The impact books have on our lives is not limited to the words written between the covers. Some books inspire new thoughts and send us to unexpected places. Follow me down the rabbit hole in this recurring segment.
Google search Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D. and it’s clear this book has, to put it lightly, touched and inspired many. In a Pitchfork.com interview about her 2020 released album Inner-Song, Welsh dream-pop artist Kelly Lee Owens described WWRWtW as her Bible, and the track Rewild is informed by it. The fact that she also drew inspiration from Radiohead, one of my favourite bands, encouraged me to listen to the whole album. Serendipitously, this album transports the listener into a dream world—a soundtrack for delving deeper. Go ahead. Put it on, here and then come back to read the rest. I’ll wait.
Welcome back.
Rewild made me think about the role of music in my life. What songs brought out the wild woman in me? When had I felt most in tune with my wild self? Could music rewild me and rouse my intuitive nature? I started exclusively listening to the albums and artists that dominated my wild and free youth. I started with Ani DiFranco’s Living In Clip, the soundtrack of my teens. Fiona Apple followed, her previous albums as well as the extraordinary Fetch the Bolt Cutters. If you already love this album, check out the Vulture interview in which Apple discusses the meaning of each song. You’ll fall in love all over again.
I asked the Book Interrupted team to name their wild woman songs, and we compiled them into the wild woman playlist. I listened. I listened to music that spoke to me, music that spoke to them, old music, and new music
Then. Something. Happened. I felt more alive, more in tune, more alert, more me. It felt good and I wanted more. As I hunted for artists to evoke my wild, I was brought back full circle by an article in the Guardian about “wild wolf-runner” songwriters, storytelling in song, and Women Who Run With the Wolves.
Music & storytelling in song invigorated my wild. Huh. That was easy.
How else might WWRWtW impact my life? Next week I’ll take you a little further down the rabbit hole.
Until then, we’d love to hear from you. What’s on your wild woman playlist? What is your experience while listening to it? Enter in comments below or email us!
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