Hey there, I'm Timberdermis and it's NPR's book of the day.

Lucinda Williams is celebrated for the honesty and vulnerability she brings to her songwriting.

And in her memoir, don't tell anybody the secrets I told you, she deploys the same skills to let us into her life to discuss the events that shaped her music.

And in the process, she shows her

tenacity. William suffered a stroke in 2020, and in this interview with NPR's Juana Summers,

she discusses how that's changed her life and how getting back to the little things, writing

with a pen and paper, singing, wanting to play guitar again, or would keep her going.

Here's NPR's one of summers.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories

of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and

methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. When singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams was

trying to get signed by a major record label,

her iconic breakup song changed the locks, was rejected by Los Angeles record executives

as Two Country for Rock.

Then executives in Nashville passed on the song and Williams because, as they said, it was to rock for country.

I changed the lock on my front door so you can't see me anymore. The back and forth shows the challenge Williams faced early in her career.

Her music defied categorization.

In the end, what kind of music Williams created didn't matter.

Rough Trade Records signed the artist, and Change the Locks was part of Williams' first big commercial record. There were more albums, there was critical acclaim, and three Grammys. And now at 70

years old, Williams is still writing songs and performing, despite suffering a stroke in 2020.

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