Writer's Voice with Francesca Rheannon

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.

Coyote: Robert M. Dowling on Sam Shepard and the American Psyche

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Episode Summary: In this episode of Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon speaks with biographer Robert M. Dowling about his biography, Coyote: The Dramatic Lives of Sam Shepard. Dowling explores Shepard’s groundbreaking theatrical innovations, his jazz-inspired rhythms, and his shamanistic approach to performance — along with the deep fear that powered his work.  “He feared the estrangement — our estrangement from the earth, from ourselves, from reality even.” — Robert Dowling Another writer who loved the deserts of California, as Sam Shepard did, was the poet Forrest Gander. We re-air a conversation with him from April of 2025 about his book-length poem, Mojave Ghost. And finally, Francesca reads a powerful ode written by former US Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman to Renee Nicole Good, “For Renee Nicole Good Killed by I.C.E. on January 7, 2026.” Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Tags: Sam Shepard biography, Robert M. Dowling, Coyote, American playwrights, Forrest Gander, Renée Nicole Good, Amanda Gorman, Writer’s Voice podcast Read the Transcript Robert M. Dowling In our conversation about Coyote, Robert M. Dowling traces Sam Shepard’s evolution from “punk rock cowboy playwright” to cultural visionary, explaining how Shepard rejected realism to project inner turmoil directly onto the stage. Dowling discusses Shepard’s use of humor as a survival mechanism, his musical sense of theater rooted in jazz and percussion, and his lifelong struggle with fear — shaped by a violent father and mirrored in what Shepard saw as America’s own self-loathing. The episode also examines Shepard’s ideas about masculinity, political polarization, and alienation, before closing with a moving account of his final months and relentless devotion to writing. Robert M. Dowling is s professor of English at Central Connecticut State University. In addition to Coyote, He is the author of the biography, Eugene O’Neill: A Life in Four Acts. Listen to or Read a Sample from Coyote

Nell Bernstein on Ending Youth Prison & Tamar Adler on Cooking As If People Matter

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. In this episode of Writer’s Voice, journalist Nell Bernstein examines the decades-long movement to end youth incarceration in the United States, drawing on her book In Our Future We Are Free. Bernstein traces how incarcerated young people, their parents, lawyers, and organizers pierced the invisibility of youth prisons and achieved a historic 75% reduction in youth incarceration nationwide. “Youth prisons are inherently abusive by design.” — Nell Bernstein In the second segment, chef and writer Tamar Adler discusses Feast On Your Life, a deeply personal calendar-based book that explores how cooking, leftovers, sobriety, ritual, and attention can transform the ordinary into something sustaining—even during periods of despair. “The bean broth wouldn’t let me be.” — Tamar Adler Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Key Words: youth incarceration, prison abolition, juvenile justice reform, Nell Bernstein, In Our Future We Are Free, Tamar Adler, Feast On Your Life, sustainability, leftovers, You Might Also Like: Nell Bernstein, BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE, Katherine Harvey, The Bare Bones Broth Cookbook Read the Transcript on Substack Segment One: Nell Bernstein Bernstein reflects on the evolution of her reporting from Burning Down the House to In Our Future We Are Free, documenting how youth prisons—institutions she describes as abusive by design—have been challenged and dismantled through organizing led by incarcerated young people and their families. She explains why youth incarceration is not rehabilitative but criminogenic, how racialized fear narratives like the “super predator” myth enabled abuse, and why abolition—not cosmetic reform—is necessary. Bernstein also draws connections to present-day immigration detention and reflects on what this movement teaches us about sustained social change under authoritarian conditions. Segment Two: Tamar Adler Segment Two Summary: Tamar Adler Adler describes writing Feast On Your Life during a period of depression, using daily attention to food and cooking as a way to heal. Organized month-by-month, the book reflects on sobriety, leftovers, seasonal abundance, restraint, imagination, ritual, and gratitude. She discusses cooking “as if people mattered,” the ethical and ecological connections embedded in everyday meals, and how small rituals—packing lunches, saving bean broth, sharing fruit—create meaning and resilience. Drawing on Ursula K. Le Guin’s carrier bag theory, Adler frames her work as a quiet, gathering-oriented alternative to spectacle-driven narratives. Read An Excerpt Key Topics Youth prison abolition and organizing Racialized incarceration and the “super predator” myth Solitary confinement and institutional invisibility Trauma, criminogenic systems, and community care Cooking as attention, connection, and ethics Ritual, seasonality, and everyday meaning Sobriety, restraint, and renewal

Entwined Lives: Bridget Lyons on the Intersection of Species, with Carl Safina on Alfie and Me

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Today we explore what it really means to share the planet with other forms of life. We’ll talk with writer Bridget Lyons about her acclaimed book, Entwined: Dispatches from the Intersection of Species, a collection of essays that invites us to see animals, plants, and even ourselves in a radically more connected way. “Part of the reason I wrote this book was to encourage people, inspire people to just go outside and look around and see who else is living around you.” — Bridget Lyons And then we’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation with ecologist and author Carl Safina about his book Alfie and Me, the extraordinary story of a baby owl that helped him rethink what animals know — and what humans believe.  “People have often said humans are the only logical animals, but I think that’s almost completely backward. We’re really the only illogical animals.” — Carl Safina Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Key Words: Bridget Lyons, Entwined, Carl Safina, Alfie and Me, Writers Voice podcast, animal intelligence, anthropomorphism, biodiversity, environmental ethics, sea stars, interspecies relationships You Might Also Like: Adam Nicholson on BIRD SCHOOL, Richard Louv, OUR WILD CALLING & Carl Safina, BEYOND WORDS Read the Transcript on Substack Segment One — Bridget Lyons on Entwined Bridget Lyons describes how her essays begin with encounters with other species — kelp, whales, sea stars, fireweed, octopuses — and expand into questions about value, empathy, humility, and how humans might live differently on the planet. She explains that real connection begins with paying attention: “Part of the reason I wrote this book was to encourage people, inspire people to just go outside and look around and see who else is living around you.” Lyons argues that wonder leads to empathy and responsibility: “As you become more connected to them, you feel more empathy for their life situation and what’s going on with them.” One of the book’s core themes is rethinking value — not just in economic terms, but in terms of being: “Can I, as a person, learn to value this creature for just being who it is, rather than for how it serves me, how it bothers me, etc.” Lyons also speaks about humility in the face of ecological complexity: “We all need a hefty, hefty dose of humility.” And about how curiosity builds respect across species: “The more you learn, or the more you learn that you don’t know, or the more that you marvel at something that another creature is doing, the more I think you’re creating a bridge.” Segment Two — Carl Safina on Alfie and Me (archival excerpt) Carl Safina tells the story of raising a baby screech owl named Alfie and what that relationship revealed about how animals experience the world — and how humans misunderstand it. Safina challenges the idea that humans are uniquely rational: “People have often said humans are the only logical animals, but I think that’s almost completely backward. We’re really the only illogical animals.” He explains how human beliefs often override evidence: “We’re the only ones who carry on through the world based on our beliefs rather than on evidence about how the world is and what the world around us is.” Safina describes why freedom matters even when safety is available: “That is not life. It’s pure safety, but there’s no shot at being part of the world or part of the future.” And he reflects on what it means to witness another being’s full life unfold: “I got to know something about these birds, and then I started to ask myself, well, why are we so blind to all of this?” Key Topics Key Topics The “intersection of species” Anthropomorphism and connection Wonder, humility, and ecological awareness How humans assign value Extinction and regeneration Animal intelligence and culture What owls — and other animals — reveal about how the world works

American Reich: Eric Lichtblau on Murder, Neo-Nazis, & the New Age of Hate

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Eric Lichtblau joins Writer’s Voice to discuss his new book, American Reich, a gripping investigation that begins with the murder of Blaze Bernstein in Orange County and expands into a sweeping analysis of white nationalism in 21st-century America. “We’ve seen an enormous surge in hate crimes across the board… and this is horribly symptomatic of the rise of the neo-Nazis in the 21st century.” — Eric Lichtblau Lichtblau traces how online extremism, political normalization of hate, and leaderless neo-Nazi networks have collided to shape a dangerous new era—one that has produced waves of hate crimes, radicalized young white men, and emboldened supremacist movements. Lichtblau also explores the role of Trump-era politics, the mechanics of recruitment and radicalization — and what gives him hope for resistance and solidarity. We also re-air a clip from our 2017 interview with photojournalist Zach Roberts about his viral photos of the brutal beating of De’Andre Harris by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia during the Unite the Right rally on August 12 of that year. Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast. Key Words: American Reich, Eric Lichtblau, Writer’s Voice podcastwhite supremacy, neo-Nazis, hate crimes, online extremismreplacement theory, Trump white nationalism You Might Also Like: Zach Roberts on Charlottesville attack, Michael German on POLICING WHITE SUPREMACY Key Topics The murder of Blaze Bernstein as a window into national extremism How Trump-era rhetoric normalized white supremacist ideology Historical cycles of xenophobia and racism in America Online radicalization & social platforms as recruitment engines Atomwaffen Division, James Mason, and leaderless resistance Replacement theory explained Why young white men become targets for recruitment The reality of modern hate-crime statistics Community resistance and hope