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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

This episode of Writer’s Voice brings you two powerful stories of women adventurers who forged their paths in male-dominated outdoor sports.

Bridget Crocker’s memoir River’s Daughter is a story of trauma and healing, rooted in her lifelong connection to rivers. From childhood brushes with death to breaking into the male-dominated world of river guiding, Crocker explores recovering from childhood trauma, sexism in adventure culture, and the lessons rivers teach.

“I realized that it was the river who had told me to swim and had saved our lives.” — Bridget Crocker

Cassidy Randall’s Thirty Below recounts the groundbreaking 1970 first all-women’s ascent of Denali. Against life-threatening conditions and entrenched sexism, six women mountaineers made history—and challenged ideas about who belongs in extreme adventure. We revisit our March 2025 conversation with an excerpt from the interview.

“Not an easy mountain to climb.” — Cassidy Randall

Together, these stories highlight resilience, courage, and the fight to carve out space for women in arenas long dominated by men.

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Bridget Crocker River’s Daughter, women river guides, sexism in adventure sports, Cassidy Randall Thirty Below, women mountaineers, 1970 Denali all-women ascent, breaking barriers women adventurers, Writer’s Voice Francesca Rheannon

You might also like: Cassidy Randall (full interview), Elizabeth Flock, THE FURIES

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

In this episode of Writer’s Voice, two authors offer vital insights—one about surviving a global pandemic, and the other about surviving the publishing process.

Ronald Gruner discusses Covid Wars, his in-depth exploration of how the pandemic reshaped politics, public health, and society. He reflects on the successes and failures of the U.S. response, the role of science and misinformation, and the lasting implications for democracy.

“Other countries did better because they trusted their governments and their governments trusted them.” — Ronald Gruner

Dennis Sweeney talks about How to Submit, a practical handbook for writers trying to get their work published in literary magazines and small presses. Drawing on his own experience as a poet and editor, Sweeney breaks down the submissions process, rejection, community-building, and sustaining motivation as a writer.

“Rejections are not failures. They’re steps in the process.” — Dennis Sweeney

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words:

Covid Wars Ronald Gruner, COVID-19 lessons, pandemic politics, misinformation and science, pandemic preparation, U.S. pandemic response, How to Submit Dennis Sweeney, getting published, literary magazine submissions, small press publishing,

You Might Also Like: Eric Klinenberg, 2020: The Year Everything Changed, CRISIS AVERTED: Caitlin Rivers on the Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

Award-winning author Honorée Fanonne Jeffers joins Writer’s Voice to talk about her bold and beautiful nonfiction debut, Misbehaving at the Crossroads—a matrilineal memoir braided with African American history, intersectional feminism, and unflinching truth-telling.

“The crossroads represents… a place where trouble meets possibility or hope.” — Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Plus, a sneak preview of our upcoming conversation with Catherine Coleman Flowers, environmental justice champion and author of Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice and Finding Hope.

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Misbehaving at the Crossroads book, intersectionality, Black women’s memoir, Writer’s Voice podcast, Francesca Rheannon author interview, Catherine Coleman Flowers Holy Ground, environmental justice activism

You Might Also Like: Honorée Fanonne Jeffers THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DuBOIS, Corban Addison WASTELANDS

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

This week on Writer’s Voice, we speak with David Bollier about the newly updated edition of his influential book Think Like a Commoner: A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons. Bollier argues that commons are neither relics of the past nor utopian fantasies—they are living, adaptive systems that help people meet needs through cooperation rather than competition.

“A commons is a living collective social organism for getting stuff done.” — David Bollier

We discuss why the commons movement is growing worldwide, how it provides a survival strategy amid climate breakdown and political turmoil, and the practical ways communities are creating commons today—from urban housing and childcare networks to open-source software and local currencies. Bollier also shares how thinking like a commoner challenges deeply held assumptions about property, law, and power—and why storytelling and culture are key to this transformation.

Then we re-air a short clip from our March interview with Omar El Akkad, author of  One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. It’s an urgent and unflinching critique of the failures of mainstream liberalism — especially as seen from the genocide Israel is inflicting on Gaza.

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: David Bollier, Think Like a Commoner, commons movement, mutual aid networks, urban commons, degrowth, cooperative economies, Schumacher Center, cosmo-local production, community resilience, climate and commons, Gaza war and U.S. complicity, Gaza genocide, One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

You Might Also Like: Full Interview with Omar El Akkad, more WV interviews with David Bollier

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

This week, Ross Benes joins us to talk about his book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times. From Limp Bizkit and Jerry Springer to reality TV and pro wrestling, Benes reveals how the trashy entertainment of the late ’90s not only shaped pop culture but redefined politics, media, and technology.

“The trashy entertainment people scorn often ends up shaping our world in ways they don’t appreciate.” — Ross Benes

Then we re-air an excerpt from our April interview with Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl On Girl. She talks about how reality television, celebrity culture, and the rise of branding turned a generation of women against themselves—and what it means for gender and power today.

“Culture moves all the time. The pattern of progress and backlash is eternal, but that also means change is inevitable.” — Sophie Gilbert

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Ross Benes, 1999, pop culture, low culture, reality TV, Sophie Gilbert, backlash to feminism, Girl On Girl,

You Might Also Like: Sophie Gilbert, GIRL ON GIRL

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform

Episode Summary

Today, a double episode on press freedom under siege.

Investigative journalist and author Will Potter joins us to talk about Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable. It’s a powerful exposé of how the agriculture industry attacks journalism to hide the brutal reality of factory farming—and how far it goes to silence those who speak out.

“Environmental and animal rights movements are threatening not just because of what they do—but what they represent: empathy, solidarity, and a challenge to human exceptionalism.” — Will Potter

Then, we speak with Andy Lee Roth and Shaleigh Voitl of Project Censored about the group’s annual yearbook State of the Free Press 2025. We dive into the stories the corporate media ignored—from suppressing reporting on the climate catastrophe and on Gaza to nonprofit journalism in the crosshairs.

“In 2024, the U.S. ranked 55th in global press freedom. That’s a five-point drop.” — Shaleigh Voitl

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Will Potter, Little Red Barns, ag-gag laws, factory farming, press freedom, Project Censored, State of the Free Press 2025, Andy Lee Roth, Shaleigh Voitl, Gaza protests, nonprofit journalism, white nationalism, animal rights, environmental activism, censorship laws,

You Might Also Like: Andy Lee Roth, STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2024, Sy Montgomery, WHAT THE CHICKEN KNOWS

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform

Episode Summary

In this episode of Writer’s Voice, former FBI agent, scholar, and author Michael German discusses his explosive book Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within. German, who infiltrated white supremacist and right-wing militia groups during his FBI tenure, offers a chilling insider perspective on how racist ideology persists and thrives inside U.S. law enforcement.

“What January 6 revealed is how deeply embedded far-right sympathies are in federal policing institutions.” — Mike German

He explains how decades of systemic bias, failed policy, and outright sympathies with white nationalist agendas have shaped the institutions meant to protect democracy. From January 6 to Charlottesville, from FBI surveillance priorities to underreported hate crimes, German shows how government agencies have enabled far-right violence—and what must happen at the state and local levels to fight back.

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack.

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Michael German, Policing White Supremacy, FBI white supremacist infiltration, domestic terrorism, Charlottesville riot, Proud Boys, January 6, right-wing extremism, Brennan Center, far-right violence in America

You Might Also Like: Talking the Trumpocene with Jeff Sharlet, Our Eroding Democracy: Steven Levitsky, Ted Rall, Harmon Leon

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform

Episode Summary

On this episode of Writer’s Voice, we speak with science journalist Lizzie Wade about her groundbreaking book Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures. Through stories of ancient climate collapse, pandemic upheavals, colonial conquests, and societal reorganization, Wade shows that the end of a world is often the beginning of something new.

“Bringing to an end a type of society that isn’t working for the new world that’s emerging is not necessarily a bad thing. That’s called adaptation.” — Lizzie Wade

From the Neanderthal “extinction” to the fall of ancient Egypt, from the Great Drowning of Indigenous Australian coastlines to the climate-driven rise of El Niño societies in Peru, Wade explores how disasters reshaped political systems and economies. Crucially, she argues that today’s climate, social, and technological apocalypses offer not just threats, but transformative possibilities.

Then we re-connect with former Writer’s Voice guest Betsy McCulley who I interviewed recently on the new podcast I host, Changehampton Presents. That episode is about native grasslands and why we should protect and restore them and we air a short excerpt on WV.

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Lizzie Wade, Apocalypse book, ancient disasters, rethinking apocalypse, end of the world, post-apocalyptic optimism, Changehampton, native grasslands

You Might Also Like: Betsy McCully, AT THE GLACIER’S EDGE

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform

Episode Summary

On this episode of Writer’s Voice, two authors share stories of retreat and re-engagement in a world unraveling.

First, novelist Jess Walter talks about So Far Gone, a gripping, darkly funny, and deeply moving novel about Rhys Kinnick—a retired journalist who escapes to a cabin in the woods, only to find himself drawn back into the chaos of American life when his estranged daughter disappears and his grandkids show up at his doorstep.

“The first thought you have is: can I turn away? And I call this a thought experiment… what draws us back into the world?” — Jess Walter

Then, science journalist and memoirist Marguerite Holloway shares her journey in Take to the Trees, a personal exploration of forest ecology, climate grief, and finding courage through tree climbing. Her story blends memoir, science, and deep-rooted hope in the face of environmental loss.

“There was something about shifting my focus to the skills… and the community of women watching out for me—that overcame the fear.” — Marguerite Holloway

Together, these interviews ask: What do we do when the world feels too far gone? And what brings us back?Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Jess Walter, So Far Gone, Christian nationalism, literary thriller, retreat from society, conspiracy culture, Marguerite Holloway, Take to the Trees, forest ecology, tree climbing, women arborists, climate anxiety, dendrochronology, forest health, climate change and trees, Bear and Melissa Lavangie,

You Might Also Like: Jess Walter, THE COLD MILLIONS, Manjula Martin, THE LAST FIRE SEASON

And check out Francesca’s new podcast about creating a new land ethic, Changehampton Presents: Changing the World One Yard At A Time

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

This week: Grandmaster of crime fiction Laura Lippman joins us to talk about her delightful new mystery, Murder Takes a Vacation. The novel brings back Muriel “Mrs.” Blossom—now a wealthy, single woman in her sixties—on a river cruise where art theft, murder, and self-reinvention intersect. It’s a twisty, character-rich whodunit that also explores the power of friendship, pleasure, and starting over in the third act of life.

“Crime is interesting. It cracks the world open, and then things change.” — Laura Lippman

Then, as New Yorkers begin voting in the Democratic primary for Mayor, we revisit Francesca’s 2021 conversation with Ross Barkan about his book, The Prince: Andrew Cuomo, The Coronavirus & The Fall of New York.

“I don’t think Cuomo is Donald Trump by any means. I don’t think anyone is Donald Trump, but I do think there’s more similarities between the two than a lot of liberal left-leaning people would admit.” –Ross Barkan

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Laura Lippman, Murder Takes a Vacation, cozy mystery, feminist crime fiction, ageism, fatphobia, Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster, Ross Barkan, Andrew Cuomo, Covid19 in New York.

You Might Also Like: Ross Barkan, THE PRINCE, Claire Coughlan, WHERE THEY LIE

And check out Francesca’s new podcast about creating a new land ethic, Changehampton Presents: Changing the World One Yard At A Time

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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.

Episode Summary

This week on Writer’s Voice, two authors of speculative fiction explore what it means to be human in a world shaped by crisis, autocracy, and extinction.

First, Ray Nayler discusses Where the Axe is Buried, a gripping novel that imagines a future governed by AI prime ministers and mass surveillance. It’s a chilling look at authoritarianism, technocratic “solutions,” and the erosion of personal freedom. Yet it holds out hope for the eternal human drive for freedom.

“Dissatisfaction with things as they are is the engine that will always eventually undermine autocracy.” — Ray Nayler

Then, Tim Weed talks about The Afterlife Project, a haunting story set in the aftermath of a climate-engineered catastrophe. A lone scientist awakens 10,000 years in the future to discover whether humanity—and the planet—has survived.

“Maybe we will come to take what I consider to be our destiny as a species… to become the stewards of life on Earth.” — Tim Weed

Both novels ask big questions: Can systems change? What will artificial intelligence do to our democracies? And what kind of afterlife awaits a species on the brink?

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Tim Weed, The Afterlife Project, speculative fiction, climate collapse, human extinction, ecological fiction, Ray Nayler, Where the Axe Is Buried, AI autocracy, surveillance state, artificial intelligence, authoritarianism,

You Might Also Like: Ray Nayler, THE MOUNTAIN AND THE SEA, Cary Groner, THE WAY

And check out Francesca’s new podcast about creating a new land ethic, Changehampton Presents: Changing the World One Yard At A Time