Best Robyn Frank Podcasts (2025)

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The Beatles on Film with author Steve Matteo 57:57

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16h ago57:57

57:57

The Beatles produced five films during their time together: A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. Some were cinematic successes, and some were not, but―along with subsequent reissues, bonus material, and Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back, a documentary companion to Let It Be―they comprise an endlessly…

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“Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood on Zohran Mamdani’s Victory in NYC: What is Its Significance, and What’s Next?” 36:48

1d ago36:48

36:48

In February, a New York assemblyman little known outside New York City was polling at 1% in his bid for mayor of NYC. This Tuesday, he became mayor-elect, after running a remarkable and inspiring campaign that drew 100,000 volunteers to knock on two million doors. Largely centering on making NYC affordable for everyone, Zohran Mamdani toppled a pol…

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Talking with Dean Spade about Love in a Fucked-Up World: How letting go of the Romance Myth frees us to be better lovers and activists 51:29

6d ago51:29

51:29

Today I have the pleasure of talking with Dean Spade about his new book, Love in a Fucked-up World: how to build relationships, hook up, and raise hell together. This book builds on all of Dean’s previous books, and shares their commitment to finding ways to build better movements for better worlds. Like all of his work, Love in a Fucked Up World h…

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Epiosde 9: Holiday Survival Guide: A Very Tricky Christmas! 51:28

7d ago51:28

51:28

We can all relate to the chaos of the holiday season and when you’re in The Sandwich Generation, things can feel…extra tricky. You’re packing up the strollers, the walkers and packing diaper bags for both the young and old - ah! Yes! The Holidays! In this episode, hosts Eliesa Johnson and Robyn Frank talk about the hilarious predicaments of the hol…

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Policing Black Lives: Abolition, not Reform, and on a Transnational Scale—A Conversation with Robyn Maynard 42:36

13d ago42:36

42:36

In 2017, activist-scholar Robyn Maynard published her groundbreaking study, Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present. Today, I have the privilege of talking with her about the second edition of this study, which has just been published by Duke University Press. Robyn tells us what has happened since 2017 that compe…

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Discussing the Sudanese Solidarity Collective with Nisrin Elamin: Supporting Mutual Aid & Resistance Organizations 55:42

11d ago55:42

55:42

Today I talk with Professor Nisrin Elamin about the situation in Sudan, where we find both a war between rival factions and these same factions continuing counter-revolutionary campaign against pro-democracy forces. We discuss how regional actors such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have contributed to the repression of democracy, and …

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By-passing “Tradition,” Governmental Norms, and Global North Saviourism: Talking with Zachariah Mampilly About Rural Protest in Africa 47:34

22d ago47:34

47:34

How have young people in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo invented new forms of radicalism in response to the impact of new flows of foreign investment and the inability of normal national and international politics to serve their needs and interests? Zachariah Mampilly explains how rural and urban spaces have seen a complex transit …

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South Bay Youth Changemakers: Going Beyond the Stereotype of “Asian American” to Realize a Broad Sense of Community and Activism in Silicon Valley 47:24

21d ago47:24

47:24

Today I have the pleasure of talking with Supriya Khandelwal and Koa Tran, two members of the South Bay Youth Changemakers, and one of its co-directors, Amulya Mandava. This Asian American organization, located at the heart of Silicon Valley, seeks to both challenge and expand the label, Asian American. The SBYC directs its energy into projects tha…

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Episode 8.5: How do I NOT age like my parents? With Rachel Daugherty of Booty and Brains.Co 56:58

21d ago56:58

56:58

For caregivers who have watched a loved one decline from the terrible diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Cancer; the question is often asked, “Will this happen to me? Is there anything I can do to prevent this?” If you are in The Sandwich Generation, you also know that finding time for self care is hard (See Episode 4: Self Care is a SCAM!). …

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Breaking Free from the First Amendment to Make Fearless Speech and Counterpublics: A Conversation with Mary Anne Franks 51:04

25d ago51:04

51:04

Today I have the honor and the pleasure of speaking with legal scholar Mary Anne Franks, about her book, Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment. As the title of the book indicates, this is a fearless and iconoclastic critique of the ways that the First Amendment has been interpreted and mobilized in ways that protect and extend rac…

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The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why it Matters: A Conversation with Christine Webb 50:10

1M ago50:10

50:10

Today I am delighted to speak with primatologist Christine Webb about her new book, The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why it Matters. The title of the book itself is a concise and precise description of its two constituent halves. First, Webb tells us how science itself, from premodern times onward, has operated with an assumpt…

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The Life of '60s Record Producer Tom Wilson with Author Richie Unterberger 58:01

1M ago58:01

58:01

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The Terrible Connections between Detention and Prisons, and Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition: A Conversation with Silky Shah. 40:10

1M ago40:10

40:10

Today I have the honor of speaking with longtime activist Silky Shah, Executive Director of the Detention Watch Network, about her new, and extremely important book, Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition. Shah provides a critical discussion about the intersection between detention, the prison industrial complex, and anti-immigrant ra…

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Episode 8: I think my parent has Alzheimer’s, NOW what?! With Dr. Elizabeth Edgerly of the Alzheimer's Association 1:13:33

1M ago1:13:33

1:13:33

Almost everyone knows someone who has Alzheimer’s Disease. For many of us in The Sandwich Generation, this diagnosis was also the moment we became caregivers for our loved ones. But it’s all so confusing - is it Alzheimer’s? Is it Dementia? How do I bring up this conversation with my parents? Am I genetically dispositioned to get this too? WTF! In …

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The Politics and Power of Palestinian Storytelling—A Proud History and A Vivid Present 54:14

1M ago54:14

54:14

Today I have the real pleasure of speaking with Maytha Alhassen and Halah Ahmad, two prominent feminist activists, writers, and scholars deeply committed to exploring the connections between the Arabic language, storytelling, and political agency, from the historical past to the present. We talk about the continuity of storytelling forms and techni…

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Maya Salameh: How to Make an Algorithm in the Microwave and A New Grammar of Diaspora 38:30

2M ago38:30

38:30

Today I talk with poet Maya Salameh about her poetry collection, How to Make an Algorithm in the Microwave, which won the prestigious Etal Adnan Poetry Prize in 2022. The judges remarked, “Maya Salameh’s poetry stood out for its inventiveness in cracking the code of life ‘between system and culture'…The turns and swerves the poems make are astonish…

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The Genocide in Gaza--What International Law Demands of Israel and Third States: A Discussion with Ardi Imseis and Chris Gunness 50:58

2M ago50:58

50:58

Today I am extremely grateful to Ardi Imseis and Chris Gunness for joining me for an urgent discussion of Israel’s accelerated genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank. These eminent international human rights scholars discuss Israel’s longstanding violations of international law and the complicity of the US. We also discuss at lengt…

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Episode 7: Saying goodbye to the childhood home - also my parents have WAY too much STUFF! With Alli Rubin, Professional Moving Manager 1:07:39

2M ago1:07:39

1:07:39

Downsizing and moving your aging parents is one of the hardest tasks of all time. Or maybe your loved one has already passed and you are tasked with selling a home and going through a lifetime of belongings. It’s. Brutal. Seriously, it’s the definition of overwhelm. Where do you begin? In this episode, we welcome guest Alli Rubin who is a professio…

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Great Uehling on Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea, and Why Rights are Needed, Not Just Recognition 32:19

2M ago32:19

32:19

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with cultural anthropologist Greta YOU-LING about her new book, Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom, a fascinating story about an indigenous group in Crimea fighting for its rights. Uehling tells us of the complex history of the Crimean Tatars, a Sunni Muslim group who …

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New York City Experimental Music 1980-1990 with Brooke Wentz, author of Transfigured New York 57:59

2M ago57:59

57:59

For the latest edition of Reading Is Funktamental, we speak with Brooke Wentz, author of Transfigured New York, a fantastic book of interviews with leading figures in the experimental music scene in NYC from 1980-1990 including composers like Arthur Russell, Glenn Branca, John Cage, La Monte Young and leading jazz musicians like John Zorn, Vernon R…

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Talking with Karen Hao About Empire of AI and the Colonizing Logic Behind AI 43:35

2M ago43:35

43:35

In this episode of Speaking Out of Place, investigative journalist Karen Hao explains that OpenAI is anything but “open”—very early on, it left behind that marketing tag to become increasingly closed and elitist. Her massive study, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI had a rather different subtitle in its UK edition: “Inside …

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Episode 6: How to save your friendships when you’re in The Sandwich Generation 47:54

2M ago47:54

47:54

Have you ever been asked by a friend, “What can I do to help?” and you go blank?! Yeah, us too. Being in The Sandwich Generation is a lot. And it’s oftentimes hard for our friends and ourselves to communicate just how lonely it feels and how much we need our friends. In this episode hosts Robyn Frank and Eliesa Johnson discuss the challenges of mai…

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Arabic Literature in the Time of Genocide: A Conversation with Huda Fakhreddine 45:38

2M ago45:38

45:38

Today I talk with Huda Fakhreddine, writer, translator, and scholar of Arabic literature. Among the many topics we touch upon are the challenges of teaching Arabic literature, especially Palestinian literature, in a time of genocide, when universities, professional organizations, and political groups militate against any honest discussion of these …

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The Poetics and Pedagogy of Toni Cade Bambara, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, and Adrienne Rich in the Era of Free College: A Conversation with Danica Savonick 42:46

3M ago42:46

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Today it’s my honor to speak with Danica Savonick about her marvelous book entitled Open Admissions: The Poetics and Pedagogy of Toni Cade Bambara, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, and Adrienne Rich in the Era of Free College. This is a riveting and deeply inspiring story of how each of these luminaries in the fields of literature and feminism found their…

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Neoliberals meet MAGA: A Conversation with Quinn Slobodian on Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right 52:11

3M ago52:11

52:11

Today I'm delighted to talk with Quinn Slobodian about his new book, Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. We take a deep dive into the genesis of a weird and powerful merging of two seemingly different groups the Far Right and neoliberals. Slobodian writes, “as repellent as their politics may be these radical think…

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Episode 5: F*ck - now I have to manage my parent’s finances too? With Shannon Foreman of Forethought Planning 1:07:09

3M ago1:07:09

1:07:09

Raise your hand if you’re a caregiver who has needed to manage your parent’s finances and you think - oh F*ck - this is A LOT more difficult than I expected?!? We think everyone in the room right now feels this way! No matter how full or empty the bank account is, opening the books to your parents finances, managing the cost of care and navigating …

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Displaced in Gaza: Stories from the Gaza Genocide--A Conversation with Yousef Aljamal 31:12

3M ago31:12

31:12

Today we are deeply honored and privileged to speak with journalist-activist Yousef Aljamal, one of the editors of a remarkable, gripping, and altogether inspiring collection, Displaced in Gaza: Stories from the Gaza Genocide, 27 stories written by Palestinians in Gaza. We talk about the conception behind the book, and concentrate on certain keywor…

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On the Significance of US Sanctions on the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese: Three Former UN Special Rapporteurs Weigh In 43:01

3M ago43:01

43:01

Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions on the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, saying, “The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a Special Rapporteur.” Today we are joine…

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The Life & Music of The Band's Richard Manuel with Biographer Stephen T. Lewis 57:59

3M ago57:59

57:59

Guests: Steven Lewis, author of Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band Richard Manuel was a fearless original. Sweetly soulful as a vocalist and endearingly creative as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he was a vital part of some of rock ’n’ roll’s pivotal moments, including Bob Dylan’s controversial mov…

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Every Monument Will Fall: Talking with Dan Hicks About the Present’s Responsibility to Itself 55:51

3M ago55:51

55:51

How do not only monuments, but also the very idea of monumentality, serve to mystify and perpetuate beliefs that maintain social orders that deserve to be strenuously re-evaluated? Archaeologist and anthropologist Dan Hicks traces the development of a particularly virulent strain of monument-worship, that which emerges out of what he calls “militar…

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Episode 4: Self care feels like a SCAM! 41:16

3M ago41:16

41:16

How the f*ck am I supposed to fit in self care? This is a question we ask ourselves all. of. the. Time. (especially while living this ‘sandwiched’ lifestyle). With the algorithms feeding us endless articles about all the ways we ‘should’ be doing self care, frankly, it all feels like a scam. In this episode, we (Eliesa Johnson and Robyn Frank) open…

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Fighting Back Against ICE: Grupo Auto Defensa’s Courage and Love 54:47

3M ago54:47

54:47

Today we speak with Daniela Navin and Jeanette de La Riva, two members of Grupo Auto Defensa, a community organization based in Pasadena CA which has come about in response to attacks by ICE which have violently disrupted everyday life and led people to form new relations of mutual support and care. We hear their stories of how Trump lieutenant Ste…

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From Indefensible Spaces, Police, and the Struggle for Housing, to the Case of Abolitionist Housing: A Conversation with Rahim Kurwa 43:14

3M ago43:14

43:14

Today I talk with Rahim Kurwa about a powerful study of housing rights and police repression in Southern California. Tapping into a vast historical archive as well as oral histories with residents of Antelope Valley, California, Rahim traces the complex relationship between this region and the City of Los Angeles. Using David Harvey’s famous notion…

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The Final Phases of Genocide: What Global Civil Society Must Do. A Conversation with International Jurists Lara Elborno, Penny Green & Richard Falk 40:06

3M ago40:06

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On May 15, international legal experts Lara Elborno, Richard Falk, and Penny Green joined me to discuss the work of the Gaza Tribunal, a group devoted to creating an archive of facts and a set of documents and arguments to help international civil society fight against the genocide in Gaza and the Zionist regime that, along with the United States, …

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What’s Left?—Addressing the Disaster of Capitalism with Malcolm Harris 40:10

4M ago40:10

40:10

Today we welcome Malcolm Harris back to the show. Previously he talked with us about his mammoth study, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. This time we are looking not at a history of Capitalism and the World, but our possible futures under the threat of catastrophic climate change. We talk about not only failed policies…

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Episode 3: Help! How do I work with my siblings while we manage our parents? 1:02:38

4M ago1:02:38

1:02:38

Sibling dynamics can be tricky - no matter how loving or estranged you are. Then add in kids, aging parents, living across the country and having to make some big, real-time, decisions together as you begin caregiving for your loved ones. Holy shit - it’s a lot. In this episode, we welcome Lisa Frank, Robyn’s sister to the show. The Frank sisters t…

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Abolishing Silicon Valley, Building the Commons--A Different Way to Spend Your Life: A Conversation with Wendy Liu 48:41

4M ago48:41

48:41

Ever since its publication, Abolish Silicon Valley—How to Liberate Technology from Capitalism has proven to be more urgent and insightful. Today I talk with author Wendy Liu about how developments like AI and LLM, further erosions of intellectual property, and increased invasions of privacy make the case for abolishing Silicon Valley even more impo…

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War-Making as Worldmaking: A Discussion with Samar Al-Bulushi on Kenya and the Workings of Blackness, Place, and International Politics 39:46

4M ago39:46

39:46

Today we talk with Samar Al-Bulushi about her rich and complex work on Kenya, which, across multiple scales of time and place, discovers how the War on Terror both tapped into colonial ideologies of the past and present-day political calculations at the intersection of the local and global. We find out how the War has taken many different forms tha…

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ICE’s “Photo-Op” Military Attack on MacArthur Park and Community Pushback: Talking with Journalist Mel Buer 23:18

4M ago23:18

23:18

Last week, over 100 agents from nine federal agencies stormed a bucolic public park in Los Angeles, claiming it was a hotbed of terrorism and lawlessness. In fact, heavily armed soldiers in camouflage found a group of young children attending a summer camp. This was a show of force meant to intimidate, shock, and awe, but just like Trump’s military…

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Bombs Will Never Liberate Iran: Persis Karim and Manijeh Moradian in Conversation 1:03:34

4M ago1:03:34

1:03:34

Today on Speaking Out of Place we have a special episode on Israeli attacks on Iran that resulted in 12 days of bombings and culminated with the US dropping bunker bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities. Scholars and activists Persis Karim and Manijeh Moradian discuss both the Iranian national issues involved as well as the regional context, connecting…

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Episode 2: What the hell is power of attorney and why do you need it? With Rachel Schromen of Schromen Law, LLC. 48:58

4M ago48:58

48:58

“Are you the Power of Attorney?” When shit goes down and a health crisis happens with our aging parents, this is one of the first questions we are asked. But what the hell is a power of attorney and why do we need it? In this episode, Eliesa Johnson and Robyn Frank are joined by (the fantastic) Rachel Schromen of Schromen Law, LLC and we discuss it…

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Episode 1: Introduction: What even IS the Sandwich Generation? And are YOU in it? 21:33

4M ago21:33

21:33

Are you taking care of your young kids and aging parents? Are you feeling like you’re in the messy middle and you don’t know where to go? We felt the same way so we started this podcast ♡ In this episode, we discuss the challenges faced by the sandwich generation, who are simultaneously caring for aging parents and raising young children. Our conve…

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John McLaughlin & the Mahavishnu Orchestra with author Walter Kolosky 57:59

4M ago57:59

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In this month's episode of Reading Is Funktamental, we speak with Walter Kolosky, author of the new book Mahavishnu Memories. Kolosky's latest is his third book, charting the career of the remarkable jazz fusion guitarist, John McLaughlin. This book chronicles all the live concerts of the original iteration of McLaughlin's mighty Mahavishnu Orchest…

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Walking with the Below: Zapatistas, Palestinians, and Panthers—A Conversation with Linda Quiquivix 49:42

4M ago49:42

49:42

On today’s episode I talk with geographer, artist, photographer, and activist Linda Quiquivix about her new book: Palestine 1492: A Report Back. Combining her work learning and working alongside the Zapatistas and Palestinians, and incorporating anti-fascist politics from the Black Panthers, Quiquivix reaches back to the 15th century to see the beg…

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What Was Behind Zohran Mamdani’s Upset Victory and What Does This Tell Us About American Politics Today?: A Conversation with Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood 32:22

4M ago32:22

32:22

In today’s episode we speak with Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood about Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in the recent primary for in New York mayor’s race. We first learn more about this 33-year-old socialist, and remarkable campaign he and his team put together to defeat ultimate political insider and ex-governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. We pro…

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Disspelling the Myths and Correcting the Record About Haitian Migrants: A Conversation with Human Rights Activists Gabrielle Apollon and Pooja Bhatia 43:20

5M ago43:20

43:20

Today I speak with Gabrielle Apollon and Pooja Bhatia about the histories behind the persecution of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, and beyond. Targeted as exemplary “bad people” by demagogue Donald Trump, the stories of both the town and the people of Springfield are brought forward by Pooja Bhatia, who lived both in Haiti and as a journali…

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“The Best Social Movements and the Worst Governments”: A Conversation on American Politics with Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood 42:24

5M ago42:24

42:24

Today on Speaking Out of Place I am joined by two of my favorite guests—Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood. As always, this is a free-wheeling, unscripted conversation amongst friends and political allies. This time we talk about the New York City mayor’s race, Elon Musk and DOGE, the unbridled wave of greed we see on display amongst the oligarchy,…

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Hunger Striking for Palestine: Three Organizers Share Stories and Strategies 59:16

5M ago59:16

59:16

The academic year has just ended, but student activists for Palestinian liberation are already making plans for next year. On today’s show I talk with organizers from the University of Oregon (Cole Herman), from CUNY Graduate Center (Flora deTournay), and from Stanford (Iman Deriche) about this past year’s hunger strike campaigns—we learn of concer…

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Yoko Ono - Her Life & Art with Biographer David Shiff 57:57

5M ago57:57

57:57

John Lennon once described Yoko Ono as the world’s most famous unknown artist. “Everybody knows her name, but no one knows what she does.” She has only been important to history insofar as she impacted Lennon. Throughout her life, Yoko has been a caricature, a curiosity, and, often, a villain—an inscrutable seductress, a manipulating con artist, an…

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World-Making, Life-Giving, and Indigenous Internationalism: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and the Theory of Water 43:14

5M ago43:14

43:14

Today on Speaking Out of Place I talk with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson about her new book, Theory of Water. Theory of Water is a rich, complex, and deeply personal reflection on world-making and life-giving processes best captured in the fluidity of water as it circulates through all our bodies and the planet. It is a largely collective project tha…