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Episode Summary

We explore two speculative fiction novels that challenge our understanding of consciousness, communication and the human condition.

First, we speak with Cary Groner about The Way, a post-pandemic road novel that blends adventure, Buddhist philosophy, and a hopeful vision of the future after our current civilization has been largely swept away.

“It’s not all doom and gloom. Unlike most post-apocalyptic novels, I wanted to show a world where life adapts, and maybe even gets better.” — Cary Groner

Then, we welcome Silvia Park to discuss Luminous, a hauntingly prescient novel about AI, identity, and the blurred line between human and machine.

We build robots to love us—but does that love mean anything if we programmed it? — Silvia Park

Both stories wrestle with profound questions: What does it mean to live ethically in a fractured world? And can technology truly replace—or surpass—our humanity?

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Speculative fiction, post-apocalyptic, robots, human-animal communication, consciousness, AI, Buddhist ethics, Cary Groner, Silvia Park, sci fi, The Way novel,

You Might Also Like: Sci-fi Imagines Climate Change: Paolo Bacigalupi’s THE WATER KNIFE & SHIPBREAKER

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In this episode, we welcome Aran Shetterly to discuss his powerful new book, Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City’s Soul. Shetterly unearths the long-overlooked history of the Greensboro Massacre, a brutal attack in which members of the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis murdered five labor and civil rights activists in broad daylight—while law enforcement stood by.

“The most vicious repression in America happens when Black and white workers unite. Greensboro was no exception.” — Aran Shetterly

Then we replay part of our 2023 interview with Jonathan Eig about his biography of the Reverend Dr. MLK, Jr., King: A Life.

Read the Transcript

Black History Month on Writer’s Voice 

Every week this month, we’ll be featuring books about key times in America’s Black History, a history that enriches and enlightens us all. We talk with:

Aaron Robertson, about BLACK UTOPIANS; Aran Shetterly about MORNINGSIDE: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre; Victoria Christopher Murray about HARLEM RHAPSODY; Bernadette Atuahene about PLUNDERED
You might also like: 

• The Power of Asking Questions: Ethel Payne, First Lady Of The Black Press
• Freedom Summer, Bob Moses, and the Fight for First Class Citizenship

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Aran Shetterly, Morningside book, Greensboro Massacre, Nelson Johnson, Ku Klux Klan, Communist Workers Party, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jonathan Eig, King: A Life

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We sit down with award-winning author Victoria Christopher Murray to talk about Harlem Rhapsody, her novel about the Harlem Renaissance and the woman who made it possible. This gripping novel brings to life Jessie Redmon Fauset, a pioneering literary editor, mentor, and novelist who played a pivotal role in shaping the Harlem Renaissance—yet remains largely forgotten today.

“W.E.B. Du Bois and Jessie were always together. I tried to write the story without their affair, but there were too many plot holes. It was part of the truth.”

We also talk with the founders of a new publishing company featuring largely forgotten women authors of an earlier time. Bremond Berry MacDougall and Lisa Cooper founded Quite Literally Books — which is coming out with Jessie Redmon Fauset’s 1928 novel Plum Bun, along with two other books.

Black History Month on Writer’s Voice 

Every week this month, we’ll be featuring books about key times in America’s Black History, a history that enriches and enlightens us all. We talk with:

• Aaron Robertson, BLACK UTOPIANS
• Aran Shetterly about MORNINGSIDE: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre
• Victoria Christopher Murray about her novel of the Harlem Renaissance, HARLEM RHAPSODY
• Bernadette Atuahene about her history of how racist policies undermine Black home ownership In America, PLUNDERED

You might also like: Carla Kaplan: Miss Ann in Harlem

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Victoria Christopher Murray, Harlem Rhapsody, Jessie Redmon Fauset biography, Harlem Renaissance, W.E.B. Du Bois, Quite Literally Books, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Nelia Gardner White

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In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we talk with Aaron Robertson about his fascinating book, The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America. It’s about the hidden legacies of Black utopian experiments and what they teach us about the power of community today.

Then, we talk with best-selling novelist, journalist and activist Cory Doctorow about his new crime thriller, the latest installment in the Martin Hench series, Picks and Shovels. It tells the origin stories of forensic accountant Martin Hench and the most powerful tool for crime ever invented: the personal computer.

Black History Month on Writer’s Voice

Every week this month, we’ll be featuring books about key times in America’s Black History, a history that enriches and enlightens us all. We talk with:

• Aaron Robertson, BLACK UTOPIANS
• Aran Shetterly about MORNINGSIDE: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre
• Victoria Christopher Murray about her novel of the Harlem Renaissance, HARLEM RHAPSODY
• Bernadette Atuahene about her history of how racist policies undermine Black home ownership In America, PLUNDERED

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!

Key Words: Black utopian communities, Aaron Robertson, The Black Utopians, Promiseland Tennessee, Black Christian nationalism, Albert Cleage Jr., Black History Month, Cory Doctorow, Picks and Shovels book, enshittification, digital rights, big tech antitrust

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In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we explore two fascinating books. Rowan Jacobsen takes us deep into the Amazon in Wild Chocolate, uncovering the origins of cacao and the ethical challenges of the chocolate industry.

Then, Karissa Chen discusses Homeseeking, her powerful novel tracing the Chinese diaspora through generations of displacement, love, and longing for home.

“We’ve been eating a shadow of what chocolate once was— and wild chocolate is bringing back its soul.”* — Rowan Jacobsen

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast 

Key Words: Rowan Jacobsen, Wild Chocolate book, wild cacao, ethical chocolate, cacao biodiversity, Big Chocolate, Karissa Chen, Homeseeking novel, Chinese diaspora.

You Might Also Like: Rowan Jacobsen, AMERICAN TERROIR, Tessa Hulls, FEEDING GHOSTS, Ava Chin, MOTT STREET

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This week on Writer’s Voice we feature three great conversations. Karen Joy Fowler reflects on the relevance of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed and its vision of utopia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary re-issue of that classic work of speculative fiction. She wrote the introduction. Listen to our 2012 interview with Ursulla K. Le Guin

Then, Charlotte Dennett gives us a timely update on the geopolitics of the Middle East, connecting current conflicts to her book Follow the Pipelines.

And finally, we pay tribute to Jules Feiffer, the legendary cartoonist and author, revisiting his insights on political art and his noir graphic novel about the Hollywood Black List, The Ghost Script. We spoke with him in 2019. He died January 17.

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon, and on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast 

Key Words: Karen Joy Fowler, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed, utopia, Charlotte Dennett, Follow the Pipelines, Middle Eastern geopolitics, Jules Feiffer, The Ghost Script, Hollywood blacklist, energy politics

You Might Also Like: Charlotte Dennet, FOLLOW THE PIPELINES, Jules Feiffer, THE GHOST SCRIPT, Ursula K. Le Guin, UNREAL AND REAL.

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In this episode of Writer’s Voice, entomologist and author Barrett Klein discusses his book, The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture. From the crucial roles insects play in ecosystems to their influence on art, architecture, and medicine, Klein unpacks the deep connections between humans and these often misunderstood creatures. [Image above by Barrett Klein.]

“We’d be knee-deep in dung and heaps of cadavers and corpses if it weren’t for insects.” — Barrett Klein

Then, Paula Whyman, author of Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop, shares her journey from novice gardener to passionate steward of over 200 acres of meadow and forest. Whyman discusses the challenges of managing invasive species, restoring native habitats, and the unexpected joys of observing interconnected ecosystems.

“The kind of human interference that’s good is managing for the plants that will help the local ecosystem.” — Paula Whyman

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon, and on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast 

Key Words: Barrett Klein, The Insect Epiphany, ecological importance of insects, insect pollination, biomimicry, insect-inspired architecture, insect conservation, pollinator decline, Paula Whyman, Bad Naturalist, native plants, invasive species management, rewilding, land stewardship.

Similar Episodes: Oliver Milman, THE INSECT CRISIS; Isabelle Tree, WILDING; Doug Tallamy, NATURE’S BEST HOPE

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In this week’s episode of WV, nonbinary journalist and author Nico Lang takes us inside the lives of trans and nonbinary youth across America. Their book is AMERICAN TEENAGER: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate And Finding Joy In A Turbulent Era.

“These kids are just trying to live their lives, but they’re forced to fight politically motivated hatred at every turn.” –Nico Lang

Then, we talk with National Book Award winner Lily Tuck about her new novel, The Rest Is Memory. Inspired by real events, the novel follows the life of a young Polish girl whose ordinary life is shattered by the horrors of Auschwitz.

Finally, we share with you a wonderful poem by Marie Howe to start the New Year. The video of the poem “Singularity” is at The Marginalian.org

Read the transcript

Connect with WV:

Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon, and on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast \

Key Words: Nico Lang, American Teenager book, trans youth, nonbinary, gender-affirming care, anti-trans legislation, Lily Tuck, The Rest is Memory, Auschwitz novel, Holocaust fiction

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Rafael A. Martinez discusses the lived experiences of undocumented youth in America. He’s Assistant Professor of Southwest Borderlands at Arizona State University and author of Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States.

He details how activism and organizing led to gains such as in-state tuition and DACA, but also the precariousness of these advancements under changing political climates.

Martinez emphasizes the resilience and creativity of undocumented communities in navigating systemic challenges, while acknowledging the significant mental and physical health consequences of living under constant threat of deportation.

His experiences underscore the systemic nature of immigration issues and the interconnectedness of undocumented immigrants’ lives with the broader U.S. society. The interview concludes with a call to action, encouraging listeners to engage with local organizations supporting immigrant rights.

“Immigration isn’t a broken system; it’s working as designed—to exploit and marginalize immigrant communities.” — Rafael Martinez

We also play an edited version of one of our ten favorite episodes of 2024 — our conversation with Eric Klinenberg about his book 2020.

Check Out our List of the Ten Best WV Episodes of 2024!

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

Connect with Us: Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes and news. Find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon, on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social. Read transcripts at the Writer’s Voice Substack. 

Keywords: Rafael A. Martinez, Illegalized book, undocumented youth, immigrant rights movements, DACA, U.S. immigration policy, private detention centers, border militarization, immigrant activism history.