Marijuana policy activist Mason Tvert talks with host Francesca Rheannon about the book he co-wrote, MARIJUANA IS SAFER: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? It says marijuana should be treated legally no different than alcohol. And Peter Vickery tells us about his historical thriller, MADISON HOPPER AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN BLOOD BROTHERHOOD. It’s the first in a mystery series about the struggle for civil rights in the early years of the 20th century.
Archive for the ‘Podcast’ Category
Masters of Art, Science and Deception
March 2nd, 2010
Mark Lamster talks with host Francesca Rheannon about the great Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens’ career as an unofficial diplomat for the Spanish Crown. And mystery writer S.J. Parris tells us about Renaissance scientist Giordano Bruno’s visit to Oxford in 1583. She spins a murder mystery around the visit and around Bruno’s mission as a spy for the English Crown.
Raising Decent, Secure, and Happy Kids
February 23rd, 2010
Celebrated elementary school teacher Rafe Esquith talks about his book, Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up World. And we talk with educator and therapist Kim John Payne about Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids.
Money, Rights and the Value of Nothing
February 16th, 2010
Raj Patel talks about his best-seller, THE VALUE OF NOTHING. It’s about reshaping market society and redefining democracy. Mount Holyoke College film prof Samba Gadjigo tells us about his community-based learning project, Africa Through African Eyes. And we hear a clip from next week’s show: Kim John Payne on SIMPLICITY PARENTING.
Our Last Chance To Save Humanity
February 1st, 2010
Climate scientist Dr. James Hansen talks about STORMS OF MY GRANDCHILDREN. It’s about climate catastrophe and how we must — and can — prevent it. Richard Wilbur reads “Advice To A Prophet”. And we pay homage to Robert Parker and Howard Zinn, who both died in late January, 2010.
Wars of Islamic Succession and Partners in Health in Haiti
January 25th, 2010
Journalist Laurie Hazleton talks about AFTER THE PROPHET. It’s about the wars of succession after Mohammed’s death that led to the split between Shia and Sunni. And author Tracy Kidder talks about Haiti, Dr. Paul Farmer, and the organization Farmer founded Partners in Health. Kidder’s book is MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS, published in 2003.
Searching for Whitopia
January 19th, 2010
Richard Benjamin talks about SEARCHING FOR WHITOPIA: An Improbable Journey To The Heart Of White America. It’s about his odyssey to discover the hearts and minds of those living in the overwhelmingly white enclaves that are some of the fastest growing communities in the country. And poet and children’s book author Richard Michelson talks about AS [...]
The Biggest Stories You Never Read in 2009
January 5th, 2010
Peter Phillips of Project Censored talks about the Project’s latest yearbook of the top censored news stories of 2009, CENSORED 2010. And novelist Dan Chaon talks about his thriller, AWAIT YOUR REPLY. It examines the truth and lies about identity.
Best of 2009 and A New Look At Ayn Rand
December 30th, 2009
Anne C. Heller talks about her biography, AYN RAND AND THE WORLD SHE MADE and we play clips from our list of WV Best of 2009, including creative nonfiction writer Tracy Kidder, poet Richard Wilbur, novelist Nicholson Baker, psychologist Gail Hornstein and journalist David Grann.
The Book As Art
December 24th, 2009
Artist and writer Matthew Rose talks about the unbound book of art postcards he curated, A BOOK ABOUT DEATH. It’s a collection of 500 limited edition postcards on the theme of death, each one created by an artist for the exhibition. And George Monbiot and Bill McKibben talk about climate change.
Theater for the People and Recipes for Hard Times and Cooking Healthy
December 15th, 2009
Guest host Chris Rohmann interviews Los Angles Times drama critic Kenneth Turan about FREE FOR ALL: Joe Papp, The Public, and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told. It’s about the how Joseph Papp founded the New York Shakespeare Festival and the Public Theater. Then Suzan Colon tells us about her memoir, CHERRIES IN WINTER: My Family’s Recipe for Hope in Hard Times. Finally, we talk about THE HEALTHY COLLEGE COOKBOOK with editor Rachel Holcomb.
Adapting to, Controlling and Solving The Climate Crisis
December 8th, 2009
Harvey Wasserman tells us about SOLARTOPIA, his vision of 2030’s clean energy world. And ecologist Amy Seidl tells us how we can adapt to climate change while trying to control it. Her book is EARLY SPRING.
Saved by the Kindness of Strangers
November 30th, 2009
Tracy Kidder talks about STRENGTH IN WHAT REMAINS. It’s the story of a young Tutsi refugee from the genocide in Rwanda & civil war in Burundi who comes to the US and creates a new life. He’s helped along the way by others — and eventually is able to bring his own considerable gifts and passion back to his homeland to help others. And Terry Tempest Williams talks about her visit to Rwanda in an excerpt from our interview with about her book, MOSAIC, in 2008.

