Is there a soundtrack to your life?

For Michael V. Smith, the answer is a resounding yes … and he explores that in his new book, Soundtrack: A Lyric Memoir . It’s a collection of poems about snapshots in his life, each named after a different song or album. He dives into growing up gay during the AIDS crisis, finding his first love and coming of age on the dance floor. The book celebrates music and memory, and is a deeply personal look into the songs that send us back in time. This week, Michael tells Mattea Roach about the albums that made him, reading old journal entries and what it really means to be a man. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: Music, sex and finding the soundtrack to queer joy Reliving the soundtrack of the 2000s Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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Is there a soundtrack to your life? is an episode from Writers and Company from CBC Radio by CBC.

This episode is 00:26:31 long.

This episode was published on Apr 1, 2026.

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