Podcast

Thomas Frank, THE PEOPLE, NO

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We spend the hour talking with political historian Thomas Frank about his ground-breaking book about Populism and anti-Populism, The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism.

It’s about the long history of elite distrust of pro-democracy working class/farmer political activism in the U.S. As Frank explains:

The People, No is the story of how much of our modern world we owe to our home-grown democratic movements for reform. It is also a cautionary note for our time, a warning against the pundits who tell us to fear the plain people, to keep to the path of centrist complacency, to let the experts handle our lives and our future.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes,  Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts! It really helps others find our show.

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Podcast

Jane Kleeb, HARVEST THE VOTE & Eric Holthaus, THE FUTURE EARTH

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Is the Democratic Party doing enough to reach out to rural voters? We talk with Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party about her book, Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America. (Harper Collins, 2020).

Then, a powerful vision of creating a livable and just world for everyone. We talk with climate journalist Eric Holthaus about his book The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What’s Possible in the Age of Warming.
(Harper Collins, 2020).

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes,  Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts! It really helps others find our show.

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Podcast

Katherine Kinzler, HOW YOU SAY IT & David Graeber, DEBT

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We talk with psychologist Katherine Kinzler about her book How You Say It: Why You Talk the Way You Do—And What It Says About You.

Then, we remember anthropologist and anarchist activist David Graeber. We play excerpts from our 2011 interview with him about his book Debt: The First 5000 Years. He died September 2.

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

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Podcast

Matt Stoller, GOLIATH & Thomas Frank on Populism

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We talk with Matt Stoller about his book GOLIATH: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy.

Then we replay an excerpt from our interview last year with Thomas Frank about populism-real and fake. He’s got a new book out about it, The People, No.

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

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Podcast

Douglas Boin, ALARIC THE GOTH & Jim Walsh on the Fracking Ban Bill

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We talk with historian Douglas Boin about his fascinating biography, Alaric The Goth: An Outsider’s History of the Fall of Rome. It’s a cautionary tale about how xenophobia and anti-immigrant bigotry led to the Sack of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire.

Then we hear from Jim Walsh of Food and Water Watch about legislation proposed by AOC to ban fracking.

Writer’s Voice — in depth progressive conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts! Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

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Podcast

Lawrence Douglas, WILL HE GO? & Jessica Bohrer, YOUR VOICE IS YOUR SUPERPOWER

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We talk with legal scholar Lawrence Douglas about his book, Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020.

Then, how can we make sure that kids grow up understanding their right to freedom of speech? We talk with free speech attorney Jessica Bohrer about the children’s book she cowrote with her father Sandy Bohrer, also a free speech attorney, Your Voice is Your Superpower: A Beginner’s Guide to Freedom of Speech (and the First Amendment).

Writers Voice—in-depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or Twitter @WritersVoice. And if you are listening to our podcast, give us some love on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use.

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Web Extras

Transcript: Excerpt from Interview with John Nichols

Writers Voice interviewed John Nichols about his book The Fight For The Soul Of The Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace’s Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics. In this transcript of a clip from the interview, Francesca begins by asking about parallels in the situation during the New Deal and now. (The transcript has been edited for smoother reading.) Continue reading →

Podcast

John Nichols, THE FIGHT FOR THE SOUL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY & Chuck Rocha, TÁO BERNIE

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In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we continue our Election 2020 series with two looks back—one way back and the other more recent—to derive important lessons for this election season.

First, we talk with John Nichols about his new book, The Fight For The Soul Of The Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace’s Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics.

Then Bernie2020 campaign strategist Chuck Rocha talks about his new book TÁ­o Bernie: The Inside Story of How Bernie Sanders Brought Latinos Into the Political Revolution.

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

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

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Podcast

Ted Rall POLITICAL SUICIDE & Max Elbaum on the Left & Biden

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A great debate is raging on the Left between those whose first priority is defeating Trump and those who say supporting Joe Biden means selling out to corrupt corporate Democrats.

Today, we bring that debate to Writer’s Voice. First we talk with political cartoonist Ted Rall about his book, POLITICAL SUICIDE: The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party. Then, author and long-term socialist activist Max Elbaum asks “Should Anti-Capitalists Urge a Vote for Joe Biden to Defeat Donald Trump in 2020?” We talk with him about his article by that title in the second half of the show.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!
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Podcast

Pawan Dhingra, HYPEREDUCATION & J. Chester Johnson, DAMAGED HERITAGE

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We talk with Pawan Dhingra about his book Hyper Education: Why Good Schools, Good Grades, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough. It’s an up-close look at the education arms race of after-school learning and academic competitions.

Then, a remarkable journey to racial truth and reconciliation undertaken by two Americans—one black and one white. We talk with J. Chester Johnson about his book, Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and A Story of Reconciliation.

Writer’s Voice — in depth progressive conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use!
Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

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Podcast

Margot Livesy, THE BOY IN THE FIELD & Frank Huyler, WHITE HOT LIGHT

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We talk with Margot Livesy. Her new novel, The Boy In The Field, explores the limits of free will and how we respond to what happens to us.

Then, an emergency room doctor evaluates the lessons of 25 years in emergency medicine and their relevance to life and writing. We talk with Frank Huyler about his memoir, White Hot Light: Twenty-Five Years in Emergency Medicine. We also ask him what it’s like to be an ER doc in the midst of covid.

Finally, we talk with writer and English professor K.L. Cook about opening up the campus to in-person learning in the midst of the covid19 pandemic.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!
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Web Extras

Max Elbaum: What’s At Stake for the Left in the 2020 Election?

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We talk with Max Elbaum about the debate over whether the Left should support Joe Biden. He wrote a recent post, “Should Anti-Capitalists Urge a Vote for Joe Biden to Defeat Donald Trump in 2020?.“

On the Left a great debate is raging between Progressives whose first priority is defeating Trump and those in the Never Biden camp.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use!
Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

The former say that defeating fascist or white supremacist authoritarian control of the executive branch and the Supreme Court are necessary to protect the growing progressive movement.

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Podcast

Phillip A. Neel, HINTERLAND

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We spend the hour with Phillip A. Neel talking about his book Hinterland: America’s New Landscape Of Class And Conflict. It’s about how America’s class structure is recomposing itself in new geographies of race, poverty, and production.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use!
Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

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Podcast

Greg Palast, HOW TRUMP STOLE 2020

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Is the 2020 Presidential election being rigged, like Donald Trump claims? Yes, says investigative reporter Greg Palast—it’s being rigged by Trump himself, in collusion with the GOP.

We talk with Palast about his new book on protecting the vote, How Trump Stole 2020: The Hunt for America’s Vanished Voters. It’s about how Trump and the GOP are disenfranchising millions of voters and how to make sure your vote is counted. The book contains a 64-page graphic version, How To Steal An Election: Vote Thieves–The Art of the Steal, by cartoonist Ted Rall. (We’ll be talking with Rall about his new book Political Suicide later in the season.)

Then we hear from election security attorney Robert Fitrakis and a poem by Maya Angelou.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use!
Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

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Podcast

Shaun King, MAKE CHANGE & Greg Palast, HOW TRUMP STOLE 2020

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Shaun King tells us about his life as a Black Lives Matter activist, what he’s learned about making change happen and how you can make change happen too. His book is Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future.

Then we have a sneak preview of our interview with investigative reporter Greg Palast about his new book How Trump Stole 2020: The Hunt for America’s Vanished Voters. We’ll play the whole interview next week. Continue reading →