All posts by Francesca Rheannon

About Francesca Rheannon

Francesca Rheannon is an award-winning independent radio producer. In addition to hosting Writer's Voice, she's a freelance reporter for National Public Radio and its affiliates. Recipient of the prestigious Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award for reporting on substance abuse issues for her news series, VOICES OF HIV, produced for 88.5 WFCR public radio in western Massachusetts. She is also finishing a book on Provence (PROVINCE OF THE HEART) and working on a memoir of her father, THE ARGONAUTS.

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 →

Podcast

K.L. Cook, THE ART OF DISOBEDIENCE & A Quarantine Poem

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We spend the hour with writing teacher K.L. Cook, talking about about the art and craft of writing and his book, The Art Of Disobedience: Essays on Form, Fiction, and Influence.

In the book’s essays, he explores why secrets are at the heart of every story; why point of view is perhaps the most important decision a fiction writer can make and why disobedience to the rules is the critical secret sauce to great writing.

We also read a poem by Jessica Salfia about quarantine in the age of Covid19.

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

Larry Tye, DEMAGOGUE & Ellen Meeropol, HER SISTER’S TATTOO

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With Trump’s paramilitary goon squads assaulting peaceful protestors in American cities, things are looking pretty grim for democracy in America.

But Joe McCarthy biographer Larry Tye is optimistic. He says: “The lesson of Joe McCarthy and our other demagogues is that they fell even faster than they rose — once America saw through them and reclaimed its better self.“

We talk with Larry Tye about his acclaimed new book, Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy.

Then, a novel that asks the question: how do we balance the risks of political protest with the consequences, especially when those protests turn violent? Ellen Meeropol tells us about her new novel, Her Sister’s Tattoo.

It’s about two sisters whose lives are marked by the choices they make during an antiwar demonstration in 1968. Meeropol uses history to explore the personal dimension of activism —and the thorny intersection of sibling loyalty and political beliefs.

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!

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

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Web Extras

The Fracking Ban Law

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Jim Walsh

America’s small businesses are facing hardship because of a dramatic, unexpected loss of business due to the COVID19 pandemic. But it’s come to light that the Trump administration has pushed to allow billions in CARES Act funds to pay off the debt of the fossil fuel industry—debt incurred way before the current pandemic.

Some in Congress are working to prevent that, as well as other bailouts of Big Oil and Gas underway by the administration. It’s called the ReWind Act and those proposing it say it’s needed to keep the Trump administration from using the CARES Act to transfer enormous amounts of wealth from taxpayers to oil companies.

They hope to include the ReWind Act in the new CARES Act package being worked on now. The Act has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Francesca spoke with Jim Walsh of Food and Water Watch about the proposed legislation. He’s a Senior Energy Policy Analyst for Food & Water Watch.

Podcast

Stephanie Kelton, THE DEFICIT MYTH, Books Picks & Poetry by Meg Fisher

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We talk with Stephanie Kelton about her book, The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy.

We also have some summer reading picks that you can enjoy at the beach or poolside. And Francesca reads some poems by western Massachusetts poet Meg Fisher. Continue reading →

Podcast

Emma Copley Eisenberg, THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL & Diane Gilliam Fisher, Kettle Bottom

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Today, we hear two stories about Appalachia, a region that’s long been subject to exploitation and prejudice.

First, we talk with Emma Copley Eisenberg about her book The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia. It’s about the killing of two young women in West Virginia in 1980, how cultural bigotry against the region kept the murders from being solved — and the trauma inflicted on the community as a result.

Then, we re-air our 2004 interview with Diane Gilliam Fisher about her wonderful poetry volume Kettle Bottom. It’s about the West Virginia Mine Wars of the 1920s. Continue reading →

Podcast

Jennifer Steil, EXILE MUSIC & L. Annette Binder, THE VANISHING SKY

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In today’s show, we discuss two novels about World War II, told from very differing perspectives.

First, Jennifer Steil tells us about her novel Exile Music. It’s the story of a young girl who flees to Bolivia with her family after the Nazis annex Austria in 1938.

Then, a rare depiction of the war from the point of view of an ordinary German family as their lives and society crumble around them: we talk with L. Annette Binder about her novel The Vanishing Sky.

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

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Podcast

Sue Monk Kidd , THE BOOK OF LONGINGS & Monique Morris, PUSHOUT

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We talk with Sue Monk Kidd about her novel, The Book of Longings. It’s the story of a brilliant young woman who becomes the wife of Jesus Christ.

Then we re-air our 2016 interview with Monique Morris about her book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.

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

Elizabeth Wetmore VALENTINE & Carol Anderson, WHITE RAGE

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We talk with Elizabeth Wetmore about her stunning debut novel, Valentine. Ann Patchett called it “a novel of moral urgency and breathtaking prose,” saying “This is the very definition of a stunning debut.”

Then we play excerpts from our 2017 interview with Carol Anderson about her award-winning book White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide.

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

Abdul El-Sayed HEALING POLITICS & David Moloney, BARKER HOUSE

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We talk with Dr. Abdul-El Sayed, former Michigan gubernatorial candidate and health director of Detroit’s public health department about his new book, Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey Into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic.

Then, a debut novel explores the power dynamics inside a county jail. We talk with David Moloney about his book, Barker House.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. And if you are listening to our podcast, give us some love 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

Barry Sonnenfeld, BARRY SONNENFELD, CALL YOUR MOTHER & Katy Simpson Smith, THE EVERLASTING

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We talk with filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld about his memoir, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother.

Then Katy Simpson Smith tells us about her new novel of historical fiction, The Everlasting. It’s a quadruple love story spanning two millennia.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. And if you are listening to our podcast, give us some love 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

Tyson Yunkaporta, SAND TALK: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World

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We spend most of the hour talking with Tyson Yunkaporta about his groundbreaking book, Sand Talk : How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World.

Then we air a clip from my 2018 interview with Paul Greenberg, author of The Omega Principle and Four Fish, about sustainable aquaculture.

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. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

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Podcast

Scott Turow, THE LAST TRIAL & Kathryn Levy on the NY Primary

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We spend most of the hour with master of the legal thriller Scott Turow, talking about his latest novel The Last Trial. We also talk with him about some very real cases going on right now.

Then, we hear from a former Writer’s Voice guest, the poet Kathryn Levy, who was involved in a just decided legal case with critical implications for the 2020 election.

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

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Podcast

Alan Hirsch, A SHORT HISTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CRISES & Micah Uetricht, BIGGER THAN BERNIE

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The 2020 presidential election is looming on the horizon. Many fear the outcome will be hotly disputed. Yet neither the United States electoral system nor the Constitution is likely to help us out of the mess. We talk with constitutional scholar Alan Hirsch about his book A Short History of Presidential Election Crises: (And How to Prevent the Next One).

Then, Bernie Sanders has indicated he’s probably done running for president. What’s next for the Political Revolution? Micah Uetricht discusses the book he co-authored with Meagan Day, Bigger Than Bernie: How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism.

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

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