A post-election letter

Dear songwriters and aspiring songwriters,
If you are interested in connecting with a Trump or Hillary supporter, email me at hih.connect16@gmail.com. No musical experience necessary, just a willingness to listen and connect with an open mind and heart with someone we hope we can understand better. Details below:

Last night and today have been full of confusion and alienation for many of us. Into the early hours of the morning, we watched as it seemed we no longer knew the people of America. Paul Krugman shares the sentiment in his article "Our Unknown Country."

I think many of us are in despair over our country we love so dearly. I see from the flushed faces of friends, the posts of outrage on facebook, support groups at the medical center, and my sleepless tearful night, too. While we grieve and mourn, many of us feel an intense desire to do whatever we can to help.

The night before the election, I had an unexpected call conversation with Alan, a 68-year-old devoted Trump supporter in Alaska. Hillary's get-out-the-vote script told me to politely end the call with this Trump supporter, but I listened because he wanted to speak. I disagreed with him on most every issue, but after 30 min, I also heard about how he liked to go fishing, and how he wanted a better life.

I didn't change his mind about who to vote for in the slightest, but I developed fellow-feeling and connection with a man I would have previously thought unrelatable, and I think he felt at least somewhat similarly about me, too.

The fight towards understanding is not always palatable or easy. As I write and convince myself, it might not make sense. But sometimes the most important thing we can do is connect and heal on personal levels. For me, I know of no better medium to do so than through music.

Friends, if you are willing to try this, I ask you to email me at hih.connect16@gmail.com. You will collaboratively write a song with a Trump or Hillary supporter, and I or other musicians will guide you through the process of doing so. You do not need prior musical experience, only an open mind and heart to connect.

Our country is resilient and we will go forward. It starts with working together. We can connect with other stories and share our own—it's one small step towards healing our nation.

Email me at hih.connect16@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.