Writer's Voice with Francesca Rheannon

Jung Chang on Fly, Wild Swans: China, Freedom + the Fight for Truth

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. In this episode of Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon speaks with bestselling author Jung Chang about her memoir Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself, and China, the long-awaited sequel to her landmark book Wild Swans. Chang recounts how her parents — once devoted Communists — became disillusioned by famine, repression, and the violence of the Cultural Revolution. Their refusal to betray their beliefs shaped her own commitment to truth and integrity. “My mother was made to kneel on broken glass… but she still refused to denounce my father.”   She also reflects on her extraordinary journey from Mao’s isolated China to becoming one of the first Chinese students to study in Britain, and how that experience transformed her thinking. “I must only follow the evidence and arrive at conclusions from the evidence gathered.”   Finally, Chang discusses the resurgence of authoritarianism under Xi Jinping and why she still believes China’s people ultimately desire freedom. Read A Sample from Fly, Wild Swans Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Read The Transcript on Substack Tags: Jung Chang interview, Fly Wild Swans, Wild Swans author, Chinese history memoir, China under Xi Jinping, authoritarianism China, Writer’s Voice podcast Segment: Jung Chang — Fly, Wild Swans After Jung Chang wrote her first memoir, Wild Swans, she went on to write biographies of Mao Tse Tung and the last Empress of China. Now, 25 years after her first book, Chang returns with Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself, and China, continuing the story after she became one of the first Chinese students allowed to leave Communist China and study in the West. Jung Chang recounts how her parents — once devoted Communists — became disillusioned by famine, repression, and the violence of the Cultural Revolution. She describes how her father’s protest against Mao’s policies led to brutal punishment — and how her mother refused to denounce him despite immense pressure. Their refusal to betray their beliefs shaped her own commitment to truth and integrity. She also reflects on her extraordinary journey from Mao’s isolated China to becoming one of the first Chinese students to study in Britain, and how that experience transformed her thinking. Finally, Chang tells us about the resurgence of authoritarianism under Xi Jinping and why she still believes China’s people ultimately want to be free. In addition to her other books, Jung Chang is the author of Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister. Key Topics • Jung Chang’s memoir Fly, Wild Swans • The legacy of Wild Swans • Mao’s China and the Cultural Revolution • Political courage and moral integrity • The Great Chinese Famine • Intellectual freedom and scholarship • China under Xi Jinping • Resistance to authoritarianism

Dignity or Survival? Two Writers Confront Freedom Under Pressure

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. In this episode of Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon speaks with political philosopher Lea Ypi about Indignity: A Life Reimagined, a genre-blending work of memoir, history, and philosophical inquiry that explores dignity under authoritarian regimes. “I think of [dignity] as a property that is really what makes us human.” — Lea Ypi Then novelist Eleanor Shearer discusses Fireflies in Winter, a lyrical historical novel following Jamaican Maroons exiled to Nova Scotia after the Second Maroon War. Through the story of Cora, Agnes, and Thursday, Shearer examines freedom, queer love, grief, and the moral tension between survival and solidarity. “You were only ever a kind of set of stolen papers away… from having your freedom snatched from you.” — Eleanor Shearer Together, these conversations probe enduring questions: What is dignity? What does it mean to be free inside systems designed to deny freedom? How do we maintain moral agency when our survival is at stake? Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Read The Transcript on Substack Tags: Lea Ypi interview, Indignity book, Eleanor Shearer interview, Fireflies in Winter novel, Jamaican Maroons history, historical fiction about slavery, queer historical fiction, Writer’s Voice podcast. You may also like: Jacob Mikanowski, GOODBYE EASTERN EUROPE, DaMaris Hill, A Bound Woman Is A Dangerous Thing Segment One: Lea Ypi A haunting honeymoon photograph of her grandmother — posted online by a stranger and met with accusations and insults — launches Lea Ypi into a philosophical and archival investigation. Ypi’s grandmother lived through the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, fascism, communism, and neoliberal capitalism. The book asks: What does it cost to defend dignity when systems of power are dedicated to erase it? Ypi explores: Dignity as a universal human capacity for moral agency The archive as an instrument of power Communist surveillance and modern surveillance capitalism Nationalism, fascism, and historical repetition The responsibility of art to “rescue dignity” Read An Excerpt Segment Two: Eleanor Shearer Shearer brings to life the little-known history of Jamaican Maroons exiled to Nova Scotia in the 1790s. Her protagonist Cora has never been enslaved — yet her freedom is deeply precarious. In Nova Scotia, she encounters Agnes, a formerly enslaved woman surviving in the forest, and Thursday, an indentured laborer whose freedom hangs by a thread. Shearer explores: The ambiguity between legal freedom and lived freedom Indentureship and stolen contracts Queer love as resistance The moral collision between survival and solidarity Grief as a shaping force Read or Listen to A Sample

Daring To Be Free: Sudhir Hazareesingh on Slave Rebellion & Resistance

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Resistance Is the Story When we tell the history of slavery, too often we tell it as a story of suffering relieved by benevolent reformers. But what if resistance — not submission — was the central thread all along? This week on Writer’s Voice, we begin with historian Sudhir Hazareesingh, whose groundbreaking book Daring to Be Free reframes the history of Atlantic slavery as a history of rebellion: from African defense militias and shipboard revolts to maroon communities and the Haitian Revolution. He restores enslaved women and men to the center of their own liberation struggles — not as passive victims, but as strategists, spiritual leaders, and revolutionaries. “From the very moment slave raiding parties are sent out… people begin to resist.” — Sudhir Hazareesingh Then we revisit my 2012 conversation with novelist Jacqueline Sheehan about The Comet’s Tale, her powerful work of historical fiction about Sojourner Truth. Through Truth’s childhood in bondage, her spiritual awakening, and her emergence as a fearless abolitionist and women’s rights advocate, we explore resilience, moral courage, and the making of a revolutionary life. Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Tags: Sudhir Hazareesingh, Daring to Be Free, Atlantic slavery, slave resistance, Haitian Revolution, Solitude of Guadeloupe, maroon communities, Sojourner Truth, Jacqueline Sheehan, The Comet’s Tale, Abolition movement, Black history, Writers Voice podcast, You May Also Like: Aaron Robertson, THE BLACK UTOPIANS, Ben Passmore on Black Resistance Read The Transcript Segment One: Sudhir Hazareesingh There are many histories of the Atlantic slave trade. Few center the enslaved as agents of their own freedom. In Daring to Be Free, Sudhir Hazareesingh challenges the myth that resistance was rare or exceptional. Instead, he shows that resistance was woven into the fabric of slavery from the very beginning. Solitude and the Erased Women of Resistance Hazareesingh opens with the story of Solitude of Guadeloupe — a freedom fighter who resisted Napoleon’s 1802 attempt to reinstate slavery and was executed while remaining defiant . Her story, erased for generations, symbolizes what he calls a “hidden history” of resistance. For too long, he argues, histories focused on male leaders and major revolutions, especially Haiti. But enslaved resistance was constant — and women were central actors: strategists, healers, organizers, spiritual leaders . Resistance Began in Africa Hazareesingh emphasizes that rebellion did not begin in the Americas. It began in Africa itself. From the moment slave raiders entered African villages, communities organized militias, fought capture, resisted transport, and even planned revolts while confined on the coast . Shipboard insurrections were often planned before captives even boarded the ships. Resistance was integral to the system — not an exception to it. Spiritual Traditions as Sources of Power African religious traditions — including Obeah and Islam — fortified resistance movements . These spiritual systems preserved identity, offered psychological protection, and helped organize rebellion. Under conditions of near-total domination, enslaved people carved out autonomous interior worlds — sustaining languages, faiths, and networks of solidarity . Women as Network Builders Women, often working inside plantation households, gathered intelligence and helped coordinate revolts . They maintained kinship networks that countered what one historian called slavery’s “social death.” Hazareesingh discovered instead a story of social persistence: communities forming bonds across plantations, across ethnic lines, and even across racial boundaries. Palmares and Cross-Boundary Alliances One astonishing example: Palmares in 17th-century Brazil — a vast maroon society of thousands that developed political systems, agriculture, trade, and military defenses . Palmares blended African and Indigenous military traditions and even attracted poor whites seeking more humane community . Resistance was multiracial, transnational, and sustained. Haiti: Rank-and-File Revolution While Hazareesingh has written on Toussaint L’Ouverture, in this book he emphasizes rank-and-file insurgents . The Haitian Revolution became a beacon of Black sovereignty — and a terror to slaveholding powers . News of the uprising spread rapidly via sailors and refugee networks . Yet Haiti paid a devastating price: punitive indemnities imposed by France in 1825, U.S. intervention under Woodrow Wilson, and ongoing destabilization . The Enslaved as the True Abolitionists Hazareesingh challenges the narrative that white reformers abolished slavery. Most abolitionists advocated gradualism. The enslaved demanded — and fought for — immediate freedom . Their revolts and persistent pressure forced political change. Honoring Our Debts In concluding, Hazareesingh calls for a “debt of memory” — telling the story truthfully — and for serious engagement with material reparations . And he offers a lesson for today: unity, resilience, and moral courage in the face of authoritarianism . Read An Excerpt Segment Two: Jacqueline Sheehan The Comet’s Tale — A Novel of Sojourner Truth In our encore conversation from 2012, novelist Jacqueline Sheehan explores the inner life of Sojourner Truth. Isabella’s Childhood in Bondage Born Isabella Baumfree in Dutch New York, Sojourner Truth’s first language was Dutch . Sheehan spent five years researching Truth’s early life, drawing from the dictated narrative recorded by Olive Gilbert in Massachusetts . Her novel focuses intensely on childhood — the psychological resilience required to survive being treated as property and sold away from family . The Power of Story The title The Comet’s Tale comes from a fictionalized birth story told by Isabella’s mother — illustrating how oral tradition helped enslaved parents maintain connection with children sold away . Storytelling becomes an act of survival. Spiritual Seeking and Dangerous Faith After gaining freedom, Isabella moved to New York City during a period of religious ferment . She became involved in the cult of Matthias — a charismatic religious leader who manipulated followers and dictated their lives . Later, after a profound spiritual epiphany, she renamed herself Sojourner Truth — believing God had called her to preach . Though illiterate, she became a mesmerizing orator; newspaper accounts described the hair standing on listeners’ necks . Florence, Massachusetts: Political Awakening Truth eventually found community at the Northampton Association for Education and Industry — a utopian, abolitionist community based on equality of labor and one person, one vote . There she interacted with Frederick Douglass and David Ruggles, and blended her spirituality with abolitionism and women’s rights activism . She later supported Black soldiers during the Civil War and met Abraham Lincoln . Resilience as Choice Sheehan emphasizes Truth’s moral agency: despite enduring profound injustice, she chose not to live in hatred . Her life illustrates that even under brutal conditions, individuals retain the capacity for courageous choice.

Human Fracking? The Attention Liberation Movement vs. Big Tech

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary Something feels wrong with our attention — and with reality itself. In Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement, editors D. Graham Burnett, Alyssa Loh, and Peter Schmidt argue that this crisis is not about individual willpower. It’s about a multi-trillion-dollar industry built to monetize human attention. They call it “human fracking.” “These phones are the final node in a… $7 to $14 trillion industry that’s all about maximizing the amount of time that we engage with these devices… capturing our attention and turning it into money. And we call that ‘human fracking.’” — Peter Schmidt In this conversation, we explore how the commodification of attention reshapes nearly every aspect of our lives. We talk about attention as relational and ethical — not just measurable. And we examine why reclaiming attention must be a collective political movement, not a private detox. Then, we listen to an excerpt from our 2025 conversation with Cory Doctorow about his book Enshittifcation. Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Tags: Attention Liberation Movement, Attensity book, D. Graham Burnett, Peter Schmidt, Alyssa Loh, human fracking, attention economy, digital capitalism, social media harm, attention activism, Cory Doctorow enshittification, attention sanctuaries, Writers Voice podcast You may also like: Cory Doctorow, Enshittification, Cory Doctorow, Picks and Shovels Read The Transcript Segment Summary The Crisis of Attention Why attention is “the key question of our moment” The metaphor of “human fracking” The internal environmental crisis of the mind Attention as World-Making Attention as relational and ethical Simone Weil and the spiritual dimensions of attention How degraded attention makes reality feel unreal Movement, Not Detox Converting private shame into collective anger Why willpower isn’t enough Parallels to environmental and civil rights movements Sanctuaries of Attention Study, organizing, sanctuary Libraries, classrooms, coffee shops, Sabbath Reimagining civic institutions as attention infrastructure A Positive Vision Designing technologies for human flourishing What a liberated attentional world might feel like for the next generation Listen to or Read a Sample from the book Read the Poem: St. Francis and the Sow

Andrew Burstein on Thomas Jefferson: Slavery, Democracy, & The Idea of America

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary: Historian Andrew Burstein joins us to talk about his biography, Being Thomas Jefferson. It’s an intimate portrait that looks beyond the marble statue and into the emotional life of one of America’s most influential founders. Burstein explores Jefferson as a political moralist, a lyrical writer, and as someone who imagined democracy while profiting from slavery, who preached equality while exercising enormous power over others, and as someone who believed passionately in the nation’s destiny while fearing the forces of centralized power that could tear it apart. “The Jefferson that I write about in this book is a political moralist who converts knowledge into feeling.” — Andrew Burstein We’ll talk about Jefferson’s psychological world, his relationship with Sally Hemings, his battles with Federalism, and how his inner life helped shape our nation and the ideals we’re struggling to protect today. Then, we listen to an excerpt from our 2014 conversation with Danielle Allen about her book Our Declaration, A Reading Of The Declaration of Independence In Defense of Equality. Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Tags: Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Burstein, Being Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, slavery, Founding Fathers, Federalism, Jeffersonian democracy, American Revolution, Writer’s Voice, Danielle Allen, Declaration of Independence, You Might Also Like: Danielle Allen, OUR DECLARATION, Sojourner Truth, Her Story & Meaning, Read the Transcript Andrew Burstein Francesca Rheannon speaks with historian Andrew Burstein about Being Thomas Jefferson, a biography that examines Jefferson not just as a political figure, but as an emotional and psychological one. Burstein describes Jefferson as “a political moralist who converts knowledge into feeling,” explaining how Jefferson’s seductive, lyrical writing helped forge America’s moral identity while masking deep personal fears and contradictions The conversation explores Jefferson’s inner life, his need for control, his relationship with Sally Hemings, his rationalizations around slavery, and his enduring influence on American democracy. Burstein also traces Jefferson’s conflict with Federalism, his vision of an agrarian republic, and his belief that “the whole art of government is the art of being honest.” It’s a candid discussion about legacy, race, power, self-deception, and what Jefferson’s emotional world still reveals about the United States today. Andrew Burstein recently retired as Professor of History at Louisiana State University. In addition to Being Thomas Jefferson, He is the author of The Passions of Andrew Jackson, Jefferson’s Secrets, and several other books on early American politics and culture.