music connects us, and the exhaustion and overwhelm of today. 00:43:54 "Appalachian Adam's Apple Smile," the new song by Palmyra SongWriterPodcast.com Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcast Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast TikTok.com/@SongWriterPodcast YouTube.com/@SongwriterPodcast SongWriter is a music and songwriting podcast that turns stories into songs. Host Ben Arthur invites writers, poets, and musicians to share a story or poem, then pairs it with an original song written in response. Along the way, the show explores the creative process through intimate conversations and performances. Guests have included Questlove, Susan Orlean, David Gilmour, David Sedaris, George Saunders, and many more. Distributed by PRX, SongWriter also appears on the syndicated radio program Acoustic Café and in Paste Magazine. Learn more at SongWriterPodcast.com . Season seven is made possible by a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation

You can listen to Fear & Political Polarization: Beth Macy + Palmyra online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Fear & Political Polarization: Beth Macy + Palmyra is an episode from SongWriter by Ben Arthur.

This episode is 49:11 long.

This episode was published on Dec 16, 2025.

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