Category

Social Issues

Environment, Journalism, Non Fiction, Science, Social Issues

Jun 26: The Parrot & The Igloo with NYT Bestselling Author David Lipsky

Climate and the Science of Denial

The Parrot and the Igloo with author David Lipsky

“Lipsky spins top-flight climate literature into cliffhanger entertainment.” ~ The New York Times

He’s known as a writer who finds the stories behind the stories. In The Parrot And The Igloo: Climate And The Science Of Denial, David Lipsky explores how the virulent “anti-science” movement in America was no accident. It was planned, programmed, and paid for.

Today, David Lipsky shares why he describes his book as a story about ingenuity and folly. We look at some of the inventors who created our world. Scientists who sounded warning bells. Why Mark Mills is one of David’s favorite people in this story. How we went from being a country that supported science, to a population divided into science supporters versus science deniers, hucksters, and propagandists.

We learn when, how, and why planned “denial” movements began (think Christmas 1953 and cigarette companies). And who won the casting call to become the first Celebrity Doubter and “paid voice” behind the massive Climate Denial Campaign.

Meet Bestselling Author David Lipsky

David Lipsky is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Absolutely American and Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, the basis for the movie The End of the Tour. He’s written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Harper’s Magazine, and is a recipient of the National Magazine Award and the GLAAD Media Award. His work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Magazine Writing anthologies. Lipsky teaches writing and literature at NYU and lives in New York City. The Parrot And The Igloo is a NYT Editors’ Choice, a New Yorker and Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023, and a USA Today Must Read.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

May 22: Untold Stories of Today’s Most Secretive, Invisible, Government-Backed Market with Nicole Perlroth

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Author Nicole Perlroth

Cyber security, sabotage, and digital espionage expert Nicole Perlroth joins us with a big wake-up call. This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyber Weapons Arms Race might read like fiction, but it’s all fact, and author Nicole Perlroth shares untold stories of today’s most secretive, invisible, government-backed market.

Nicole sheds light on who is involved in cyber warfare and what they do – including why and how the United States Goverment is one of the biggest customers of hacked information. We look at why Russia targeted cyber attacks on Ukraine before it invaded on land, and why it continues to apply cyber attacks. Nicole explains what Zero Day means and the impact of the Zero Day Market … and that segues into why cyber security is national security. We also share the single, most important thing you should do today, to protect yourself and your data.

Meet Nicole Perlroth

This Is How They Tell me The World Ends: They Cyber Weapons Arms Race is a New York Times bestseller, earned the Business Book of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for the McKinsey and Financial Times Best Book Award. Nicole Perlroth was the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage, and sabotage reporter at The New York Times for a decade, where her work earned Nicole a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and was optioned for film and television. Nicole is a regular lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, she increasingly prefers life off the grid.

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Social Issues

Feb 21: Renegade MD – Dr Susan Partovi with Stories From the Streets

Dr Susan Partovi walks where many fear to tread

Renegade M.D. with author Dr. Susan Partovi

Renegade, pioneer, crusader, inspirational – just a few of the words used to describe our amazing guest today. Dr. Susan Partovi has dedicated her medical career to helping the impoverished, under-served, and homeless – people who, ordinarily, have no access to a caring doctor or medical resources.

We discuss her memoir Renegade M.D.: A Doctor’s Stories From the Streets where Dr. Susan shares stories of her own life, her career, and the people she meets on the streets. We hear why homelessness is not the black and white situation some would like us to believe, and learn why many – because of severe mental illness – aren’t capable of making rational decisions, let alone helping themselves.

With the number of Americans experiencing homelessness soaring above 680,000, Dr. Susan Partovi highlights real problems, shares real stories, and recommends real solutions to the growing problem across the country.

Meet Dr Susan Partovi

Dr. Susan Partovi is an internationally recognized expert in the field of street medicine, and a cofounder of HEAL –  a nonprofit that brings medical students and services to Haiti. Dr. Partovi is the medical director of Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles and her just released debut memoir is Renegade M.D.: A Doctor’s Stories from the Streets.

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Self-help, Social Issues

Jan 31: You’re Doing Great (And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me) with Dustin Dunbar

From the pain of alcohol addiction to the joy of living

You’re Doing Great (And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me) with author Dustin Dunbar

Dustin Dunbar had it all. A beautiful wife, two adorable baby girls, a doctorate in psychology, and property around the world. He drank socially for 20 years, happily believing every lie alcohol advertisements tell us … how whisky beer and doing shots are an integral part of being a real man … how drink eases pain … makes you freer, more fun, more popular. But eventually, and despite of being a TV ‘shrink’ and ‘coach’ to others, he too became addicted to alcohol.

Today Dustin shares his journey, challenges, recovery, and most importantly, solutions to overcoming alcohol addiction for good, and living an empowered, fulfilling, joyous life.

About Dustin Dunbar

Dustin Dunbar overcame his addiction to alcohol at the age of 48 and has since been helping others overcome theirs. He is a coach at WeAretheAFR.org, a non-profit online community helping others with alcohol addiction and raising consciousness. Dunbar’s true passions are spending time with his two young daughters, writing, and sports. His new book is You’re Doing Great! (And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me)

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Children's Fiction, Fiction, Social Issues, Writers on Writing

Jan 24: Award Winning Author Veera Hiranandani with Amil & The After

Companion novel to Newbery Honor winning The Night Diary

Following the phenomenal success of The Night Diary, Veera Hiranandani returns to Conversations Live to discuss the much anticipated sequel, Amil and The After.

We discuss how Veera’s upbringing influences the kind of stories and subjects she chooses, and the multidimensional characters she writes about. She shares how she incorporates social issues like the partition of India, refugee life, loss of a parent, feelings of not belonging and seeking connection, relationships, and love into her storytelling. And we learn how she approaches the writing of such difficult topics to keep them accessible and entertaining for young readers. (8 – 12 years old)

Amil and the After with author Veera Hiranandani

About Veera Hiranandani

Veera Hiranandani is the award-winning author of several books for young people. Her most recent middle-grade novel, How to Find What You’re Not Looking For, received the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award, the 2022 Jane Addams Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2022 National Jewish Book Award. It was also named a Best Children’s Book of the Year by AmazonKirkus Reviews, Bank Street College, and Brightly. Veera’s Newbery Honor winning, The Night Diary, also received the 2019 Walter Dean Myers Honor Award, the 2018 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature, and several other honors and state reading list awards. The Night Diary was chosen as a 2018 Best Children’s Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Amazon, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews.

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Social Issues, Women's Issues

Aug 02: Lisa Cornwell – Troublemaker

A Memoir of Sexism, Retaliation, and the Fight They Didn’t See Coming

Podcast: Troublemaker with author Lisa Cornwell

Why are women who stand up for themselves labeled as troublemakers?

Sports journalist and TV host, Lisa Cornwell, says she’s always stood up to bullies and those in authority who push people around and get away with it. Today we discuss Lisa’s memoir Troublemaker and some of her challenges with the Golf Channel/NBC Universal and her fight to balance the scales.

What can other women and people in general learn from her experience? Plenty. But most of all Lisa says: “I want it to empower women who’ve been silenced out of fear of losing their jobs to speak up and to do it loudly. As Elie Wiesel so poignantly once said, ‘Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”’

About Lisa Cornwell

A respected voice in the golf field, Lisa Cornwell spent seven years as on-air host and reporter for Golf Channel. Before that she worked in similar roles for the Big Ten Network and local affiliates. Lisa is a four-time Arkansas Women’s State Golf champion, a twp-time AJGA first-team All-American, a two-time All-State basketball player, and in 1992 was named the Arkansas Female Athlete of the Year. She was recently inducted into the Arkansas Golf and Arkansas Sports Halls of Fame. She co-wrote her memoir Troublemaker with professional writer, author, musician, Tucker Booth.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

May 22: This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Nicole Perlroth

The Cyber Weapons Arms Race – What You Need to Know & Do Today!

This is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Author Nicole Perlroth

If you think cyber attacks won’t or can’t impact you, Nicole Perlroth joins us today to say they can, they will, and they probably already have whether or not you know it.

Nicole Perlroth’s new book shares untold stories of the cyberweapons market, the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market today. We discuss how the US is involved. How and why Russia plagued Ukraine with cyber attacks before they attacked on land. And the single, most important thing you can do, to protect yourself and your data.

About Nicole Perlroth

Nicole Perlroth was the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage, and sabotage reporter at The New York Times for a decade, where her work was optioned for film and television. She’s a regular lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, she increasingly prefers life off the grid. This Is How They Tell me The World Ends is Nicole’s first book, and a New York Times bestseller.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

Feb 15: The Least of Us with Sam Quinones

True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth

Sam Quinones, The Least of US

The Least of Us by Sam Quinones

Journalist, Sam Quinones, first traveled across America to report on the opioid epidemic that’s ravaged so many people’s lives.

Since then synthetic drugs have become an even bigger problem. So Quinones hit the road again, to examine a new generation of what he calls magic-bullet drug traffickers and a painkiller more than 100 times more powerful than morphine.

We talk today about the crisis being caused by fentanyl and methamphetamine, and the counterfeit pills causing thousands of deaths. Sam also shares stories of hope — of how ordinary Americans across the nation are uniting to fight the drug epidemic in their own communities to make a difference.

About Sam Quinones

Sam Quinones is a journalist, storyteller, former LA TIMES reporter, and the author of four acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, including The New York Times bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic. Quinones’ new book is The Least of US: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

Apr 27: Why We Fall For Hype with Gabrielle Bluestone

How Con Artists, Grifters and Scammers are Taking Over the Internet – & Why We’re Following

Gabrielle Bluestone shares her insights into why scammers do what they do, and why – despite overwhelming evidence calling them out – we blindly believe what we’re told without researching the source.  She says we are at the natural end of a society primed to trust their own emotions over objective, verifiable facts.” 

From celebrities to politicians, to the little-known, we discuss why we get sucked into their spiel. Where social media and influencers factor in. The rise of cancel culture, where seemingly harmless messaging and soundbites create images that can make or break reputations and campaigns. Why Fyre was the greatest festival that never happened. Where greed plays a role. And why you shouldn’t trust cosmetic surgery photos because even they are often digitally altered.

About Gabrielle Bluestone

A journalist and licensed attorney from New York, Gabrielle Bluestone’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Observer, Sunday Times Magazine, and more. She’s the Emmy-nominated producer of Netflix’s  documentary Fyre. And the associate producer of Different Flowers, winner of the 2017 Kansas City FilmFest Festival Prize.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

NOV 24: Pulitzer Prize Winner Eric Eyre with Death in Mud Lick

Why Death In Mud Lick Booka town called Kermit with only 382 residents prescribed 12 million pills in 3 years.

In Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies that Delivered the Opioid Epidemic, journalist Eric Eyre set out to expose the mysteries, tragedies, and government corruption behind the opioid crisis in West Virginia.

Eric joins us to share stories from the investigative research that took him to counties at the heart of the opioid crisis—small rural counties with the highest overdose rates in the United States.  We discuss the  importance of strong independent journalism, and community journalism in particular. Eric also shares the  concept of sustained outrage and how even tiny actions can make a huge impact.

About Eric Eyre

For more than 20 years, Eric Eyre was a reporter for the Charleston Gazette-Mail.  His series of investigations into massive shipments of opioids to West Virginia’s southern coalfields was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2017, and led to his book, Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic.

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