Writer's Voice

In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we dive into the worlds of peace activism and literary translation through conversations with Brad Wolf and Noel Hernández-Gonzalez. Also, William Bronston, the doctor who brought instiionalization of the developmentally disabled to an end, reads from his book, Public Hostage, Public Ransom. Brad Wolf discusses his work on Ministry … Continue reading Brad Wolf, A MINISTRY OF RISK, Noel Hernandez, SIMPATÍA, William Bronston on Willowbrook State School →

In this episode, we sit down with Audrea Lim, author of Free the Land: How We Can Fight Poverty and Climate Chaos. Audrea traces the connections between land commodification and many of America’s most pressing issues: ecological collapse, climate change, systemic racism, gentrification and economic inequality. Through powerful examples and thoughtful analysis, she shows how … Continue reading Audrea Lim, FREE THE LAND & Carleen Madigan, THE BACKYARD HOMESTEAD →

In this conversation with Writer’s Voice host Francesca Rheannon, political theorist Danielle Allen talks about two core ideas at the heart of our nation’s Declaration of Independence: freedom and liberty. How are they aligned? How are they different? And can they contradict each other? Listen to a clip on YouTube We re-air our 2014 interview … Continue reading July 4 Special: Danielle Allen, OUR DECLARATION →

In this episode of Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon welcomes back acclaimed novelist, essayist, and now memoirist, Francine Prose. They dive into Prose’s latest work, 1974, a memoir that revisits her time in San Francisco during a pivotal year in American history. Then, In a deeply introspective conversation, Gail Godwin opens up about the pivotal moment … Continue reading Two Memoirs: Francine Prose, 1974 & Gail Godwin, GETTING TO KNOW DEATH →

Episode Description In this episode of Writer’s Voice, host Francesca Rheannon sits down with acclaimed author Claire Wills to discuss her deeply personal and historically insightful book, Missing Persons or My Grandmother’s Secrets. Wills shares her journey of uncovering family secrets surrounding an “illegitimate” pregnancy in 1950s Ireland and exploring the broader national scandal of … Continue reading Uncovering Hidden Histories: Claire Wills on Family Secrets and National Scandals →

What did a group of ordinary citizens find out when they managed to stop a huge gas pipeline from being built? We spend the hour with Jonathan Mingle talking about his book, Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline And The Fight For America’s Energy Future. It’s the story of how a diverse group of citizens came … Continue reading How To Stop A Pipeline: Jonathan Mingle, GASLIGHT →

We talk with Victor Lodato about his terrific new novel, Honey. It’s about an octogenarian who is trying to come to terms with her life — her childhood growing up in a Mafia family in New Jersey and her adulthood trying to escape it. Then, we talk with Kimberly Belle about her new thriller, The … Continue reading Two Great Beach Novels: Victor Lodato, HONEY & Kimberly Belle, THE PARIS WIDOW →

Are child protection service (CPS) agencies doing more harm than good? Join us for an in-depth conversation with sociologist Kelly Fong about her book, Investigating Families: Motherhood in the Shadow of Child Protective Services. We explore the inner workings of Child Protection Services (CPS), the impact on families, and the need for systemic change. Plus, … Continue reading Kelly Fong, INVESTIGATING FAMILIES & Emi Nietfield, ACCEPTANCE →

We talk with Abrahm Lustgarten about his book, On The Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America. It’s about how climate chaos means a humanity on the move. Then, we catch up with journalist and author Ross Barkan about his recent article in New York Magazine, “The Most Endangered Democrat in America: Jamaal … Continue reading Abrahm Lustgarten, ON THE MOVE & Ross Barkan on Jamaal Bowman’s Challenge →

Was 2020 the year Americans finally lost faith in their government? We talk with Eric Klinenberg about his acclaimed new book, 2020: One City, Seven People, And The Year Everything Changed. The book follows seven New Yorkers as they try to cope with the pandemic. Among them, a transit worker, a bar owner, a retired … Continue reading Eric Klinenberg, 2020: The Year Everything Changed →

Larry Tye tells us about his new book, The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America. It’s a fresh look at three titans of the Jazz Age. Then, we re-air our 2020 interview with Larry Tye about his biography of Senator Joe McCarthy, Demagogue. Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers … Continue reading Two Biographies by Larry Tye: THE JAZZMEN & DEMAGOGUE →

A bestselling novelist took a job at a big box store, was shocked by what she found, and decided to write a novel about it. We talk with Adelle Waldman about her new novel, Help Wanted. It’s about what happens when a group of workers at a big box store scheme to get their overbearing … Continue reading Adelle Waldman, HELP WANTED & Remembering Paul Auster →

We talk with Greg Wrenn about his book Mothership: A Memoir of Wonder and Crisis. It’s about healing the maladaptive imprinting of childhood trauma with Nature — and psychedelics. Then, a climate journalist tries a new tack to craft a narrative about the climate emergency. We talk with Elizabeth Kolbert about her illustrated alphabet book, … Continue reading Earth Day Special: Greg Wrenn, MOTHERSHIP & Elizabeth Kolbert, H IS FOR HOPE →

In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we feature two stories about war and secrets. First, we talk with Howard Mansfield about his book, I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid About World War II. The book uncovers the truth about the terrible toll that war took on American airmen like Mansfield’s … Continue reading War & Secrets: Howard Mansfield, I WILL TELL NO WAR STORIES & Sasha Vasilyuk, YOUR PRESENCE IS MANDATORY →

Brad Gooch talks about his acclaimed new biography of Keith Haring, RADIANT.

A grandmother’s traumatic history reverberates through three generations… We talk with Tessa Hulls about her powerful graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. It tells the story of three generations of women — her Chinese grandmother, Sun Yi; her mother, Rose; and herself —and how, in the process of writing and drawing their stories, she was able to … Continue reading Tessa Hulls, FEEDING GHOSTS & Remembering Frans de Waal →

Michael Zweig talks about his book, Class, Race and Gender: Challenging the Injuries and Divisions of Capitalism, and Francesca reads her story, The Sheep's Blessing.

This week we talk about two novels that explore connections: between men and women, people and nature, the young and the old.

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

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 … Continue reading Amitav Ghosh, SMOKE AND ASHES & Manjula Martin, THE LAST FIRE SEASON →