Writer's Voice with Francesca Rheannon

We talk with New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer about her acclaimed book about the Koch Brothers and the network they've mobilized for political influence, Dark Money:The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. Then, we replay our 2013 interview with filmmaker Tia Lessin, about the documentary she co-directed with Carl Deal, Citizen Koch. It's about how the Koch Bros. and their rightwing advocacy organization, Americans For Prosperity, helped Wisconsin governor Scott Walker beat back a recall campaign after he devastated public employee union rights.

Linda Coleman talks about her memoir Radical Descent: The Cultivation of an American Revolutionary. Then, Vermont political writer Greg Guma gives WV his take on Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid

Biologist Paul Ehrlich discusses the book he co-wrote, The Annihilation of Nature: Human Extinction of Birds and Mammals and Writers Voice airs one of the year’s Ten Best Shows: our interview with Joseph Luzzi about his memoir, In A Dark Wood.

Andrea Wulf talks about her bestselling new book, The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World. It’s listed as one of the ten best books of 2015 by the New York Times. Then, we check in with journalist Jack Cushman of Inside Climate News about the historic climate pact out of Paris and how the just-passed omnibus spending bill will affect carbon emissions.

We feature the work of two political cartoonists who have come out with graphic biographies of two people who advanced the needle on justice. Ted Rall talks about his new graphic biography of Edward Snowden, Snowden. And then British cartoonist Kate Evans talks about her new graphic biography of the revolutionary leader, Rosa Luxemburg, Red Rosa.

Acclaimed crime novelist Elizabeth George talks about her latest Inspector Lynley novel, A Banquet of Consequences. And then, just in time for Hanukkah, a new noir collection of short stories — Jewish Noir. edited by mystery writer Kenneth Wishnia.

We talk with M.T. Anderson about his new book Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad. It tells the story of how Shostakovich's 7th Symphony inspired the resistance of the people of Leningrad to one of the most brutal sieges in history, that mounted by Hitler's Army in World War II. And with the world climate talks happening in Paris, we consider the intersection between climate change — and terrorism. We air a clip from our 2011 interview with Christian Parenti about his book, Tropic of Chaos.

We talk with environmental writer David Gessner about his new book about two of the greatest writers — and champions — of the Western wilds, All The Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West. We also re-air a clip from a previous interview with Gessner about his last book, My Green Manifesto. And finally, we continue our Thanksgiving tradition: Marge Bruchac’s telling of the true story of the holiday.

Feminist sociologist and gender researcher Michael Kimmel talks about the “aggrieved entitlement” of so many white men in America. His book is Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era. Then, we look at the rise of rape culture in America with Kate Harding. Her book is Asking For It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture--and What We Can Do About It.

Lesléa Newman talks about her latest book of poetry, I Carry My Mother. The elegiac volume is composed of poems chronicling her mother’s last illness and dying, as well as her own grief. Then, poet Martine Bellen reads from and discusses her new collection, This Amazing Cage of Light: New And Selected Poems.

Michael Golding talks about A Poet of the Invisible World, his stunning new novel set in 13th century Persia. This fable explores the spiritual path taken by its main character, a Sufi poet with four ears. Then, Robin Cook tells us about his new medical thriller, Host. It’s about what happens when medical research into the newest class of drugs -- biologics -- intersects with a greed-driven medical system.

Dale Russakoff talks about her acclaimed new book, The Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools. It’s about the ambitious plan hatched by Cory Booker, Chris Christie and Mark Zuckerberg to reform Newark’s schools from the top down. Then, Kristina Rizga tells the inspiring story of an inner city high school that’s changing students’ lives. Her book is Mission High: One School, How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph.

Conservation biologist Carl Safina talks about his latest book, Beyond Words: What Animals Think And Feel.

Read the first chapter and hear Carl Safina read from Beyond Words.

We talk with Joyce Carol Oates about her wonderful new memoir, The Lost Landscape: A Writer’s Coming of Age (Harper Collins). It tells the story of her coming of age as a writer, from her childhood in rural western New York state until her launching as a celebrated novelist. Then we re-play an edited version of our 2014 interview with novelist Ann Patchett about her book of essays, This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage.