All posts by Francesca Rheannon

About Francesca Rheannon

Francesca Rheannon is an award-winning independent radio producer. In addition to hosting Writer's Voice, she's a freelance reporter for National Public Radio and its affiliates. Recipient of the prestigious Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award for reporting on substance abuse issues for her news series, VOICES OF HIV, produced for 88.5 WFCR public radio in western Massachusetts. She is also finishing a book on Provence (PROVINCE OF THE HEART) and working on a memoir of her father, THE ARGONAUTS. View all posts by Francesca Rheannon →

Eric Blanc, RED STATE REVOLT & Dale Russakoff, THE PRIZE

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Eric Blanc talks about his book, Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave And Working-Class Politics. (Verso, April 2019). It is an indispensable window into the changing shape of the American working class and American politics.

Then, we hear our 2015 interview with Dale Russakoff about her book, The Prize. It’s about the ambitious plan hatched by Cory Booker, Chris Christie and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to transform Newark’s schools system—from the top down.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or your favorite podcast app!

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Linda Fairstein, BLOOD OATH & Tana French, THE WYCH ELM

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Former sex crimes prosecutor and mystery writer Linda Fairstein talks about her latest in the Alexandra Cooper series, Blood Oath. We speak with her not only about Blood Oath, but also about sex crimes against women and girls and what it was like to prosecute them in the 1970s and 80s.

NOTE: When we spoke with Linda Fairstein, we were unaware of the role she played in the Central Park Five case. You can read about that here. Fairstein also defended Christine Blasey Ford during the Kavanaugh hearings for nomination to the Supreme Court.

Then we re-air our 2018 interview with Tana French about her crime novel, The Wych Elm.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or the podcast app you use!

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Lori Gottlieb, MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE and Bev Thomas, A GOOD ENOUGH MOTHER

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Today’s episode features two books that explore therapy from both sides of the couch. We talk with Lori Gottlieb about her bestselling memoir, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed.

Then, a novel about a therapist who finds herself crossing dangerous lines with a patient while struggling with her own grief: we talk with Bev Thomas about her debut novel, A Good Enough Mother. A breakout sensation in the UK, it was just published in the US.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes and your other podcast clients!

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Glenn Silber, THE WAR AT HOME

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Francesca talks with Glenn Silber about the acclaimed documentary he co-directed, The War At Home. It’s about the anti-war movement in Madison, Wisconsin from 1963 to 1972. First released in 1979, it’s been digitally re-mastered and re-released last year.

The War At Home chronicles the anti-war protest movement through the lens of its history in Madison, Wisconsin, with a powerful combination of rare archival footage and interviews with student leaders. Film critic Roger Ebert called it “one of the twenty greatest political films of all time.”

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or your podcast provider! Continue reading →

Benjamin Dreyer, DREYER’S ENGLISH & Kitty Burns Florey, SISTER BERNADETTE’S BARKING DOG

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We talk with Benjamin Dreyer, author of the surprise best seller, Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide To Clarity And Style.

Then, we re-air our 2007 interview with Kitty Burns Florey about her book Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog. It’s all about the arcane joy and usefulness of diagramming sentences. Continue reading →

Louise Shelley: DARK COMMERCE, Wendell Potter: Attacks on Medicare4All & Erik Grafe: Upholding the Offshore Drilling Ban

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We talk with Dr. Louise Shelley about her book Dark Commerce: How a New Illicit Economy Is Threatening Our Future. It’s a shocking exposé of the links between government corruption, terrorism and international crime syndicates that’s destroying wildlife, forests and oceans.

Then, Wendell Potter tells us about how health industry lobbyists are influencing the debate over Medicare for All.

Finally, Erik Grafe of Earthjustice talks about challenging Trump’s attempt to undo the ban on drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans — and winning. Continue reading →

Damion Searls on Uwe Johnson’s ANNIVERSARIES & Peter Filkins, H. G. ADLER

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We talk today with Damion Searls about his acclaimed translation of Uwe Johnson’s landmark of 20th Century literature, ANNIVERSARIES, now in English for the first time.

Then, we welcome Peter Filkins back to Writer’s Voice; we’ve spoken with him before about his translations of the works of H.G. Adler. Now, he tells us about his biography of Adler, H.G. ADLER: A Life in Many Worlds. Continue reading →

Wendell Potter: “Democrats On The Take” fight Medicare For All

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WV host Francesca Rheannon talks with former health insurance industry executive and whistleblower Wendell Potter about how the attacks on Medicare For All are being fueled by health insurance cash to Democrats. Continue reading →

DaMaris Hill, A BOUND WOMAN IS A DANGEROUS THING & Stephen Nash, GRAND CANYON FOR SALE

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We talk with DaMaris Hill about her narrative in verse, A Bound Woman Is A Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration Of African-American Women From Harriet Tubman To Sandra Bland (Bloomsbury, 2019).

Then, at a time that our public lands and ocean territories are being auctioned off for exploitation by the oil and gas industries, Stephen Nash examines the case of the Grand Canyon. His book is Grand Canyon For Sale: Public Lands versus Private Interests in the Era of Climate Change. Continue reading →

Bill Henderson, ALL MY DOGS & David Lindorff on Pentagon Fraud

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The Pushcart Prize is one of the most venerable institutions in American publishing. It’s been going strong on a shoestring since 1976. We talk with Pushcart Press’ founder and editor Bill Henderson about the prize and his memoir All My Dogs.

Then, Trump just proposed a massive increase to an already bloated military budget, while proposing huge cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and funding for the environment. How did the Pentagon budget get so bloated? We talk with David Lindorff about the massive Pentagon accounting fraud he exposed that’s part of the reason military spending just keeps going up. Lindorf was just awarded the

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes!

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Nora Krug, BELONGING & Roz Chast, GOING INTO TOWN

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We talk with Nora Krug about her memoir exploring her family’s history during Nazi Germany, Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home.

Then, when her daughter got into college in Manhattan, celebrated New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast wanted to give her a guide to getting around in the city. We talk with Chast about the graphic book that came out of that guide. It’s called Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes!

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Etaf Rum, A WOMAN IS NO MAN

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We talk with Etaf Rum about her acclaimed debut novel, A Woman is No Man.

It explores the position of women within traditional Arab culture, not just in the country of origin, but also here in America. Etaf Rum drew on her own experience as a Palestinian-American in writing her novel. Continue reading →

Fred Block, CAPITALISM: The Future of An Illusion & Les Leopold, “Beware the Moderate Democrat”

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We talk with Fred Block about his book Capitalism: The Future of an Illusion. Then, Les Leopold discusses his article on Common Dreams, “Beware the Moderate Democrat.” Continue reading →

Writers Voice: Briallen Hopper, HARD TO LOVE

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It’s Valentine’s Day, but instead of the usual romantic fare, we take an unconventional look at relationships.

We talk with Briallen Hopper about her wonderful collection of essays about all kinds of love, Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions. Continue reading →

Paul Kaplan, LILIAN WALD & Susan Bohan, TWENTY YEARS OF LIFE

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Paul Kaplan talks about his biography, Lillian Wald: America’s Social and Healthcare Reformer. Wald was one of the most influential but least known people of the early 20th century. She founded the Visiting Nurse Service, but realized that to really tackle poverty, the conditions immigrants and their kids lived in needed to change. In treating the whole person, Wald changed the whole notion of social service for the poor.

Then, health and science journalist Susan Bohan talks about her book, Twenty Years of Life: Why the Poor Die Earlier and How to Challenge Inequity. It’s about how your zip code determines your health.

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