Ellen Kushner

host, Sound & Spirit, PRI

Ellen Kushner is a novelist, performer and public radio personality who unites her talents as host of WGBH Radio's series, *Sound & Spirit*. A weekly series of hour-long radio programs produced by WGBH Radio Boston and distributed by Public Radio International, *Sound & Spirit* explores the human spirit through music and ideas. Bringing an intellectual openness, a keen ear, a lush voice and a genuine enthusiasm to each show, Kushner has deftly crafted *Sound & Spirit* into what Bill Moyers calls "the best program on public radio, bar none." *Sound & Spirit* weaves history, myth, and spiritual traditions together with music to take listeners on a journey around the world and through the ages. Ellen Kushner as a fiction editor for New York publishing houses and later as a freelancer. She relocated to Boston and joined WGBH Radio in 1987, creating an eclectic music mix for *NightAir*, keeping overnight audiences entertained with an unusual blend of classical and contemporary music. On Sunday afternoons she hosted *Caravan*, a mix of folk and world music. Ellen's national radio debut came when she was cast as the irreverent host of the *Nakamichi International Music Series* of classical concert music. Ellen then created three award-winning Jewish radio specials for PRI that quickly became listener favorites. In April 1996, Ellen and her team first launched *Sound & Spirit* on the national airwaves.