Shows
Think BackHow Slavery EndedIn this episode of Think Back, I talk with historian Tom Zoellner about his new book The Road Was Full of Thorns: Running Toward Freedom in the American Civil War. We dig into a dimension of emancipation that often gets overshadowed by presidential proclamations and congressional acts: the ground-level pressure created by enslaved people themselves. Zoellner traces how thousands of self-emancipated men and women forced the Union to confront slavery not as an abstraction, but as an urgent reality. The Underground Railroad, in effect, became “above ground,” and the war’s meaning began to shift.Our conversation explor...
2026-02-2437 min
Celebrating ArizonaFar Off the Beaten PathTom Zoellner numbers among the best authors who venture into rougher areas of Arizona and bring the experiences back in writing so we don't have to go to know them. Lisa Schnebly Heidinger has been telling stories of Arizona people and events starting as a cub reporter in Green Valley more than forty years ago. She moved through radio, television, magazines, opinion pieces, magazines and books, until now she hosts the podcast Celebrating Arizona. Each of her guest interviewees has their own Arizona, and more.
2026-01-2038 min
Community of Writers PodcastsBibliocracy Radio: Tom Zoellner- The Road Was Full of ThornsA welcome regular on Bibliocracy, my end-of-year 2025 Fund Drive guest is Tom Zoellner, celebrated in a three-part series starting today which features his latest, The Road Was Full of Thorns: Running Toward Freedom in the American Civil War. This remarkable book researches, reconsiders, and revises the story of slavery’s inevitable end, focusing on a singularly remarkable and game-changing historical moment. Imagine enslaved people finding refuge in a Union fortress, and then being used politically as assets (“contraband”) in one of the most ironic strategies in the struggle toward win emancipation. About t...
2026-01-0558 min
Behind the Book CoverTom Zoellner on Letting Go of the Hustle to Find Meaning in Writing Rather than PublishingTom Zoellner has no illusions about fame, sales or the myth of the “life-changing book.” A National Book Critics Circle Award winner and New York Times bestselling author, Zoellner has written nine acclaimed works of nonfiction including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, which also became a finalist for the Bancroft Prize and the California Book Award. But despite the accolades, he’s learned to see writing not as a climb toward visibility but as a lifelong meditation on curiosity and craft.In this episode, he and I had a lively debate...
2025-12-1643 min
Our American StoriesThe Shocking Story Behind the Diamond Engagement RingOn this episode of Our American Stories, when Tom Zoellner found himself holding a diamond engagement ring with no wedding ahead of it, he began to wonder how a single piece of jewelry had come to carry so much weight. That question sent him far from the jewelry counters where most people shop for engagement rings and deep into the long history behind them. His search led to Victorian engagement traditions, the rise of diamond marketing, and the complicated story of how a proposal ring became a cultural expectation. Tom shares how his journey reshaped the way he understood...
2025-12-0909 min
Radio Free Mike019 Tom Zoellner: The Road Was Full of ThornsTom Zoellner won a National Book Critics’ Circle award for ISLAND ON FIRE, about the uprising in Jamaica that led to the end of slavery within the British Empire. His new book, THE ROAD WAS FULL OF THORNS, argues that an improvised legal theory during the American Civil War — about slaves as “contraband” — led straight to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. President Lincoln at first just wanted to keep the Union together; the South wanted to preserve the “peculiar institution”; but a single incident at Fort Monroe in northern Virginia would change Lincoln’s mind, as well as American history.Tom Zoellne...
2025-10-0740 min
History Unplugged PodcastA Union General Found a Loophole in the Fugitive Slave Act, Causing 1 Million Slaves to Flee NorthAfter the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, enslaved people feared running away to the North, as their return was mandated, and they faced brutal punishment or even death upon return to deter others from escaping. But that changed during the Civil War. Black slaves in Confederate Virginia began hearing rumors that they could receive their freedom if they reached the Union’s Fort Monroe. Union General Benjamin Butler found a loophole in the Fugitive Slave Act that allowed slaves who fled to Northern lines to be treated as "contraband of war"—seized enemy property—under the Confiscation Act of...
2025-09-3045 min
AMSEcastAMSEcast with guest Tom ZoellnerGiven the centrality of uranium to the story of the Manhattan Project, the creation of Oak Ridge, and the ongoing nuclear renaissance, I thought it would be good to learn more about that element, so I spoke on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Tom Zoellner about his fascinating book, Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World. I started by asking why uranium is so unique and so suited to creating the chain reactions that are central to both nuclear energy production and the workings of nuclear weapons.
2025-05-3104 min
The University of Arizona Press PodcastTom Zoellner, "Rim to River: Looking Into the Heart of Arizona" (U Arizona Press, 2023)Tom Zoellner walked across the length of Arizona to come to terms with his home state. But the trip revealed more mountains behind the mountains.Rim to River: Looking Into the Heart of Arizona (U Arizona Press, 2023) is the story of this extraordinary journey through redrock country, down canyons, up mesas, and across desert plains to the obscure valley in Mexico that gave the state its enigmatic name. The trek is interspersed with incisive essays that pick apart the distinctive cultural landscape of Arizona: the wine-colored pinnacles and complex spirituality of Navajoland, the mind-numbing stucco suburbs, desperate b...
2025-04-171h 00
AMSEcastThe World of Uranium with Tom ZoellnerTom Zoellner, award-winning writer and Chapman University professor, joins AMSEcast to discuss his book Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock that Shaped the World. He and Alan discuss the discovery of uranium, its radioactive nature, and its historical impact. Once dismissed as worthless by miners, uranium became vital to energy and warfare. The U.S. uranium rush peaked in the 1950s but has since declined. Today, uranium enrichment is expanding in the U.S., with major players like Orano investing in Oak Ridge. Guest Bio Tom Zoellner is an award-winning writer and the author of nine books, including Uranium: War, En...
2025-03-1222 min
Heartland Daily PodcastKent State: An American Tragedy (Guest: Brian VanDeMark)Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Brian VanDeMark, professor of history at the United States Naval Academy, to discuss his latest book, Kent State: An American Tragedy. They chat about the context of the divided cultural landscape of America during the Vietnam War and heightened popular anxieties around the country, how the shootings came to take place, the reductive narratives that ensued, the victims of the shooting, and the impact of that day on the Guardsmen who were there. Get the book here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324066255Show Notes:L...
2025-02-121h 15
Ill Literacy: Books with BensonKent State: An American Tragedy (Guest: Brian VanDeMark)Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Brian VanDeMark, professor of history at the United States Naval Academy, to discuss his latest book, Kent State: An American Tragedy. They chat about the context of the divided cultural landscape of America during the Vietnam War and heightened popular anxieties around the country, how the shootings came to take place, the reductive narratives that ensued, the victims of the shooting, and the impact of that day on the Guardsmen who were there. Get the book here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324066255Show Notes:L...
2025-02-121h 15
Did That Really Happen?The Siege of JadotvilleThis week we're traveling back to 1960s Congo with The Siege of Jadotville! Join us as we learn about General Tshombe, Dag Hammarsjkold, UN forces in Jadotville, uranium mining, and more! Sources: Frank Swain, "The forgotten mine that built the atomic bomb," BBC (2020). https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200803-the-forgotten-mine-that-built-the-atomic-bomb Moore, W. Robert. "White Magic in the Belgian Congo: Tribesmen Mine Uranium, Run Machines, Study Modern Medicine as Booming Trade Opens Up the Vast Colony's Resources." National Geographic Magazine, March 1952, [321]+. National Geographic Virtual Library (accessed August 1, 2024). Susan Williams, "How a rich uranium mine t...
2024-09-091h 19
Ten Across ConversationsWhy Phoenix is the 'Most American City' with George PackerIn a hotter world, places like Phoenix, Arizona, will continue to present the rest of the nation with captivating examples of the potential—or limits—of human ingenuity, collaboration and political will. The Atlantic, with its July/August 2024 cover story, goes so far as to suggest that Phoenix provides a particularly important view of the future of American civilization. In more than 20,000 words—the second-longest story the magazine has printed in the last 40 years—ten chapters and an epilogue describe the recent growth and political stratification of one of the nation’s more environmentally threated cities today. Its author, sta...
2024-08-0248 min
Novelist SpotlightNovelist Spotlight #160: A conversation with award-winner author Tom ZoellnerIn the spotlight is Tom Zoellner, the author of nine nonfiction books, including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for the best nonfiction book of 2020 and a finalist for the Bancroft Prize and the California Book Award. He works as a professor at Chapman University and Dartmouth College, and as an editor-at-large for the Los Angeles Review of Books. We discuss: >> The three questions every author should ask while deciding on a subject >> The mistakes aspiring writ...
2024-07-2454 min
KQED's ForumIn Transit: Amtrak's Future In CaliforniaAmtrak reports that overall demand for passenger rail is soaring as yearly ridership totals approach pre-pandemic levels. But in California, the story is different. Popular west coast lines are losing riders and remain challenged by underinvestment and rules that give track priority to freight trains. In addition, increasingly powerful storms and rising seas threaten Amtrak’s infrastructure: Southern California’s Pacific Surfliner has repeatedly suspended service for emergency repairs. As part of Forum’s In Transit series, we look at the future of Amtrak in California.Guests:Ethan Elkind, direct...
2024-05-1455 min
New Books in American PoliticsLooking into the Heart of Arizona: A Discussion with Author Tom ZoellnerIn Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona (University of Arizona Press, 2023), Tom Zoellner, a fifth-generation Arizonan, takes the reader on a walk across the length of the state, his narrative interspersed with essays on Arizona’s history, culture and politics. Our conversation focuses on such topics as how Arizona anticipated the Trump Era in America—how “the scent of oncoming Trumpism,” as he writes in Rim to River, became such a pronounced feature of his native state’s political and cultural landscape. Yet the story of Arizona remains in flux, as migrants pour in not just from across th...
2024-03-2152 min
New Books in the American WestLooking into the Heart of Arizona: A Discussion with Author Tom ZoellnerIn Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona (University of Arizona Press, 2023), Tom Zoellner, a fifth-generation Arizonan, takes the reader on a walk across the length of the state, his narrative interspersed with essays on Arizona’s history, culture and politics. Our conversation focuses on such topics as how Arizona anticipated the Trump Era in America—how “the scent of oncoming Trumpism,” as he writes in Rim to River, became such a pronounced feature of his native state’s political and cultural landscape. Yet the story of Arizona remains in flux, as migrants pour in not just from across th...
2024-03-2152 min
America and Beyond with Paul StarobinLooking into the Heart of Arizona: A Discussion with Author Tom ZoellnerIn Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona (University of Arizona Press, 2023), Tom Zoellner, a fifth-generation Arizonan, takes the reader on a walk across the length of the state, his narrative interspersed with essays on Arizona’s history, culture and politics. Our conversation focuses on such topics as how Arizona anticipated the Trump Era in America—how “the scent of oncoming Trumpism,” as he writes in Rim to River, became such a pronounced feature of his native state’s political and cultural landscape. Yet the story of Arizona remains in flux, as migrants pour in not just from across th...
2024-03-2152 minTen Across ConversationsUnderstanding Arizona's Past, Present, and Future with Tom ZoellnerArizona's unique natural beauty and lingering "Wild West" spirit often charm outside observers. That allure may waver when closer examination reveals realities of extreme temperatures, extended drought, and what author Tom Zoellner refers to as a "transient" community fabric. In his 2023 book, Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona, Tom's collection of essays details his one-man pilgrimage across the state to better understand its history and its enduring appeal—even in a warming world. His multidimensional perspective offers further context for our recent podcast episode on sustainability in Arizona, and for the complex factors that drive mig...
2024-03-1546 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastMarina Weisband on What Gets us Through the Crisis"Going through a crisis and having a positive vision of the future are not the same thing. You need to have a positive vision of the future to get through the crisis." Our hosts, Aida Baghernejad and Tom Zoellner, interview politician and publicist Marina Weisband for this special episode, recorded live at the international literatur festival berlin. After an introduction by political scientist and Thomas Mann Fellow Christine Landfried, they discuss the digital revolution and the ongoing war in Ukraine, among other things. Marina Weisband is a politician, psychologist, and participation educator. Together with Frido Mann, she is the...
2023-11-3056 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastLynne Thompson on the Role of Poetry in Democracies"There is an understanding that between humans we have this one thing called language and it brings us - or can bring us - together." Writer and poet Lynne Thompson talks with hosts Aida Baghernejad and Tom Zoellner about her journey to becoming a poet, the role of "truth" in poetry and its meaning for democracy. Lynne Thompson is the 2021-2022 Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles, and her poetry collections include Beg No Pardon (2007), Start With A Small Guitar (2013), and Fretwork (2019). Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Poetry, Poem-A-Day (Academy of American Poets), New England Review, Colorado Revi...
2023-10-1926 min
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2023-09-1600 min
Noire HistoryIsland on Fire [Book Review]A review of "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" by Tom Zoellner which recounts Samuel Sharpe's rebellion in Jamaica and how it led to the abolishment of slavery. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/island-on-fire-book-review.
2023-09-0135 minNoire HistoryIsland on Fire [Book Review]A review of "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" by Tom Zoellner which recounts Samuel Sharpe's rebellion in Jamaica and how it led to the abolishment of slavery. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/island-on-fire-book-review.
2023-09-0135 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastBill Wiggins on African-American History & Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesHost Tom Zoellner sat down with professor William Wiggins to discuss the ongoing importance of African-American history within the larger context of US history. Professor Wiggins has written on numerous subjects dealing with revolutionary figures and movements in U.S. history. He has taught at the University of Connecticut, St. Olaf and Allegheny Colleges, Hampton University and Columbia University, where he also served as an Assistant Dean.
2023-03-2332 minNew Books in the American WestTom Zoellner, "Rim to River: Looking Into the Heart of Arizona" (U Arizona Press, 2023)Tom Zoellner walked across the length of Arizona to come to terms with his home state. But the trip revealed more mountains behind the mountains.Rim to River: Looking Into the Heart of Arizona (U Arizona Press, 2023) is the story of this extraordinary journey through redrock country, down canyons, up mesas, and across desert plains to the obscure valley in Mexico that gave the state its enigmatic name. The trek is interspersed with incisive essays that pick apart the distinctive cultural landscape of Arizona: the wine-colored pinnacles and complex spirituality of Navajoland, the mind-numbing stucco suburbs, desperate b...
2023-03-221h 00
The Cowboy Up PodcastE35S3 A Hike to RememberThe Pacific Northwest Trail has Cheryl Strayed. The Appalachian Trail has Bill Bryson. And now the Arizona Trail has Tom Zoellner. In 2019, Zoellner hiked the trail's 800 miles and took a deep dive into what makes the Grand Canyon State tick. He chronicles his extraordinary journey and insights into Arizona's culture, history, mysteries and more in his new book "RIM TO RIVER: Looking into the Heart of Arizona." Zoellner joins Russell and Alan to talk about it all, including the city once known as Pumpkinville.
2023-03-1148 minThe Cowboy Up PodcastE35S3 A Hike to RememberThe Pacific Northwest Trail has Cheryl Strayed. The Appalachian Trail has Bill Bryson. And now the Arizona Trail has Tom Zoellner. In 2019, Zoellner hiked the trail's 800 miles and took a deep dive into what makes the Grand Canyon State tick. He chronicles his extraordinary journey and insights into Arizona's culture, history, mysteries and more in his new book "RIM TO RIVER: Looking into the Heart of Arizona." Zoellner joins Russell and Alan to talk about it all, including the city once known as Pumpkinville.
2023-03-1148 min
The Doctor Is InIndoor Ag-Con Takeaways 2023Last week Dr. Sabeh and some of her team traveled to Las Vegas for the 2023 Indoor Ag-Con. Dr. Sabeh moderated a panel on Government Regulations with speakers Marc Oshima of Aerofarms, Tom Zoellner of Farm Tech Society, and Derek Smith of the Research Innovation Institute. The conference itself has grown immensely since its start 10 years ago, and Nadia caught up with some attendees to get their impressions and share her own after the conference. Our interviewees in order of their appearance are: Jeffrey Landau of AgritectureKarla Gomez of InCity FarmsOlivier Paulus and...
2023-03-0750 min
Voices of the WestAuthor Tom Zoellner, 2/18/23Author Tom Zoellner joins us for the hour. His book, Rim to River, is a collection of essays he wrote while walking the length of Arizona--from the Utah border to the Mexican border.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/voices-of-the-west497/donations
2023-02-191h 00
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastChristoph Bieber on Hate Speech, Deep Fakes and Other Challenges of the InternetWhat can be done against online hate speech and deep fakes? Host Tom Zoellner talks to the political scientist & 2022 Thomas Mann Fellow Dr. Christoph Bieber about internet regulation in Europe and the U.S. Is there reason to be optimistic when it comes to our digital present and future? Bieber is professor of Political Science at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies in Bochum, Germany, where he among other things researches the effect of online communication on political actors.
2022-08-2527 min
New Books in Early Modern HistoryTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1645 min
New Books in Caribbean StudiesTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1644 min
New Books in British StudiesTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1645 min
New Books in Latin American StudiesTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1644 min
New Books in Military HistoryTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1645 min
The Harvard BriefTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1644 min
New Books in African American StudiesTom Zoellner, "Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire" (Harvard UP, 2020)For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder.While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, triggering a decisive turn...
2022-08-1645 min
SimoncastTom Zoellner: The patriotism of the American road trip – Episode 29 Simoncast Guest, Tom Zoellner talks about his book "The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America."(Photo courtesy of Tom Zoellner / Tom Zoellner)Journalist and author Tom Zoellner talks about his book "The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America." We discuss the proliferation of Dollar General, speed traps in the South, and how Zoellner finds beauty in the banal while traveling.Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Alee Quick. This podcast is produced through a partnership between the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
2022-04-0659 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastAurora Almendral on the Political Situation in the PhilippinesIn this episode, Tom Zoellner and fellow journalist Aurora Almendral analyze the political situation in the Philippines: How does President Rodrigo Duterte, who many criticize for his autocratic governance, endanger democratic structures in the country? How does this affect the vibrant press and journalism culture, which is under attack by Duterte? Almendral is a Philippine-born award-winning journalist who writes for The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, and National Geographic Magazine. She covers topics such as global supply chains, women in global migration, climate economy, and politics in the Philippines.
2022-02-2434 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastDaniel Ziblatt on Resilient Democracies | A Collaboration with the German American Conference at HarvardIn this collaboration with the German American Conference at Harvard, Dr. Daniel Ziblatt talks about the decline of democracies. Ziblatt encourages us not to "be afraid to reform our constitution and our institutions." In conversation with hosts Anne McElvoy and Tom Zoellner, he argues that vibrant civil societies, a robust media, and strong opposition are key to resilient democracies. Daniel Ziblatt is professor of government at Harvard University and director of Transformations of Democracy at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. He recently published, with Steve Levitsky, the best-selling book How Democracies Die.
2021-12-1644 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastAnniversary Episode: One Year of "55 Voices for Democracy"The 55 Voices for Democracy podcast celebrates it's first birthday this month! Time to look back on the first 25 episodes and reflect on what happened so far: Hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad discuss the highlights and their favorite moments of the podcast against the backdrop of their own biographies. How do their individual political and professional backgrounds shape the way they approach the podcast and interview the guests? What can we learn from having a German and a U.S. standpoint on the podcast, and how can these different political systems be helpful to get a deeper understanding of de...
2021-11-1823 min
Tiny VictoriesNational Book Lover's Day! Things You Should Stop Worrying About This WeekWhy New Zealand’s bird of the year is a bat What is wrong with Oklahoma prison guards that they torture inmates with the Baby Shark song A Moose breaking and entering an elementary schoolWindowless dorm rooms designed by billionairesDo YOU have a tiny victory to share? Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All by Christina ThompsonThe National Road by journalist Tom ZoellnerThis...
2021-11-0814 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastSusan Bernofsky on Translation and the Plurality of LanguageSusan Bernofsky's new translation of Thomas Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain" is eagerly awaited. In conversation with Tom Zoellner, Bernofsky talks about Thomas Mann's multiculturalism and the challenges of translating between languages and cultures. In this episode, the renowned translator also shares her personal experiences as a Jewish American in Europe and talks about the rise of the global, increasingly plural English language. Susan Bernofsky is the prizewinning translator of seven works of fiction by the great Swiss-German modernist author Robert Walser, as well as novels and poetry by Yoko Tawada, Jenny Erpenbeck, Uljana Wolf, Franz Kafka, Hermann Hesse, and o...
2021-08-1922 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastDavid Himbara on Threatening Developments in RwandaWhile his government has long been a promise for reconciliation and development, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is facing increasing international criticism. Human Rights Watch and other institutions accuse his government of mistreating opposition members or making them disappear. At the center of the criticism is, among other things, the kidnapping of Paul Rusesabagina, a central figure in the film Hotel Rwanda and recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. In this episode, hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad talk with David Himbara, a Rwandan political scientist and economist, about the threatening developments in Rwanda and the human rig...
2021-07-0127 min
Words and WorkTom Zoellner, author of The National RoadTed Prezelski interviews Tom Zoellner, a former reporter for the Arizona Republic and author of several books, including his latest, the National Road. The National Road is about the realities of life and geography in various parts of the country. Tom also talks about the January 8th shooting and politics in Arizona.
2021-05-2828 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastAndreas Reckwitz on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effect on Late Modern SocietiesHow can societies and states reinvent themselves after the pandemic? Andreas Reckwitz, sociologist, cultural theorist and one of Germany's most eminent contemporary scholars, talks about what the COVID-19 pandemic means for late modern society from a sociological point of view. While the pandemic highlighted structural problems such as inequality, can it also bear hope for societal transformation? With our hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad, he discusses the emergence of a new middle class and the meaning of the terms "left" and "right" today. Reckwitz is the author of Society of Singularities (2017) and The End of Illusions (2019), and will be a...
2021-05-0630 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastNora Krug on Notions of Belonging and Historical MemoryIn this episode, illustrator and author Nora Krug talks about notions of belonging, nationalism, and the power of images. In conversation with our hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad, she reflects on issues of historical memory and responsibility, and how they can be tackled in the form of a graphic novel. Krug's graphic novel "Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home" was honored with a 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award. It investigates her own family's WWII history in image and text.
2021-04-2230 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastKeisha N. Blain on African American History and Selective MemoryHistorian Keisha N. Blain, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and President of the African American Intellectual History Society, recently co-edited the acclaimed book Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019 with her colleague Ibram X. Kendi. In this episode, Blain talks about how to commemorate the 400 year anniversary of the pivotal moment in 1619, when the first group of twenty African captives arrived on "The White Lion" in Jamestown, Virginia. In her conversation with hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad, Blain reflects on the history of Black America and issues of racism, voting rights, and social...
2021-04-0832 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastDeborah Feldman on Religion, Integration and Political ParticipationIn this episode, U.S.-German writer Deborah Feldman engages in a conversation with hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad about contemporary Jewish culture in Berlin, political participation by religious communities and the meaning of trust in democracies: "We need to establish the kind of personal trust we have as individuals with each other in the public sphere." Feldman is the author of Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots (2012), in which she tells the story of her escape from an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn, New York. The book was the basis of the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox (2020).
2021-03-1139 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastJohn S. Adams on Donations as Threats for Democracies (Special Episode)In this special episode of our podcast, the award-winning investigative and political reporter John S. Adams talks about money, politics and its effect on democracy. While there was always "money in politics," the practice of political donations has become a substantial threat to liberal democracies. "In the last several years, the flood gates have really opened," states Adams in his conversation with hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad. What are the real motivations behind these donations and what are the differences between political donations in Germany and the United States? Adams was the former Capital Bureau Chief of the G...
2021-03-0438 min
Conrad Life ReportEpisode 59Welcome to Episode 59! Topics: snowstorms, running, digging out car, Zooms, Rand McNally Road Atlas, F&F Pizza, COVID vaccinations, Rose Wolf Coffee, Threes Brewing, Sean Casey Animal Shelter, Barnes & Noble, The Truth by D.R. Hooker, Ignorance by The Weather Station, Chick Corea, Return To Forever, The National Road by Tom Zoellner, Dune.
2021-02-1522 min
Conrad Life ReportEpisode 58Welcome to Episode 58! Conrad Life Report is a podcast about life, including digital media, music, books, food, drink, New York City, and more. Episode 58 topics: new microphone, the High Bridge, Common Ground Harlem, Jackie Robinson Park, LaGuardia Landing Lights Park, mom COVID vaccine, Threes Brewing 6th anniversary, Other Half 7th anniversary, Ugly Baby on Smith Street, II by LNZNDRF, UFO by Jim Sullivan, Vertigo Days by The Notwist, Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks, Maquishti by Patricia Brennan, Cooler Returns by Kiwi Jr, 'Chemtrails Over The Country Club' by Lana Del Rey, Now And Zen by Robert Plant, Uncanny Valley...
2021-01-3122 min
Book Public'The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America': Tom Zoellner’s Essay Collection A Roadmap Through Contradictory American Histories“The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America”: Tom Zoellner’s Essay Collection A Roadmap through Contradictory American Histories,
2021-01-2935 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastChantal Mouffe on Populism and AuthoritarianismIn this episode, Belgian political theorist Chantal Mouffe reflects on the question of why democracy has to be turbulent and how to foster a democratic ethos of equality and social justice. In her conversation with Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad, she discovers surprising potentials, especially in artistic practices. Chantal Mouffe is best known for her books For a Left Populism (2018), Agonistics: Thinking the World Politically (2013) and The Democratic Paradox (2000). She holds a professorship at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster.
2020-12-2241 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastDaniel Kehlmann on Politics, Power, and PopulismThe German-Austrian novelist and playwright Daniel Kehlmann talks with host Tom Zoellner and co-host Aida Baghernejad about the reasons for the rise of populist politicians and "literature as the ultimate school of empathy." What perspective do contemporary German literary authors have on the rise of populism around the world? His book Measuring the World (2006) is one of the world's best-selling German-language books of the 21st century. Tyll, the latest novel of Kehlmann, who currently lives in New York City and Berlin, was published in the U.S. this year, three years after it became a bestseller in Germany.
2020-12-0832 min
LA Review of BooksAlex Ross in Wagner's ShadowsMedaya and Eric are joined by Alex Ross, the New Yorker's longtime music critic and author of Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadows of Music. Wagner's wide reaching influence across centuries, thinkers and artists reaches far beyond the realm of music. As they explore the complexity of his impact, the conversation wrestles with the stain of anti-Semitism, in Wagner’s thought and the Nazis embrace of his work, on his legacy.
Also Tom Zoellner, author of The National Road: Dispatches From a Changing America, returns to recommend John Gunther's 1947 classic Inside USA.
2020-12-0449 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastWolfgang Ischinger on Trust, Truth, and TransparencyThe former German Ambassador to the U.S. and Chairman of the Munich Security Conference speaks about Europe's position in international politics. In the interview with host Tom Zoellner and co-host Aida Baghernejad, the author of World in Danger: Germany and Europe in an Uncertain Time explains how shared values such as "truth, trust and transparency" can be strengthened again and what it means to revitalize transatlantic relations in turbulent times.
2020-11-2432 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Franak Viačorka and the Crisis in BelarusThe guests in this episode are the Belarusian opposition politicians Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Franak Viačorka. Tsikhanouskaya, who ran for president in the 2020 elections, is currently in exile in Lithuania. She is considered to be one the most important voices of the democratic opposition in Belarus. Viačorka is journalist, blogger and an activist in the Belarusian struggle for democracy and personal freedom. The two talk to host Tom Zoellner and co-host Aida Baghernejad about the situation in Belarus and their experiences in the election year.
2020-11-1728 minLA Review of BooksThe Election and a Changing America: LARB Politics Editor Tom Zoellner on The National RoadWe’re joined by Tom Zoellner, award-winning author and the LA Review of Books Politics Editor. Tom and the co-hosts talk about the election, the tenor of the online political debate, and the future of patriotism. We also discuss Tom’s new book, The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America, a collection of essays from Tom’s travels throughout the country.
Also, former LARB intern Jenna Beales returns to recommend Starting Point 1979-1996, a collection of essays by Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary animator and co-founder of Studio Ghibli.
2020-11-1348 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastDipayan Ghosh on Digital DemocracyHow should democracies deal with the increasing power of tech companies? This episode features Dipayan Ghosh, a former technology and economic policy advisor in the Obama White House. Ghosh conducts research on digital piracy, artificial intelligence and civil rights at the Harvard Kennedy School. His recently published and critically acclaimed report "Utilities for Democracy – Why and How the Algorithmic Infrastructure of Facebook and Google must be regulated" serves as a starting point for a conversation with host Tom Zoellner.
2020-11-1026 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastConny McCormack on Election MechanicsConny McCormack has served as an international observer of fair elections in Albania, Ecuador, Finland, Panama, Zambia and other countries. She had been the Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk for Los Angeles County from 1995 to 2008 and was in similar positions in San Diego and Dallas counties. In this episode, McCormack talks to host Tom Zoellner about what she calls "the frontline of democracy:" the day-to-day work of making an election happen, the inevitability of human error in the process and the well-established lack of fraud in American elections over the last century.
2020-11-0237 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastDavid Shimer on the Vulnerability of the Electoral ProcessDavid Shimer is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and an Associate Fellow at Yale University. His reporting and analysis have appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Washington Post. He is pursuing a doctorate in international relations at the University of Oxford. In this episode, Shimer discusses his book Rigged: America, Russia, and 100 Years of Electoral Interference with Tom Zoellner and talks about what foreign meddling means for the future of democracy in the digital age.
2020-10-2733 min
55 Voices for Democracy – The PodcastRebecca Solnit on Hope in Politically Dark TimesPolymath author of twenty books, writer, historian, essayist, urban geographer and activist Rebecca Solnit is our inaugural guest on 55 Voices for Democracy. The author of, among other books, Men Explain Things to Me, Savage Dreams, Infinite City, A Paradise Built in Hell, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Hope in the Dark, Recollections of My Nonexistence, and her recent The Mother of All Questions, she is a thinker dedicated to furthering radical equality and economic justice, for whom "a commitment to the future makes the present inhabitable." She is interviewed by Tom Zoellner and co-host Amal Khaled (Project Director of Wunderba...
2020-10-1740 min
From the Front Porch293 || Baby-Sitters Back, Alright!Annie is joined by Olivia and Lucy this week to discuss the Baby-Sitters Club books and the enjoyment they've brought during these strange times.
The books mentioned in today’s episode are available at The Bookshelf:
Book Bundle one
Kristy’s Great Idea
Claudia and the Phantom Caller
The Truth about Stacey
Mary-Anne Saves the Day
Dawn and the Impossible Three
Kristy’s Big Day
Claudia and Mean Janine
Boy-Crazy Stacey
The Ghost at Dawn’s House
A...
2020-10-1543 min
The Rogue HistorianThe Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire with Tom ZoellnerTom and I discuss his latest book, Island on Fire - about the 1831-32 slave revolt in Jamaica.
2020-07-1853 min
The WingwomanEpisode 19: Why wild weeing is a feminist issueThis week our hosts share the podcasts, books and articles they've been listening to and reading to further educate themselves around the Black Lives Matter movement and systemic racism. Scroll down to find links below.
Plus, Frankie is examining how her feelings about money have changed during lockdown, and Charlie is discussing the issue of wild weeing while public toilets remain closed (just don't ask her to use a Shewee) - all over a cold can of Beavertown Gamma Ray Pale Ale.
To hear more from us, sign up at TheWingwoman.co.uk to receive ou...
2020-06-1252 min
History of the Atlantic WorldIsland on Fire: Interview with Tom ZoellnerHands down one of the best history books I've ever read, check this one out!Island on FireBonus episodes? WOW! Support the show on Patreon!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
2020-05-1542 min
Marketing The InvisiblePractical Steps to Growing Your Business – In Just 7 Minutes with Clay Clark and Robert Zoellner
Learn the real steps that you really need to take to grow your real business
Know how to improve your branding so that your ideal and likely buyers will be willing to pay you what you are worth
Learn the millionaire mindset to time management so you can avoid 'working too much in your business'
Resources/Links:
Check out The World’s Highest Reviewed Business Growth Program: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/
Summary
Clay Clark is the former U.S. SBA Entrepreneur of the Year, founder of 6 multi-million dollar companies, Forbes Contributor, author of 13 books & host of 6-times iTunes chart-topping podcast.
Dr...
2019-12-0309 min
Smarty Pants#105: Why Has American Classical Music Ignored Its Black Past?More than a century ago, Antonín Dvořák prophesied that American music would be rooted in the black vernacular. It’s come true, to a certain extent: when we think of American music—jazz, blues, rock, hip hop, rap—we are thinking of music invented by black musicians. The field of classical music, however, has remained stubbornly white. At one point in the last century, classical music was on the cusp of a revolution: the Englishman Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was writing works like his Twenty-Four Negro Melodies, Dvořák’s own assistant Harry Burleigh was reimagining black spirituals for the concert s...
2019-09-1331 min
Sounds StrategicEpisode 9: The geopolitics of nuclear energyNévine Schepers, IISS Research Associate for Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic. Névine and Kori discuss recent developments relating to the civil nuclear export market, highlighting how innovations in legal structures and instruments to safeguard against nuclear proliferation have advanced the cause of non-proliferation. Their lively discussion ranges from analysis of Saudi Arabia’s civil nuclear energy programme, Egypt’s nuclear deal with Russia, concerns about US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal, and nuclear energy trends in Russia. With a research focus on Ira...
2019-04-2529 min
Our True Crime Podcast1. Where in the world is Robert Fisher-Remasterededit 10/8/19Cam and Jen rerecorded their first episode because it was just not good. Heck, it was the first time they had ever recorded anything. Many complained of us talking over each other, sound quality and such so rerecorded it for your listening pleasure. The remain first episodes are still up in their original glory. Enjoy!This case has fascinated me since I first heard about it a few years ago. Robert William Fisher is an American fugitive on the FBIs Most Wanted List for the murder of his wife and children. Is he really responsible...
2018-07-1140 min
Past ForwardTom ZoellnerTom Zoellner is the author of five nonfiction books, including Train. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book An Ordinary Man, and his book Uranium won the 2011 Science Writing Award from The American Institute of Physics. Tom has worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and The Arizona Republic, and as a contributing editor for Men’s Health magazine. He is now an associate professor of English at Chapman University. Tom lives in downtown Los Angeles and is a founding member of the journalism collective Deca. Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host...
2018-03-0528 min
Ink and WormInk and Worm 79: Tom ZoellnerFind out more about Tom and his work at: http://tomzoellner.com/
[Image is from Tom's website, photo credit: Paul Charest]
Tom is currently teaching at Dartmouth over the summer. I snagged him for an interview after one of his classes. Sounds of trucks, rain and church bells create a background for a conversation about stories, journalism, politics and writing! Thanks for listening!
2017-07-2059 min
BeHeard TalkAmerican InfrastructureA New York-bound Amtrak train was traveling at 106 mph through a curve with a 50-mph speed limit when it derailed on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring over 200 others. This accident has left many questioning why Congress voted to cut Amtrak funding by $100 million and the health of America's infrastructure. This Sunday we will discuss the crash, our infrastructure, and if it's time for a full-blown investment into our crumbling bridges, tunnels, and trains with our guest:Tom Zoellner, Train Historian and the Author of Train
2015-05-1746 min
Zócalo Public SquareThe State of Politics in ArizonaIn a panel moderated by The New York Times' Marc Lacey, former Arizona House Minority Leader Art Hamilton, Arizona State University political scientist Jennifer Steen, and Tom Zoellner, author of A Safeway in Arizona, discuss how the state became the front lines of America's biggest cultural and political battles, from immigration to gun control.
2011-10-201h 08
InTheNoInTheNo 1: Author Tom ZoellnerA broken engagement spurred journalist and author Tom Zoellner to
research and write a comprehensive examination of the global diamond
industry. Zoellner also helped recount the story of Paul Rusesabagina,
the man who saved hundreds of lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
We discuss both books during this episode.
The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire ~ St. Martin's Press, 2006 ~ [to read an excerpt, visit theheartlessstone.com]An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography(Paul Rusesabagina, with Tom Zoellner) ~ Viking, 2006 ~During the podcast, we also talk about two fi...
2006-11-251h 00
Listen to Trending Free Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir, History & CultureAn Ordinary Man: An Autobiography by Paul Rusesabagina, Tom ZoellnerPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/354507 to listen full audiobooks. Title: An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography Author: Paul Rusesabagina, Tom Zoellner Narrator: Dominic Hoffman Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 42 minutes Release date: April 6, 2006 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 1 Genres: History & Culture Publisher's Summary: The remarkable autobiography of the globally-recognized human rights champion whose heroism inspired the film Hotel Rwanda "Fascinating…your book is called An Ordinary Man, yet you took on an extraordinary feat with courage, determination, and diplomacy." – Oprah, O, The Oprah Magazine As Rwanda was thrown into chaos during the 1994 genocide, Ruse...
2006-04-0610 min