Episode
John Kapusta, "Self-Realization Nation: How Artists of the Creative Counterculture Made a New America" (U California Press, 2026)
- Podcast
- New Books in Art
- Published
- Jun 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2600
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9059901524.mp3
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-art-901933/episodes/john-kapusta-self-realization-nation-how-artists-of-the-creative-counterculture-made-a-new-america-u-california-press-2026/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-art-901933/john-kapusta-self-realization-nation-how-artists-of-the-creative-counterculture-made-a-new-america-u-california-press-2026.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
John Kapusta's Self-Realization Nation: How Artists of the Creative Counterculture Made a New America (U California Press, 2026) is the story of an unexpected group of performing artists who led one of the most influential artistic movements in contemporary American history. After World War II, personal fulfillment emerged as a defining American cultural ideal. Self-realization--the quest to become our authentic selves--remains a powerful part of American culture and arts today. In Self-Realization Nation, John Kapusta provides a lively cultural history of how an overlooked movement of musicians, dancers, and actors championed the ideal of self-realization. These performers, who spanned many backgrounds, identities, genres, and artistic styles, became what he calls the creative counterculture. Artists as varied as Sonny Rollins, John Cage, Anna Halprin, Alice and John Coltrane, and Pauline Oliveros shared an approach to creativity focused on letting go of limiting beliefs and subverting oppressive social norms. Through colorful vignettes, Kapusta reveals how these artists made their art and how their approach spread beyond the performing arts to influence such fields as psychology, education, and wellness. Ultimately, these creative counterculturists came to define a new vision of an America where everyone was free to be themselves, together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/art