Episode 415 / Ali Smith Sound & Vision

The vibrant style Ali Smith has brought to her writing and photography—featured regularly in The New York Times, The Guardian, and other publications internationally—was forged in New York’s underground music scene where she played bass in the seminal punk / blues / avant-garde band, Speedball Baby. After touring worldwide and recording several albums, Ali released two books of photography about women’s lives. The first, Laws of the Bandit Queens, led to a feature on OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s television network. The second, Momma Love: How the Mother Half Lives, won two International Book Awards, was praised by The New York Times, and Gloria Steinem called it “a gift to moms.” Since its release in January, 2024, Ali’s memoir The Ballad of Speedball Baby has garnished much critical acclaim and impassioned reader responses, reached #1 on Amazon, and led (amongst other things) to a BBC Sounds interview. Find out more at AliSmith.com , @mommaloveAli on Instagram and Ali Smith Photo on FB.