UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brian Alfred, associate professor of art in the Penn State School of Visual Arts, will discuss his book, “Why I Make Art: Contemporary Artists' Stories About Life & Work,” with B. Stephen Carpenter II, Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Dean in the College of Arts and Architecture, at 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 in the Woskob Family Gallery, located at 146 S. Allen St. in State College.

The conversation with Carpenter is free and will be followed by light refreshments.

Alfred’s book features stories and works from 30 artists he has interviewed on his award-winning podcast “Sound and Vision.” The book dives deeper into the featured artists’ lives and work with illustrations that offer fans of the podcast the opportunity to see the artists’ work while providing a more traditional medium for art enthusiasts.

“I liked the idea of reflecting on the conversations and also having the podcast exist outside the audio realm,” Alfred said. “Not everyone listens to podcasts, and I like that people can pick up a book and read about these conversations through the lens of looking at the artist.”

For almost a decade, Alfred has produced more than 300 episodes of the podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with visual artists and musicians. Authoring the book provided him with a space to step back and revisit the conversations through a different lens, he said.

“You always see things differently when you look back, and also the ideas take different shape in relation to the other conversations,” Alfred said.