Rosanne Cash

in conversation with André Bernard

August 2, 2024

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

After a successful launch of the Masters Series last summer, join author André Bernard, Vice President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, for a second season of conversations with literary masters. On August 2, Bernard speaks with musician and author, Rosanne Cash.

Rosanne Cash is an American legend. Celebrated for her iconic sound, Cash’s music transcends genres, drawing on folk, blues, rock, and Americana. Cash has released fifteen albums that have garnered two gold records, four Grammys, and twelve additional nominations. In addition to her music, she is the author of four books, including her bestselling memoir Composed (2010), which the Chicago Tribune called “one of the best accounts of an American life you’ll likely ever read.” Her most recent publication, Bird on a Blade (2018), pairs lyrics from a variety of Cash’s songs, (including new material from her latest album, She Remembers Everything, as well as her beloved classics), with the evocative artwork of friend and collaborator, artist Dan Rizzie.

Oscillating between periods of growth and times of darkness, Bird on a Blade reflects on life’s mysteries. Powerful lines from songs such as “God Is in the Roses” from the 2006 album Black Cadillac evoke themes of mourning, with meditations on solitude. By turns, a verse of “Fire of the Newly Alive” from the 1993 album The Wheel celebrates passion and renewal. Working together, Cash and Rizzie selected some of his most vibrant paintings, collages, and drawings to complement the words, using geometric patterns, ornaments, and lush glimpses of nature, including Rizzie’s signature bird imagery.

The Mount’s general COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines can be found here.

The Mount is a Massachusetts Cultural Council UP designated organization welcoming participants of all disabilities. Please contact The Mount at 413-551-5100 or by email, info@edithwharton.org, to discuss accommodations needed to participate fully in this event.

Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Sales for all lectures will open for Mount Members on Friday, May 10, and to the general public on Wednesday, May 15. Prices are $25 (Mount Members) and $30 (General Admission). All lectures and panel discussions are free for graduate and undergraduate students, and children under 18. Check back to book online!
  • All lectures will take place in an outdoor, open-sided tent. We look forward to seeing you rain or shine.
  • Books are available for purchase through The Mount's Bookstore before and during the event.

Rosanne Cash has recorded over a dozen albums, charted numerous top 40 country songs, and has won two gold records.  Her music, which draws on folk, blues, rock, and Americana, has received fifteen Grammy nominations across four genres of music, including one for “Sea of Heartbreak,” a duet with Bruce Springsteen on her album The List.  She has won four Grammys, including for Best American Roots Performance, Best Americana Roots Song, and Best Americana Album for The River and the Thread.  Vanity Fair called her album The List “superb,” and it debuted in the Top 5 on the Country Chart and at number 22 on The Billboard 200. Cash is the author of Bodies of Water (1996), the children’s book Penelope Jane: A Fairy’s Tale (2000), and her memoir, Composed (2010).  Her essays and fiction have been published in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and New York magazine.

Photo: Pamela Springsteen

The author of five books of literary miscellany, André Bernard was a Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster, Editorial Director of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and VP and Publisher of Harcourt Brace before joining the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation as its Vice President, administering its Fellowship program.