Tag Archives: book podcast

Podcast

Sy Montgomery & Matthew Patterson, OF TIME AND TURTLES

Turtles are jaw-droppingly amazing. Some can run faster than a 10-year-old; some can climb trees; others have shells that glow in the dark.

We talk with The Soul of An Octopus author Sy Montgomery and illustrator Matthew Patterson about this and more amazing things about turtles. Their acclaimed book is Of Time And Turtles: Mending the World, Shell By Shattered Shell.

We also share our list of Ten Best Shows of 2023

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice. Read transcripts at the Writer’s Voice Substack.


Sy Montgomery has a gift for bringing the reader intimately into the mind and world of animals, from her celebrated book The Soul of An Octopus, to the one we spoke with her about in 2022, The Hawk’s Way. Now, she’s teamed up with illustrator and turtle maven Matthew Patterson to bring us into the minds and world of turtles and the people who rescue them.

Their book, Of Time And Turtles is both heartbreaking — as they tell us about the plight of these ancient creatures, 60% of which are threatened or endangered — and inspiring, as they recount the stories of turtles brought back from the brink of death to finally be released back into the wild.

And what characters the turtles are! Firechief, Pizzaman, and other wonderful beings leap off the page into the imagination as the reader follows them from tragedy to triumph.

The real heroes of the story are the founders of Turtle Rescue League, Natasha Nowick and Alexia Belle. We hear about their remarkable operation in Massachusetts and about the thrilling rescue mission they organized (and that Sy Montgomery and Matt Patterson went on) to save endangered sea turtles washed ashore on Cape Cod — all in the middle of a nor’easter.

Of Time And Turtles tells us all about these amazing creatures and why we should care about them.

Watch A Video About The Turtle Rescue League

About The Authors

Sy Montgomery is the author of numerous books for adults and children, including The Hawk’s Way, How To Be A Good Creature and Tamed and Untamed. Listen to those interviews here.

Matthew Patterson is a wildlife artist and owner of Stoneridge Art Studios. In addition to Of Time and Turtles, he also collaborated with Sy Montgomery on a children’s book The Book of Turtles.

Blog

Writer’s Voice Ten Best of 2023

Podcast

Corban Addison WASTELANDS: The True Story of Farm Country on Trial

What happened when a poor African-American community went up against the biggest meatpacking company in the world?

We spend the hour with Corban Addison talking about his spell-binding legal thriller, WASTELANDS: The True Story of Farm Country on Trial.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack.

Key words: writer’s voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt, creative nonfiction, Corban Addison, Smithfield Foods.


The Stench Permeates Everything

In eastern North Carolina’s hog country, pigs outnumber people 30 to 1. The stench of hog waste permeates everything. There’s no getting away from it, outside or inside the house.

It’s not just about the smell. Disease pathogens from waste lagoons pollute the air and water, making it unhealthy to breathe or wash, or drink from the faucet. People living near the hog farms are plagued with headaches, coughing and nausea.

Environmental Racism

It’s a classic case of environmental racism: The residential communities bordering the hog farms are largely poor and Black, Latino or Indigenous. Many were established long before hog-raising went industrial, cramming thousands of pigs into barns so tightly, they can’t even turn around.

The hog farmers themselves are little better than sharecroppers to Big Hog, in thrall to companies like Smithfield Foods that cut farmers profit margins to the bone. Workers in Smithfield plants, overwhelmingly workers of color, endure horrifically dangerous conditions.

A David and Goliath Story

Corban Addison’s powerful new book Wastelands — his first nonfiction book — is a David and Goliath story that pits some of the most powerless people in North Carolina against the state’s business and political establishment.

As vivid and fast-paced as a thriller, Wastelands takes us into the heart of a legal battle over the future of America’s farmland and into the lives of the people who found the courage to fight.

From the small group of intrepid neighbors to their legal allies, like Mona Lisa Wallace, who took on their case, Wastelands features a cast of characters as compelling as any in fiction — in fact, more compelling, because they are real people.

About The Author

Corban Addison is the best-selling author of four novels, including A Harvest of Thorns, which we spoke to him about in 2017.

Read or Listen To An Excerpt


Next Week on Writer’s Voice

We talk with Adam Goodheart about his book about the most elusive tribe on Earth. His book is The Last Island. Also, we learn all about the real Populists, not the fake ones like Donald Trump. We talk with Steve Babson about his book The Forgotten Populists: When Farmers Turned Left to Save Democracy. Don’t miss it!

Podcast

John Berger, SOLVING THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Can we achieve 100% clean power by 2030?

“It would be economically efficient and technologically possible to produce all of our power and all of our energy needs through clean power sources. It’s basically as simple as that.”

John J. Berger

We spend the hour with John Berger talking about his inspiring new book, Solving The Climate Crisis: Frontier Reports From The Race To Save The Earth.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice. Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack.

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Key words: climate change, climate crisis, global warming, John Berger, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon,

Oil Deals Over Climate: Controversy Surrounds Annual UN Climate Talks in Dubai

The annual UN Climate talks are taking place in the petro-state, the United Arab Republics. It is the largest such Conference of Parties, or COP, so far.

But, forgive the cynicism, it’s also likely to be the most corrupt. As they say, fish rots from the head and the head of this COP, its president, is Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil.

According to the BBC, The UAE plans to use its role as the host of the UN climate talks in Dubai as a chance to strike oil and gas deals with other countries—deals that would blow right through our fast depleting global carbon budget. (That’s the amount we can still emit before passing the point of no return on climate.) Leaked briefing documents revealed the plans for making the deals, but the UAE is denying the report.

Climate Hopes in the Shadow of Scandal: Finding Inspiration in John Berger’s Book

The annual COPs seem to be where climate hopes go to die. But John Berger’s book, Solving The Climate Crisis, makes clear that there is still ample room for hope.

A practical roadmap for effective climate action, his book is full of inspiring advances in clean power, energy efficiency, and other means of climate protection that will create millions of new jobs and substantial economic benefits for all of us.

About the Author

John J. Berger is an environmental science and policy specialist, prize-winning author, and journalist. He is the author of eleven books on energy and environmental issues.

Read An Excerpt from Solving The Climate Crisis

Read The Interview Transcript

Podcast

Carl Safina, ALFIE AND ME & Charlotte Dennett, FOLLOW THE PIPELINES

What an owl taught a famed ecologist about a deadly human misconception. Also, the role of oil in the Israel/Palestine conflict.

We talk with ecologist Carl Safina about his book, Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe. It’s about how a tiny ragged ball of fluff taught a famed ecologist about a deadly human misconception.

Then, do the endless wars around oil include the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Charlotte Dennett’s book Follow The Pipelines is about the deadly politics of the great game for oil. We talk with her about how those deadly politics are a hidden factor in the West and Israel’s dealings with the Palestinians.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.

Love Writer’s Voice? Please recommend us on Substack. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Key Words: Carl Safina, Charlotte Dennett, Israel, Palestine, owls, oil, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, creative nonfiction, environment, writer’s voice

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Podcast

Brant MacDuff, THE SHOTGUN CONSERVATIONIST

Is hunting actually good for the environment? That’s what conservationist Brant MacDuff says. We spend the hour with him talking about his book, The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack 

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Key words: hunting, conservation, Brant MacDuff, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, creative nonfiction, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon

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Podcast

Gloria Dickie, EIGHT BEARS & Sonja Swift, ECHO LOBA, LOBA ECHO

We talk with Gloria Dickie about bears and how people relate to them, for good and for ill. Her book is Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future.

Then, we talk about another iconic imperiled species: wolves. Sonja Swift tells us about her book: Echo Loba, Loba Echo: Of Wisdom, Wolves and Women.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice. Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack.

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READ THE TRANSCRIPT ON OUR SUBSTACK

Key words: Gloria Dickie, bears, Sonja Swift, wolves, endangered species, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, creative nonfiction, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon Continue reading

Podcast

Tan Twan Eng, THE HOUSE OF DOORS & Kerri Maher, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL

We talk with celebrated Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng about House of Doors, his spellbinding new novel about love and betrayal, colonialism and revolution, storytelling and redemption.

Then, novelist Kerri Maher tells us about her novel, All You Have To Do Is Call. It’s about the Jane Collective, the 1970s clandestine abortion service in Chicago.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.
Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

key words: Tan Twan Eng, Kerri Maher, abortion, reproductive choice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, fiction, history, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon

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Podcast

David Lipsky, THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO: Climate & The Science of Denial

We spend the hour with David Lipsky talking about his new book, The Parrot and The Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial. It’s about the sordid history of climate denialism, its deep roots in the industry of tobacco denialism, and its pernicious impact on the public’s trust in science.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack

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Key words: David Lipsky, climate change, global warming, science, climate denial, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, creative nonfiction, history, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon, Continue reading

Podcast

Tania James, LOOT, Vauhini Vara, THIS IS SALVAGED plus a garden guide to pollinator plants

We talk with Tania James about her acclaimed new novel, Loot. It’s about a boy on a quest, a girl determined to make her way in a man’s world and a mechanical construction — an automaton — that exemplifies the Indian resistance to British colonialism.

Then, Vauhini Vara tells us about her new collection of stories, This Is Salvaged. And we do a mini-review of a stunning new book for gardeners, Planting for Pollinators.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.
Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack

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Key words: Tania James, Vauhini Vara, short story, fiction, pollinators, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show

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Podcast

Climate Week Edition: Andrew Boyd, I WANT A BETTER CATASTROPHE & Chuck Collins, ALTAR TO AN ERUPTING SUN

We’re celebrating the upcoming Climate Week by featuring two books that tackle the crisis from different perspectives.

We take a journey into the heart of climate grief and out the other side with Andrew Boyd. His book is I Want A Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope and Gallows Humor.

Then, a new novel shines a light on the history of social activism and it’s future. We talk with Chuck Collins, author of numerous non fiction books, about his terrific debut novel, Altar to an Erupting Sun. It’s about how social justice activism has dealt with grave crises before and how the lessons learned from those struggles can inform how we deal with the climate emergency today and in the years to come.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack 

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Key words: climate crisis, Andrew Boyd, Chuck Collins, Climate Week, writers voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt, nonfiction, fiction Continue reading

Clare Carlisle, THE MARRIAGE QUESTION & Norman Solomon, WAR MADE INVISIBLE

The US military is one of the biggest engines driving private profits in the world. But what’s the cost to the rest of us? We talk with Norman Solomon about his new book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.

But first, we explore George Eliot’s scandalous solution to “the marriage question.” We talk with Clare Carlisle about her book, The Marriage Question: George Eliot’s Double Life.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.
Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack

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Key Words: Clare Carlisle, George Eliot, Norman Solomon, Militarism, US military, book excerpt, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, history

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Podcast

Capitalism, Poverty, Solidarity: Ahmed White, UNDER THE IRON HEEL & Nikhil Goyal, LIVE TO SEE THE DAY

We talk with historian Ahmed White about the Wobblies and the capitalist war on radical workers. His award-winning book is Under the Iron Heel.

Then Nikhil Goyal tells us about his book, Live to See the Day: Coming of Age in American Poverty. It follows three children as they struggle to survive in the poorest neighborhood of the poorest large city in America.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack.

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key words: IWW, poverty, Nikhil Goyal, Ahmed White, history, creative nonfiction, labor history, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show Continue reading

Podcast

David Goodman, AN AMERICAN CANNABIS STORY & Carl Hart, DRUG USE FOR GROWNUPS

We talk with David Goodman about his book, An American Cannabis Story. Illustrated with stunning photos, it’s about a pioneering cannabis farm in Washington State.

Then we replay our 2021 interview with neuroscientist Carl Hart about his book, Drug Use For Grownups: Chasing Liberty In The Land of Fear.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack

Key Words: cannabis, David Goodman, regenerative agriculture, drugs, Carl Hart, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt, nonfiction, photography, Puffin Farm Continue reading

Podcast

Two Memoirs of Trauma: Martha Hodes, MY HIJACKING & Adam Bessie, GOING REMOTE

We talk with historian Martha Hodes about her memoir My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering. In 1970, she survived six days as a hostage on a hijacked plane when she was twelve years old.

Then, teacher Adam Bessie tells us about his take on how the pandemic has driven us apart—and what it will take to bring us together. His graphic pandemic memoir is Going Remote: A Teacher’s Journey. It’s illustrated by Peter Glanting.

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, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Read transcripts and subscribe at the Writer’s Voice Substack

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Key Words: hijacking, memoir, Covid 19, community college, Martha Hodes, Adam Bessie, writers voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt
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