Writer's Voice with Francesca Rheannon

Writer's Voice with Francesca Rheannon

Francesca Rheannon talks to writers of all genres about matters that move us and make us think.

Episodes

October 9, 2025 58 mins
Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Today, a gripping story of courage, faith, and friendship in one of the most dangerous countries on Earth. Ross Halperin joins us to talk about his extraordinary book Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land. It’s the true story of two … Continue reading Ross Halperin on BEAR WITNESS: Fighti...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Today, a remarkable conversation with Reality Winner, the NSA whistleblower who leaked proof of Russian interference in the 2016 election and paid for it with the harshest sentence ever imposed under the Espionage Act. Reality Winner’s new memoir, I Am Not Your Enemy, tells … Continue reading Reality Winn...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Today, we look at two urgent threats to our world: the assault on science and the concentration of wealth. First, climate scientist Michael E. Mann talks about the book he co-authored with infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez, Science Under Siege: How to Fight … Continue reading SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE &...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This week on Writer’s Voice, two stories from the planet’s frontlines: the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic ice. Two urgent stories from Earth’s frontlines — and why they matter for us all. Journalist Andrew Fishman joins us to talk about completing the … Continue reading HOW TO SAVE THE A...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This episode of Writer’s Voice explores two inspiring approaches to building a more just and compassionate world. It’s part of September’s WV programming in honor of Climate Week. Two nationwide mobilizations are happening for Climate Week: Make Billionaires Pay and Sun Day. … Continue reading Read more
Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we explore the lives and legacies of two giants—Charles Dickens and Plato—through the eyes of authors who reveal new dimensions of their work. Cultural historian Peter Conrad tells us about his biography, Dickens the Enchanter: Dickens … Continue reading ...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This episode of Writer’s Voice brings you two powerful stories of women adventurers who forged their paths in male-dominated outdoor sports. Bridget Crocker’s memoir River’s Daughter is a story of trauma and healing, rooted in her lifelong connection to rivers. From childhood … Continue reading Read more
Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary In this episode of Writer’s Voice, two authors offer vital insights—one about surviving a global pandemic, and the other about surviving the publishing process. Ronald Gruner discusses Covid Wars, his in-depth exploration of how the pandemic reshaped politics, public health, and society. … Continue reading Read more
Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary Award-winning author Honorée Fanonne Jeffers joins Writer’s Voice to talk about her bold and beautiful nonfiction debut, Misbehaving at the Crossroads—a matrilineal memoir braided with African American history, intersectional feminism, and unflinching truth-telling. “The crossroads represents… a place where trouble meets possib...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This week on Writer’s Voice, we speak with David Bollier about the newly updated edition of his influential book Think Like a Commoner: A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons. Bollier argues that commons are neither relics of the past … Continue reading David Bollier on Why The Co...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This week, Ross Benes joins us to talk about his book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times. From Limp Bizkit and Jerry Springer to reality TV and pro wrestling, Benes reveals how the trashy entertainment of … Continue reading From Limp Bizkit to Re...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform Episode Summary This week on Writer’s Voice, we explore New York from two perspectives: its dramatic colonial origins and its modern-day extremes. First, historian Russell Shorto reveals the pivotal moment when Manhattan shifted from Dutch to English hands—and how that “merger” shaped the DNA … Continue reading Read more
Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform Episode Summary Today, a double episode on press freedom under siege. Investigative journalist and author Will Potter joins us to talk about Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable. It’s a powerful exposé of how the agriculture industry attacks journalism to … Continue reading Exposing Hidde...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform Episode Summary In this episode of Writer’s Voice, former FBI agent, scholar, and author Michael German discusses his explosive book Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within. German, who infiltrated white supremacist and right-wing militia groups during his FBI tenure, offers a chilling insider perspective … Continue reading
Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform Episode Summary On this episode of Writer’s Voice, we speak with science journalist Lizzie Wade about her groundbreaking book Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures. Through stories of ancient climate collapse, pandemic upheavals, colonial conquests, and societal reorganization, Wade … Continue reading...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform Episode Summary On this episode of Writer’s Voice, two authors share stories of retreat and re-engagement in a world unraveling. First, novelist Jess Walter talks about So Far Gone, a gripping, darkly funny, and deeply moving novel about Rhys Kinnick—a retired journalist who escapes … Continue reading Retr...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This week: Grandmaster of crime fiction Laura Lippman joins us to talk about her delightful new mystery, Murder Takes a Vacation. The novel brings back Muriel “Mrs.” Blossom—now a wealthy, single woman in her sixties—on a river cruise where art theft, murder, … Continue reading Laura Lippm...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This week on Writer’s Voice, two authors of speculative fiction explore what it means to be human in a world shaped by crisis, autocracy, and extinction. First, Ray Nayler discusses Where the Axe is Buried, a gripping novel that imagines a future … Continue reading AI, Autocracy, and After...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we explore how language shapes history—and how stories shape culture. We first speak with Laura Spinney, author of Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. She takes us into the world of Proto-Indo-European, a language spoken … Continue reading Laura ...
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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary This week: journalist Brian Goldstone joins us to talk about his powerful new book, There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America. It’s an eye-opening, deeply reported portrait of families who work full-time yet are unhoused, navigating a system … Continue reading The New Face ...
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