Tag Archives: podcast

Podcast

St. Pat’s Day Special: Rue Matthiessen, CASTLES AND RUINS & Claire Coughlan, WHERE THEY LIE

We talk with Rue Matthiessen, daughter of the famed writer Peter Mathiessen about her family memoir, Castles And Ruins: Unraveling, Family Mysteries, And Literary Legacy In The Irish Countryside.

Then, Claire Coughlan tells us about her twisty-turny whodunit, Where They Lie. It’s a murder mystery set in 1968 Dublin, where the detective isn’t a policeman, but a young female news reporter on the make.

And finally we air a short clip from our conversation with Fintan O’Toole last St. Patrick’s Day about his personal history of modern Ireland, We Don’t Know Ourselves.


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 @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Key Words: Rue Matthiessen, memoir, author interview, Claire Coughlan, Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day, , memoir, podcast, book podcast, author interview, Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon, mystery fiction, crime fiction, Peter Matthiessen

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Podcast

Amitav Ghosh, SMOKE AND ASHES & Manjula Martin, THE LAST FIRE SEASON

We talk with Amitav Ghosh about his masterful history of the opium trade, Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories.

Then, Manjula Martin tells us about her personal and “pyro-natural” history of California wildfires — the ones she lived through in 2020 and the ones Indigenous people lived with before white settlers moved in and took their land. Her book is The Last Fire Season.

And finally, we read a poem from Mosab Abu Toha’s book Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear.


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 @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Key Words: Amitav Ghosh, history, opium trade, author interview, Manjula Martin, climate change, global warming, fire season, memoir, podcast, book podcast, author interview, Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon

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Podcast

Charles Derber, DYING FOR CAPITALISM & Andy Lee Roth, STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2024

We talk with Charles Derber about the book he co-wrote with Suren Moodliar, Dying For Capitalism, How Big Money Fuels Extinction And What We Can Do About It.

Then we talk with Andy Lee Roth about Project Censored’s yearbook, State of the Free Press 2024: The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2022–23.

And finally, we read a poem from Mosab Abu Toha’s book Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear.


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.

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Key Words: Charles Derber, Andy Lee Roth, author interview, book podcast, democracy, press freedom, podcast, Project Censored, nonfiction

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Podcast

Les Leopold, WALL STREET’S WAR ON WORKERS

We talk with Les Leopold of the Labor Institute about his groundbreaking study of the political cost of mass layoffs. His book is Wall Street’s War on Workers: How Mass Layoffs and Greed Are Destroying the Working Class and What to Do About It.

Then we re-air a clip from our 2013 interview with Les Leopold about his book, How To Make A Million Dollars An Hour: Why Hedge Funds Get Away with Siphoning Off America’s Wealth.

And finally, we read some poems from Mosab Abu Toha’s book Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear.


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.

Key words: Les Leopold, Wall Street, layoffs, author interview, book podcast, nonfiction, podcast, Writer’s Voice

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Podcast

A Jazz-Age Murder That Toppled Gotham’s Mayor

The Rundown

We talk with Michael Wolraich about his book, The Bishop And The Butterfly: Murder, Politics, And The End Of The Jazz Age. Then, we re-air part of our conversation with Paul Kix about You Have To Be Prepared To Die Before You Can Begin To Live: Ten Weeks In Birmingham That Changed America.  And we read a poem by Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, who was abducted by the IDF and brutally beaten before a global outcry resulted in his release.


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.

Key Words: Michael Wolraich, Jazz Age, history, writers voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt, creative nonfiction, poetry, Black History Month

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Podcast

Adam Shatz, THE REBEL’S CLINIC & Vanessa Lillie, BLOOD SISTERS

Mind & Liberation: Unveiling Frantz Fanon’s Revolutionary Psychiatry and Post-Colonial Vision. Also, a Cherokee murder mystery.

We talk with Adam Shatz about his acclaimed biography, The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon.

Then, a Cherokee murder mystery based on two very real crises affecting Indigenous communities: missing and murdered women and environmental racism. We talk with Cherokee author Vanessa Lillie about her suspense novel, Blood Sisters.

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.

Key words: Adam Shatz, Frantz Fanon, Vanessa Lillie, suspense, history, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon

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Podcast

Hope For The Climate Crisis: Michael Mann, OUR FRAGILE MOMENT

We talk with world-renowned climate scientist Michael Mann about climate, past, present and future. His book is Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis.

The world is largely past climate denialism (except for the Republican Party and its fascist leader Donald Trump.) But what has replaced it is climate doomism — the notion that it’s just too late to do anything about climate disruption, so we might as well continue with business as usual.

But as Michael Mann tells us, it’s not too late to avert climate apocalypse — and there is resilience in the climate system, if we can just give it enough support to kick in.

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.

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

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Podcast

Douglas Preston & Emma Donnoghue, FOURTEEN DAYS

We talk with authors Douglas Preston and Emma Donoghue about a collaborative novel whose characters — and their stories — are each written by a different, major literary voice: Fourteen Days: An Unauthorized Gathering.

Then, we remember Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday by airing some of our conversation with Jonathan Eig, about his biography, King: A Life. Listen to the whole interview here.

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.

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


Key Words: writer’s voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt, fiction, Douglas Preston, Emma Donoghue, Covid pandemic.

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Podcast

Cory Doctorow, THE LOST CAUSE

We talk with Cory Doctorow about his new novel The Lost Cause, “a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency.” It imagines an America where another better world is possible, while confronting the evils of today.

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.

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

Read the transcript

Key Words: writer’s voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, book show, book excerpt, fiction, cli-fi, Cory Doctorow, Green New Deal, climate change

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Podcast

Adam Goodheart, THE LAST ISLAND & Jennifer Jewell, WHAT WE SOW

We explore the people of North Sentinel Island, who are thought to be the last un-contacted tribe on Earth. Our guest is historian, essayist, and author Adam Goodheart and his book is The Last Island: Discovery, Defiance, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth.

Read The Interview Transcript

Then, we talk with author, gardener and radio host Jennifer Jewell about her book, What We Sow: On The Personal, Ecological And Cultural Significance Of Seeds.

Read The Interview Transcript

Key Words: Adam Goodheart, Jennifer Jewell, writer’s voice, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book podcast, creative nonfiction, history, environment, seeds


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.

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

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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.

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Writer’s Voice Ten Best of 2023

Podcast

Mike Rothschild, JEWISH SPACE LASERS & Adam Hart, DEADLY BALANCE

Antisemitism and conspiracy theories. Also, how to protect wildlife by protecting people.

First, we talk with Mike Rothschild about his book: Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories. It’s about the persistence of rightwing antisemitism and its link to conspiracy theories.

Then, scientist Adam Hart tells us about how people become prey for wild animals and why conservation to preserve wildlife needs to take human needs into account to succeed. His book is The Deadly Balance: Predators and People in A Crowded World.

Key words: Mike Rothschild, Adam Hart, antisemitism, conspiracy theories, wildlife conservation, podcast, book recommendations, author interview, book show, writer’s voice, Francesca Rheannon

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

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

Read transcripts at the Writer’s Voice Substack


The Real Antisemitism

Rightwing antisemitism is on the rise. This is a real phenomenon, not to be confused with claims by the pro-Zionist lobby that anyone who criticizes Israeli policy toward Palestinians is an antisemite.

In fact, some of the most fervent supporters of the current Israeli government are also promoters of rightwing antisemitic conspiracy theories — like the notion that Jews are a “globalist” cabal that controls the world’s money supply or that Jews are promoting immigration to “replace” the white race.

Target: The Rothschilds

Many antisemitic conspiracy theories center around one family, the Rothschilds. Over the years, they have been blamed for everything from the sinking of the Titanic, to causing the Great Depression, and even creating the COVID-19 pandemic.

How did the Rothschilds become a lightning rod for the conspiracy theories of the last two centuries, and why do these theories persist so widely today?

My guest Mike Rothschild — no relation — explores these questions in his new book
Jewish Space Lasers. In it, he sorts out myth from reality to find the truth about these conspiracy theories and their spreaders.

About the Author

Mike Rothschild is a journalist and author of two books, Jewish Space Lasers and The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything. He’s an expert on the intersections between internet culture and politics through the lens of conspiracy theories.

Read an excerpt from Jewish Space Lasers


Predators And People

This past October, a couple camping in Banff National Park in Canada was attacked and killed by a grizzly bear. But in general, attacks by bears and other wildlife in North America are pretty rare.

That’s not so true, however, in places like India or Kenya, where poor villages situated near wildlife areas can be threatened by attacks from such animals as tigers and lions. The consequences for both people and wildlife can be dire.

Protecting Wildlife and People

How to reach a balance between the needs of humans and wildlife in order to protect both is the subject of Adam Hart’s book. The Deadly Balance: Predators and People in A Crowded World.

He says wildlife conservation depends on making sure that humans have a stake in it, especially those who live in or near wildlife habitats.

About the Author

Adam Hart is Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucestershire. A biologist, broadcaster and author, he works on a range of topics including African ecology and conservation, insects and citizen science.

Read An Excerpt from The Deadly Balance


Next Week on Writer’s Voice

We talk with Sy Montgomery of the The Soul of An Octopus fame, along with illustrator Matt Patterson, about their acclaimed new book, Of Time And Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell. Don’t miss it!

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