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 →

Wrestling With Angels, Clayton

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We have an in-depth conversation with author John J. Clayton about his wonderful short story collection, WRESTLING WITH ANGELS: New and Collected Stories and he reads from several of his favorite stories in the book. It deals with universal themes of loss and spiritual redemption, acceptance, fading ideals, as well as with contemporary struggles of Jewish life and family. Clayton has been writing fiction since 1969 and teaches modern literature and fiction writing at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He’s won the O’Henry and Pushcart Prizes for short stories as well as a place in Best American Short Stories anthologies.

How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future

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Vali Nasr

Middle East expert Vali Nasr talks about THE SHIA REVIVAL: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future in this engrossing interview with Francesca Rheannon.

Iranian-born scholar Vali Nasr recently went to work for the Obama Adminstration’s Richard Holbrooke as a special representative on Af-Pak (Afghanistan-Pakistan) affairs. We talked to him in 2007 about his book The Shia Revival. It’s about how conflicts within Islam — notably the Shia and Sunni sects and the respective countries they dominate — “will shape the future”. He was just featured in the September 28, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, in an article by George Packer about Holbrooke, “The Last Mission.”

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He covers the history of the Shia-Sunni split and says the Shia’s rise (aided by the Bush Administration’s misadventure in Iraq and destruction of Saddam’s Sunni dictatorship) encompasses Lebanon and Syria through the Persian Gulf to Iraq and Iran, and finally Pakistan and India.

His new book, just out, is[amazon-product text=”Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It Will Mean for Our World” type=”text”]1416589686[/amazon-product]. You can also watch Nasar getting funny with John Stewart on The Daily Show recently:

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Should Water Be a Private or Public Resource?

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We spend the hour live with Alan Snitow, co-author of THIRST: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water.

Also, local organizer Joanne Sunshower talks about efforts to stop Nestle from coming to Montague, Massachusetts.

Focus on Global Warming

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dr_mayer_hillman — Mayer Hillman

David Gershon

We talk with dean of the British environmental movement Mayer Hillman about THE SUICIDAL PLANET: How to Prevent Global Climate Catastrophe. He co-authored the book with Tina Fawcett and Sudhir Chella Rajan.Â Also, David Gershon of the Empowerment Institute tells us about his LOW CARBON DIET: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds.

Junot Diaz, BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO and Laraine Herring on writing

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Writer and professor Junot Diaz. — Junot Diaz

HerringLo — Laraine Herring

Literary sensation Junot Diaz talks about his acclaimed novel, THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO.Â Also, Laraine Herring on writing. Her book is WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH: Embodying Your Authentic Voice.

Paul Hawken, BLESSED UNREST

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Environmental activist and green economy imagineer Paul Hawken talks about BLESSED UNREST: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. Co-hosted with Corporate Watchdog Radio’s Bill Baue.

Also, Michael Shuman, author of SMALL MART REVOLUTION, talks about his post on food miles on the blog, The Ethicurian.

TAJ MAHAL and some final Indian Tales

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Diana Preston tells us about TAJ MAHAL: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire. She co-wrote the book with her husband, Michael Preston.

And the final episode in our series on Jaime de Angulo’s INDIAN TALES, thanks to the Pacifica Archives. Also, Native American storyteller tells the story of corn and takes us on a tour the traces of Native peoples who lived in Northampton, Massachusetts.

ETHICAL MARKETS and more INDIAN TALES

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We talk with futurist Hazel Henderson about ETHICAL MARKETS: Growing the Green Economy, co-written with Simran Sethi.

Also, we continue our month-long series on Jaime de Angulo’s INDIAN TALES, thanks to the Pacifica Archives and Writer’s Voice associate producer, Michael Pollitt.

IAMBICS OF NEWFOUNDLAND and more INDIAN TALES

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We talk with nature writer Robert Finch about THE IAMBICS OF NEWFOUNDLAND: Notes from an Unknown Shore.

And we continue our special series of readings from Jaime de Angulo’s INDIAN TALES.

LIQUID JADE: The Story of Tea From East to West.

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We talk with Beatrice Hohenegger about LIQUID JADE: The Story of Tea From East to West.

The Most Famous Man In America

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Henry Ward Beecher

We talk with historian Debby Applegate about her acclaimed biography of 19th century evangelist of the “Gospel of Love” Henry Ward Beecher, THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA.

Also, an excerpt from our archived interview with Marge Piercy about her novel, SEX WARS, in which Beecher is a character.

AMERICAN FURIES and YURTS

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Yurt maven Becky Kemery talks to us about her beautifully illustrated and informative book, YURTS: Living in the Round.

Also, Sasha Abramsky returns to Writer’s Voice to talk about his new book, AMERICAN FURIES: Crime, Punishment, and Vengeance in the Age of Mass Imprisonment.

Medical Alternatives

We talk with Dr. Brent Bauer of the Mayo Clinic about the Clinic’s BOOK OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE.

Also, Josef Woodman tells us about PATIENTS BEYOND BORDERS: Everybody’s Guide to Affordable World Class Medical Tourism.

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The audio for this episode is available upon request for a donation of $4.99 to Writers Voice. Contact writersvoice [at] wmua.org.

Jacqueline Sheehan and Sophie Freud

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We talk with former therapist and now best-selling author Jacqueline Sheehan about her novel, LOST AND FOUND. A widowed psychologist finds the path to her own recovery from grief with the help of a black labrador retriever with a healing touch.

Also, Sigmund Freud’s granddaughter Sophie Freud tells us about about her memoir, LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF THE FREUD FAMILY. We hear about her childhood in pre-war Austria, her famous grandfather, and her dysfunctional family of origin. Now a retired social worker living in New England, Freud weaves together diaries, letters and memoir to reconstruct her flight from Nazi-occupied Austria, the agonizing wait for a visa from Nice, France, and her eventual escape from a Europe embroiled in war.

Special on Human Trafficking

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Author and anti-slavery activist Beatrice Fernando talks about her memoir, IN CONTEMPT OF FATE: THE TALE OF A SRI LANKAN SOLD INTO SERVITUDE, WHO SURVIVED TO TELL IT. She was a domestic slave in Lebanon in the 1980’s and threw herself off a balcony to escape. She’s also founder of the Nivasa Foundation. It helps women stay out of slavery by supporting their children.

Also, David Batstone talks about his book NOT FOR SALE: The Return of the Global Slave Trade—and How We Can Fight It. It’s about the modern Abolitionist movement. He’s founder of the Not For Sale Campaign.