Writer's Voice with Francesca Rheannon

Tom Butler of the Foundation for Deep Ecology talks about a gorgeous -- and disturbing -- new coffee table book of photojournalism, Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot. And women mystery writers have gone from being ignored to being stars of the genre. We talk with mystery writer Sara Paretsky about women’s changing position in the genre and about her own socially conscious mystery writing. And we congratulate Elizabeth Kolbert on her Pulitzer Prize.

The more we know about climate change, the less we do about it. It's the "climate paradox." That's why we need a new psychology of climate change, according to Norwegian author and economist, Per Espen Stoknes. His new book, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming, tackles the climate paradox head one in an eminently readable book that should be obligatory reading for all who care about our future and are frustrated at the show pace of action.

Journalist Eric Alterman talks about his new book, Inequality And One City: Bill de Blasio and the New York Experiment. It’s about how the New York mayor is using city government to implement his agenda on inequality, the forces arrayed against him and the contradictions he faces. And then, we hear a poem or three for Poetry Month.

In 2008, WV guest James W. Russell got a big shock, like hundreds of thousands of other Americans who thought their 401k’s were going to give them a comfortable retirement. His retirement portfolio took a big hit, so he decided to investigate just why our retirement system is so insecure. What he found out, he’s put into his explosive book, SOCIAL INSECURITY: 401(k)s and the Retirement Crisis. We spend the hour talking with Russell about 401k’s, pension plans, and social security -- and what can be done to make sure we don’t end up poor in our old age.

ABC anchorman and meditator Dan Harris talks about his book, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story. Then, renowned psychiatrist and author of Thoughts Without A Thinker Mark Epstein discusses his latest book, The Trauma Of Every Day Life. It’s about how Buddhist meditation can help us heal from trauma and use it to achieve greater wisdom.

Historian Lara Vapnek talks about her biography of the great labor organizer and champion of civil liberties, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.

Former E.P.A. official E. G. Vallianatos talks about his book, Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and The EPA. And we have a conversation with pioneer environmentalist James “Gus” Speth. He co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council and founded the World Resources Institute. His new memoir, Angels By The River, looks back on his life in public policy -- and also toward the future of the environmental movement.

Psychologist Walter Mischel talks about his new book The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control (Little, Brown, September 2014). It’s about his famed experiment testing delayed gratification in kids and what it can teach all of us. And grownups everywhere complain that our kids are spoiled -- but is that really true? Or is it just a case of conservative ideology going mainstream? Alfie Kohn talks about his latest book, The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting (Da Capo Lifelong Books, March 2014.)

Alfie Kohn talks about his views on the Common Core and progressive education.

Author Suki Kim talks about her fascinating story of life in North Korea, WITHOUT YOU, THERE IS NO US. She went undercover in the DPRK to bring a more humanized view of North Koreans to the West. Also, political cartoonist Ted Rall comments on the killings at Charlie Hebdo.

Bob Herbert talks about his penetrating new book, Losing Our Way: An Intimate Portrait of a Troubled America and Investigative reporter Greg Palast talks about the two sides of Mario Cuomo: the liberal lion and the back room politician, who cut deals for powerful corporate interests.

Reuters journalist Marc Frank talks about his book, Cuban Revelations: Behind the Scenes in Havana. It’s about the profound changes that country is undergoing. Also, the US is stepping back from half a century of failed policy in Cuba. Will it take that long for us to correct our mistakes in the Middle East? We talk with foreign policy expert and Iraq War veteran Matthew Hoh.

Matthew Hoh talks about the blowback caused by US policy in the Middle East, including torture, Hoh’s analysis of ISIS, moral injury affecting verterans, the epidemic of veterans' suicides and his own PTSD.

Ellen Cooney talks about her newest novel, The Mountaintop School For Dogs. It's a mystery about an unusual rescue operation. We also replay our conversation with animal behaviorist Vint Virga about his book, The Soul of All Living Creatures: What Animals Can Teach Us About Being Human.

David Laskin talks about his family memoir of Jewish life in the twentieth century, The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century. Then, a poet’s dialog with the 1886 diary of an ordinary woman: Sarah Sousa talks about her books, Diary of Esther Small, 1886 and Church of Needles.