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. View all posts by Francesca Rheannon →

Podcast

Steven Hill, EXPAND SOCIAL SECURITY NOW! & Election Fraud in America, Then and Now

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Steven Hill explodes the myths about Social Security and shows how to strengthen it. His book isÂ Expand Social Security Now!: How to Ensure Americans Get the Retirement They DeserveÂ (Beacon Press, 2016)(Beacon Press, 2016).

Then, the election is next week. But is every vote equal? We talk with Beverly Harris of Black Box Voting about new research she’s published claiming voting machines are counting some votes as worth more than others.

Finally, we get the long view from historian Tracy Campbell, author of Deliver the Vote: A History of Election Fraud, An American Political Tradition. Continue reading →

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Tracy Campbell, DELIVER THE VOTE (Full Interview)

Historian Tracy Campbell discusses the history of election fraud in America.Â HeÂ is the author of the acclaimed book, Deliver the Vote: A History of Election Fraud, an American Political Tradition, 1742-2004 (Basic Books, 2005).

WV spoke to him at length about this history — and his concerns that Trump’s claims muddy the waters. Â Campbell is Professor of History at the University of Kentucky.

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Bev Harris: Are Minority Votes Counted As Lesser Than Other Votes?

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Bev Harris of BlackBox Voting. org explains how votes of minority workers are flagged, enabling them to be assigned lesser values in the final vote count. Continue reading →

Podcast

Margot Livesy, MERCURY & Alice Mattison, THE KITE AND THE STRING

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Margot Livesy talks about her new novel, Mercury. Then, some great advice about writing that urges freedom and discipline: Alice Mattison talks about her book, The Kite and the String: How to Write with Spontaneity and Control—and Live to Tell the Tale.Â Continue reading →

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Gretchen Bakke, THE GRID

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Gretchen Bakke discusses her terrific new book, The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future. It’s about how our outdated electrical grid is holding us back from making the crucial transition to renewable energy. Continue reading →

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lulu Fries’dat, AN UNPREDICTABLE, HIGH-STAKES ELECTION

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We’ve spoken before with journalist lulu Fries’dat about her report An Electoral System in Crisis. That report examined statistical anomalies in the 2016 presidential primaries. She and her team of statisticians found evidence of possible vote rigging in both political parties.

This week, we speak withÂ Fries’datÂ about troubling findings in her new report on the Florida Democratic primary between Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Tim Canova, An Unpredictable, High Stakes Election.Â Â Continue reading →

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Alan Schwarz, ADHD NATION & Carol Gignoux, YOUR INNOVATOR BRAIN

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Is Big Pharma fueling the ADHD epidemic? Alan Schwarz talks about his book, ADHD Nation: Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the Making of an American Epidemic. Then, maybe ADHD isn’t so much a disorder, as a different type of brain — one with great gifts, as well as deficits.Â Carol Gignoux discusses her book, Your Innovator Brain: The Truth About ADHD. Continue reading →

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Antony Loewenstein, DISASTER CAPITALISM

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We spend the hour with journalist Antony Loewenstein talking about his book (and forthcoming movie) Disaster Capitalism: Making a Killing out of Catastrophe. It’s a powerful indictment of the burgeoning global industry of profiting from the misery of the world’s most vulnerable citizens through privatizing basic goods and services when disaster strikes. Continue reading →

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Josh Mitteldorf, CRACKING THE AGING CODE & Aaron Thiel, MR. ETERNITY

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Is aging inevitable? And if so, why? We talk withÂ Josh Mitteldorf talks about his book, co-authored with Dorion Sagan, Cracking The Aging Code (Macmillan, 2016.) It’s about why we age and what we can do to slow agingÂ down. Then, in keeping with our theme, we explore a novel about a man who never dies. We talk with Aaron Thier about his new work of fiction, Mr. Eternity. Continue reading →

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Web Extra: Greg Palast’s new film THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY

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We talk withÂ Rolling Stone investigative reporter Greg PalastÂ about his new filmÂ THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY.Â The film is a highly entertaining mix of documentaryÂ footage and cartoon imagery that connects the dots between predatory capitalism and voter suppression. Continue reading →

Podcast

Jacqueline Woodson, ANOTHER BROOKLYN & Deborah Levy HOT MILK

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Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson talks about her novel Another Brooklyn. It’s in the form of a coming-of age memoir set in an African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 1970’s. Then a novel about a mother-daughter relationship, dependence and getting free: Deborah Levy talks about Hot Milk. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize this year. Continue reading →

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Is Our Vote At Risk?

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We talk with Ari Berman about the Voting Rights Act, the backlash against it, and what it all means for us now. His book is Give Us The Ballot. Then, a new report says not only can electronic voting machines be hacked, they may already have been. We talk with lulu Fries’dat, co-author of the report An Electoral System in Crisis. Continue reading →

Podcast

Moving Forward On The Climate: Jack Cushman, Hugh Sealy, Peter Seidel

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We talk with journalist Jack Cushman about his recent article for Inside Climate News, U.S. and China Ratify Paris Agreement, Upping Pressure on Other Nations. Then climate negotiator Dr. Hugh Sealy tells us about the threats to his island nation and his plans to combat climate change. Finally, a conversation with environmentalist Peter Seidel about big-picture thinking to save the planet. His book is There Is Still Time: To Look at the Big Picture…and Act. Continue reading →

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Dan Barry, THE BOYS IN THE BUNKHOUSE & Andrew Nagorski, THE NAZI HUNTERS

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We talk with journalist Dan BarryÂ about his bookÂ The Boys In The Bunkhouse. It’s about theÂ scores of mentally challenged men who were exploited and abused as turkey plant workers and kept as virtual prisoners for decades in a small town in Iowa and how they got rescued.

Then Andrew Nagorski tells us about the hunt to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. His book is The Nazi Hunters. Continue reading →