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A Songwriter's View from the Pew

Folk singer Susan Werner warmed pews in more than 20 churches for her album, <em> The Gospel Truth</em>.
Folk singer Susan Werner warmed pews in more than 20 churches for her album, The Gospel Truth.

Susan Werner's musical path has taken her from opera to pop, jazz and classic folk songs.

But in her latest album, The Gospel Truth, this singer-songwriter explores America's gospel roots — an experience that leads to her own spiritual journey.

For this Catholic farm girl raised in Iowa, writing a gospel album meant exploring both her own religious skepticism, and the passion millions of Americans have for Christianity.

Werner sat in the pews of more than 20 churches across the United States, and the result is a collection of heartfelt — but sometimes biting — gospel tunes.

From choir-backed ballads to hand-clapping singalongs, Werner shows how church music shapes the American experience.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Nationally renowned broadcast journalist Susan Stamberg is a special correspondent for NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.