Cognoscenti Presents: The phenomenon of Taylor Swift

Calling all Swifties! Ready to go even deeper into the world of Taylor Swift? Join Cognoscenti, WBUR’s ideas and opinions team, and fellow fans for an exciting exploration of the artist who has not only won 14 Grammy Awards but shattered records with the highest-grossing tour and the biggest concert film of all time. Think you know everything about the pop icon? Think again.

Get insider scoop from journalist Joanna Weiss, who has dissected every album; Harvard professor Stephanie Burt, whose new book unpacks Swift’s joyful, collaborative brand of genius; and Berklee professor Scarlet Keys, who teaches songwriting through the lens of Swift’s music. Throughout the night, we’ll showcase iconic photos, videos and songs spanning Swift’s entire career to set the mood and spark lively conversation. Cloe Axelson, senior editor of Cognoscenti (and mother of three Swifties), moderates.

Copies of Weiss’ book “Taylor Swift: Album by Album,” and Burt’s book “Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift” will be available to purchase from our bookstore partner Brookline Booksmith and Weiss and Burt will sign following the conversation.

Photo of Taylor Swift: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

About “Taylor Swift: Album by Album”

If you’re a passionate Swiftie who wants to know EVERYTHING about your favorite icon — especially her music — this luxuriously illustrated deep dive should take center stage.

Featuring fresh insights from all eleven studio albums — from “Taylor Swift” to “The Tortured Poets Department” — “Taylor Swift: Album by Album” mines her life, lyrics and music like nothing else before it. This book also features several chapters on all the “Taylor’s Version” albums released to date, with panel discussions from noted Swift scholars accompanied by vibrant photography that captures Swift in each and every era, from an aspiring country musician to the dominant global force she is today.

Swift’s artistry, awards and accolades are hard to encompass, from the youngest artist with a No. 1 song on the Hot Country chart to the first recipient of Billboard’s Woman of the Decade award. Swifties will find that and more inside, including: 

• Fresh insight into her lyrics, life and loves from her earliest days as a recording artist
• Tons of sidebars that explore her influences, lyrical references, musical knowledge and more
• Details on album personnel, special guests, awards and tours
• A special section on the “Taylor’s Version” albums that explains how they came about and why they matter to Taylor and scores of Swifties everywhere

“Taylor Swift: Album by Album” is more than just pretty pictures; it’s a door into how and why this talented musician continues to inspire fans around the world. Young or old, OG or new Swiftie, this book has it all.

About “Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift”

Taylor Swift has become a peerless superstar, ceaselessly productive and internationally beloved. From her teen country debut to her Eras tour and beyond, Swift’s career and her creations have captivated and bewitched us, opening up new ways to see both her life and our own.

In “Taylor’s Version,” the poet and literary scholar Stephanie Burt offers an insightful and heartfelt critical appreciation of Taylor Swift, her body of work and the community that her art has fostered. Drawing from her 2024 Harvard course, “Taylor Swift and Her World,” as well as from her years as a Swiftie, Burt examines Swift’s particular form of genius — not the destructive genius of tortured poets, but the collaborative and joyful genius of an artist who has mastered her craft. She highlights the ways Swift’s work remains at once intimate and relatable, portraying people we feel that we know and people we wish we could be, from the first loves and girlhoods on “Fearless” through the public and private angst of “Midnights.” How does she do it (with a broken heart)?

Tracing a path through the Eras, “Taylor’s Version” shows what Swift has created, how it works and why her songs will endure.

Ways To Save

WBUR’s Legacy Circle, Murrow Society, Sustainers and Members save $5.00 on tickets to this event. To apply the discount to your ticket purchase online, you’ll need to enter a promo code. You can get your code by emailing membership@wbur.org.

Registrants may be contacted by CitySpace about this or future events.