Best Idaho Public Television Podcasts (2025)

1
Annette Gordon-Reed: Sally Hemings of Monticello 29:10

5d ago29:10

29:10

Host Marcia Franklin sits down with historian and law professor Annette Gordon-Reed about her book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. The book, which won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, explores the complex bonds between President Thomas Jefferson and one of his slave families, the Hemingses. Using primary source…

1
Lois Leveen: A Spy in the Confederate White House 28:30

12d ago28:30

28:30

Dialogue host Marcia Franklin talks with historical novelist Lois Leveen about two of her works: The Secrets of Mary Bowser, about a former slave who was a spy in the Confederate White House, and Juliet's Nurse, which imagines the life of the nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Franklin asks Leveen about how she researches her ideas and what s…

1
Ken & Betty Rodgers: The Making of Bravo! 27:53

19d ago27:53

27:53

Marcia Franklin continues her conversation with Ken and Betty Rodgers about their documentary, "Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor," which chronicles the experiences of the member of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines in the Siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam. She focuses on how the couple produced the film. She also talks with Steve Wiese, a vete…

1
Ken & Betty Rogers: Bravo! 29:09

26d ago29:09

29:09

Marcia Franklin talks with Ken and Betty Rodgers, residents of Eagle, ID, who have produced a documentary called "Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor," about the 1968 siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam. Ken Rodgers is a former Marine Lance Corporal and a veteran of Khe Sanh. He and his wife Betty are joined by Steve Wiese, a former Marine Corporal who is a…

1
Tiya Miles: All That She Carried 29:13

1M ago29:13

29:13

Marcia Franklin talks with historian Tiya Miles about her book, “All That She Carried,” which won the National Book Award. It tells the story of “Ashley’s sack,” a bag given to an enslaved girl by her mother in the 1850s. The two discuss how a material object can bring untold history alive, and also talk about Miles’ book, “Night Flyer,” which look…

1
Gov. Phil Batt: "A Lucky Man" 28:12

1M ago28:12

28:12

Marcia Franklin talks with former Idaho Governor Phil Batt about his life and legacy. Originally aired: 01/2027/2000

1
Tom Ikeda: Public History, Hidden Stories 29:40

2M ago29:40

29:40

Tom Ikeda, who provided critical research for Daniel James Brown’s book “Facing the Mountain,” discusses his Seattle-based non-profit, Densho. It preserves the stories of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. Ikeda’s parents and grandparents were imprisoned in the Minidoka camp in Idaho. Don’t forget to subscribe, and visit the Dialogu…

1
Daniel James Brown: Facing the Mountain 29:40

2M ago29:40

29:40

Daniel James Brown, the best-selling author of “The Boys in the Boat,” talks about his newest book, “Facing the Mountain,” which honors the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit of Japanese-Americans who fought in World War II despite the fact that many of their families were incarcerated in the United States simply for being of Japanese …

1
Jon Meacham: Presidential Character 28:53

2M ago28:53

28:53

In the lead-up to the November 2016 elections, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham joined Dialogue host Marcia Franklin to talk about presidential character. Meacham talks with Franklin about the qualities he believes are essential to being a successful president, and the unique nature of the 2016 presidential race. An executive editor at Ran…

1
David Epstein: The Sports Gene 29:02

2M ago29:02

29:02

Marcia Franklin talks with David Epstein, an award-winning sports journalist and author of the bestselling book The Sports Gene. It delves into the controversial research on what role genetics plays in the development of athletic talent. The book also takes on the so-called “10,000 Hour Rule,” which contends that 10,000 hours of practice can produc…

1
Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko: Politics and Love 29:05

3M ago29:05

29:05

For decades, Russian poets have preserved both the suffering and the joy of their people - but for their honesty, some writers paid with their lives. World-renowned Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko talks with host Marcia Franklin about his life and work. Originally aired: 05/27/1999

1
Marion Blumenthal Lazan: Remembering the Holocaust 29:00

3M ago29:00

29:00

Host Marcia Franklin talks with Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan about her experiences in several concentration camps, including Bergen-Belsen, and her life educating others about how to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. Lazan is the co-author of a young adult book about her experiences called Four Perfect Pebbles, and is the s…

1
Rep. John Lewis: Last of the Big Six 45:52

3M ago45:52

45:52

Marcia Franklin talks with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), the last of the so-called "Big Six" leaders of the African-American civil rights movement. Lewis was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966, and played a seminal role in some of the 56 most important activities of the movement, including the Freedom R…

1
Historian Robert Dallek: Hail to the Chief 28:51

3M ago28:51

28:51

Marcia Franklin interviews presidential historian Robert Dallek about the upcoming election and the qualities he believes are important in order to lead a country. Dallek, the author of more than a half dozen books, including a two-volume biography of President Lyndon Johnson, is a professor of history at Boston University. He is a frequent comment…

1
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss: Creating "Game of Thrones," Part Two 27:09

3M ago27:09

27:09

In part two of her interview with David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, co-creators of “Game of Thrones,” Marcia Franklin talks with the duo about the effect the program has had on Northern Ireland, where they film, the technological breakthroughs the production has achieved, what they’d like the legacy of the series to be, and their next project. Don’t forg…

1
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss: Creating "Game of Thrones," Part One 29:09

4M ago29:09

29:09

In part one of her interview with David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, co-creators of the immensely popular “Game of Thrones” television series, Marcia Franklin talks with the duo about why they wanted to create the series, what they think of criticism about its violence, how they work together, and how they’ve dealt with the fear of the unknown on such a …

1
Writer Samantha Silva: Mr. Dickens and His Carol 29:02

4M ago29:02

29:02

It's one of his most beloved tales, but was written in a hurry and under duress. On this holiday episode of Dialogue, Marcia Franklin talks with Boise writer Samantha Silva about "A Christmas Carol," penned by Charles Dickens in 1843. In her debut novel, "Mr. Dickens and His Carol," Silva melds fact with fiction to imagine how Dickens came up with …

1
Adam Johnson: The Meaning-Making Machine 29:11

4M ago29:11

29:11

Author Adam Johnson, who has won both a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his works, talks with host Marcia Franklin about his writing philosophy. The two also discuss his thoughts on North Korea, which he has visited and about which he wrote in The Orphan Master's Son. Don’t forget to subscribe, and visit the Dialogue website for more…

1
Gretchen Morgenson: The Roots of the Financial Crisis 28:59

4M ago28:59

28:59

Host Marcia Franklin talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gretchen Morgenson, then a financial editor and columnist at the New York Times who covered the country’s financial crisis since its inception. They discuss the federal government’s push to increase home ownership, which Morgenson sees as the underpinning of the financial collapse. T…

1
Playwright Samuel Hunter: The Whale 29:19

5M ago29:19

29:19

Marcia Franklin talks with playwright Samuel D. Hunter about his work, including “The Whale,” which was adapted into a movie with Brendan Fraser, who won an Academy Award. The two also discuss the role of Idaho in his works, and the importance of the humanities.

1
Historian Tiya Miles: All That She Carried 29:13

5M ago29:13

29:13

Marcia Franklin talks with historian Tiya Miles about her book, “All That She Carried,” which won the National Book Award. It tells the story of “Ashley’s sack,” a bag given to an enslaved girl by her mother in the 1850s. The two discuss how a material object can bring untold history alive, and also talk about Miles’ book, “Night Flyer,” which look…

1
Journalist Clarissa Ward: On All Fronts 29:13

5M ago29:13

29:13

Marcia Franklin talks with Clarissa Ward, the chief international correspondent for CNN, about her start in the business, her assignments in some of the most dangerous parts of the world and the continuing need for journalistic ethics. The two also discuss her memoir, “On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist.” The conversation was taped at the…

1
Rabbi Sharon Brous: The Amen Effect 29:13

5M ago29:13

29:13

Marcia Franklin talks with Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR, a Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. The two discuss how the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel affected her and her congregants, Israel’s bombing of Gaza, increasing antisemitism, and a path forward to peace.

1
Author Margaret Atwood: The Testaments 29:13

6M ago29:13

29:13

Host Marcia Franklin talks with author Margaret Atwood about her work, which includes the bestselling novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its sequel, “The Testaments.” Atwood also shares her thoughts on whether the United States could head towards totalitarianism. The conversation was recorded at the 2024 Sun Valley Writers’ Conference.…

1
Abraham Verghese: The Covenant of Water 28:48

6M ago28:48

28:48

In this episode, host Marcia Franklin talks with Dr. Abraham Verghese about his latest blockbuster novel, The Covenant of Water. The epic, which includes a mystery at its core, covers more than 70 years in the intertwined lives of families in the Indian state of Kerala. Verghese discusses the ties the story has to his own family history and shares …

1
Hernan Diaz: Trust 28:48

6M ago28:48

28:48

In this episode, Hernan Diaz joins Marcia Franklin to discuss his latest novel, Trust, which won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The intricately braided tale about characters in the world of high finance gives readers four different takes on the same story, playing with the idea of “truth.” Diaz explains why he constructed the novel using mult…

1
David Grann: The Wager 28:48

6M ago28:48

28:48

In this episode, David Grann regales viewers with some of the amazing true stories surrounding the wreck of The Wager, a British ship that sank off the tip of South America in 1741. In his book The Wager, Grann uses rare primary source documents to reconstruct the harrowing experiences of the ship’s castaways and shows how the aftermath of the saga…

1
Andrea Elliott: Invisible Child 28:48

6M ago28:48

28:48

Conversations From the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference is back for a 16th season! In this episode, journalist Andrea Elliott joins host Marcia Franklin to talk about her book, Invisible Child, which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. The book chronicles eight years in the life of Dasani Coates, a child in Brooklyn. Elliott shares wh…

1
Mohsin Hamid: The Last White Man 28:48

7M ago28:48

28:48

In this episode, host Marcia Franklin speaks with writer Mohsin Hamid about his latest novel, The Last White Man. The story follows the transformation of a man who wakes up one day to find that his skin color has changed. Hamid, who often incorporates his own multicultural background into his work, talks with Franklin about how his life changed aft…

1
Barry Lopez: The Horizon of Life, Part Two 29:10

7M ago29:10

29:10

More of Marcia Franklin’s 2019 conversation with National Book Award-winning author and world traveler Barry Lopez about his life, his philosophy of writing and his new memoir, Horizon. In December 2020, the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference awarded Barry Lopez with the inaugural Writer in the World Prize in recognition of his singular voice in the la…

1
Barry Lopez: The Horizon of Life, Part One 29:10

7M ago29:10

29:10

Marcia Franklin talks with National Book Award-winning author and world traveler Barry Lopez about his philosophy of writing and his penultimate memoir, Horizon. In December 2020, the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference awarded Barry Lopez with the inaugural Writer in the World Prize in recognition of his singular voice in the landscape of English Liter…

1
Brando Skyhorse: The Shifting Faces of Personal Identity 29:09

7M ago29:09

29:09

Marcia Franklin talks with author Brando Skyhorse about his life and works, focusing on his memoir, Take This Man. In the book, Skyhorse writes about what it was like to grow up thinking he was Native American and then to find out that was not true. He also discusses the topic of his next novel, Wall. Don’t forget to subscribe, and visit the Dialog…

1
Emily Ruskovich: Idaho as Inspiration 28:59

8M ago28:59

28:59

Marcia Franklin talks with Emily Ruskovich, the author of Idaho: A Novel. In 2019, the novel won the Dublin Literary Award, worth more than $100,000. Ruskovich reflects on what it has been like to win the award. The two also discuss the plot of Idaho, whose setting is based on the landscape of Ruskovich’s childhood in northern Idaho. Don’t forget t…

1
Yascha Mounk: German, Jewish, American 28:46

8M ago28:46

28:46

Host Marcia Franklin talks with political scientist Yascha Mounk about identity, political divides and his outlook on America. Mounk is the author of several books, including “The People vs. Democracy,” “The Great Experiment,” and “Stranger in My Own Country.” Don’t forget to subscribe, and visit the Dialogue website for more conversations that mat…

1
Catherine Grace Katz: The Daughters of Yalta 28:47

8M ago28:47

28:47

Catherine Grace Katz talks with host Marcia Franklin about “The Daughters of Yalta,” her first book. In it, she illuminates the contributions that Anna Roosevelt, Sarah Churchill and Kathleen Harriman made during the seminal 1945 meeting of world leaders at Yalta, which included their fathers, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Avere…

1
Kalani Pickhart: I Will Die in a Foreign Land 28:46

8M ago28:46

28:46

Host Marcia Franklin talks with author Kalani Pickhart about her debut novel, “I Will Die in a Foreign Land.” Based on the Maidan uprising in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014, the book’s publication coincidentally occurred a few months before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Pickhart talks about what that’s been like, and why she was drawn to write ab…

1
Joanne Freeman: The Past as Present 29:25

9M ago29:25

29:25

Marcia Franklin talks with Yale Professor of History Joanne Freeman about her book The Field of Blood. In it, Freeman illustrates how the U.S. Congress leading up to the Civil War was a more violent body than previously thought. Franklin asks her about parallels to current tensions in Congress. Freeman also discusses her next book, “Hunting for Ham…

1
Kali Fajardo-Anstine: The Stories of My Family 28:46

9M ago28:46

28:46

Host Marcia Franklin talks with author Kali Fajardo-Anstine about her short story collection, “Sabrina & Corina,” which was a finalist for a National Book Award, and her novel, “Woman of Light.” Both draw on her own multicultural history to tell stories set in Colorado. Originally Aired: 11/11/2022 The interview is part of Dialogue’s series, “Conve…

1
Sarah Broom: The Yellow House 29:40

9M ago29:40

29:40

Sarah Broom unpacks her National Book Award-winning memoir, “The Yellow House,” which chronicles the devastating effects that decades of neglect and bureaucratic amnesia have had on her childhood neighborhood of New Orleans East. The book also pays homage to the house she and her 11 siblings grew up in, which was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, but…

1
Rebecca Donner: All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days 28:46

9M ago28:46

28:46

Marcia Franklin talks with author Rebecca Donner about “All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days,” which chronicles the life of Mildred Harnack, her great-great-aunt. Harnack and her husband helped found one of the largest resistance groups against the Nazis. They were both discovered, however, and killed. Mildred is the only known American woman to b…

1
Patricia Nelson Limerick: The Legacy of Conquest 29:01

10M ago29:01

29:01

Marcia Franklin talks with author Patricia Nelson Limerick about her books about the American West. Limerick shares her views that the West has been overly romanticized and that history has ignored the contributions of women and people of color in settling the West. Originally aired: 04/17/1997

1
Nathaniel Philbrick: A City, A Siege, A Revolution 29:04

10M ago29:04

29:04

Marcia Franklin talks with maritime writer and historian Nathaniel Philbrick, the speaker at the 2013 Idaho Humanities Council Distinguished Humanities Lecture. Philbrick is the author of numerous books, including most recently "Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution," which looks at the deadliest battle of the American Revolution and how it in…

1
Eliza Griswold: Amity and Prosperity 29:34

10M ago29:34

29:34

Journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eliza Griswold talks with host Marcia Franklin about her book Amity and Prosperity, which investigates the effects of fracking in a southwestern Pennsylvania community. The two discuss how Griswold researched the book and the rural-urban divide in American politics. Griswold also talks about her forthcom…

1
Eric Liu: Citizen Power 29:04

10M ago29:04

29:04

As the United States heads for what portends to be a raucous convention season, Dialogue host Marcia Franklin talks with Eric Liu, the founder of Citizen University in Seattle, about whether it’s even possible in a seemingly fractured society to have a civil discussion about politics. Liu, also the executive director of the Citizenship and American…

1
Richard Ford: Language, Love and Life in America 29:11

11M ago29:11

29:11

Marcia Franklin talks with author Richard Ford, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Independence Day, a book in his Frank Bascombe series, and who was nominated for a Pulitzer for his most recent book in the series Let Me Be Frank With You. Ford talks with Franklin about his themes, his writing style, his muse and his thoughts on race relations. Don’t for…

1
Kevin Powers: The Yellow Birds 29:12

11M ago29:12

29:12

Marcia Franklin interviews author Kevin Powers, a veteran of the war in Iraq. His first work, "The Yellow Birds," was a finalist for the National Book Award. The novel depicts the friendship between two American soldiers in Iraq trying to keep each other alive, and the emotional journey of one of them as he returns home. Powers, who was a speaker a…

1
Michael Lanza: How to Enjoy the Big Outside, Part Two 29:04

11M ago29:04

29:04

Marcia Franklin continues her conversation with Boise-based outdoor writer Michael Lanza, focusing on tips for hiking and camping, including some of the best gear and small essentials to pack. The two also talk about ways to keep safe in the backcountry. Lanza, the former Northwest editor for Backpacker magazine, has written three books about hikin…

1
Michael Lanza: How to Enjoy the Big Outside, Part One 29:05

11M ago29:05

29:05

Marcia Franklin talks with Idaho outdoor writer and photographer Michael Lanza about some of the best backcountry trips in our region. Lanza, the former Northwest editor for Backpacker magazine, has written three books about hiking, as well as many articles chronicling his worldwide adventures backpacking, climbing, skiing and paddling. “Before The…

1
Richard Blanco: How to Love a Country 29:12

12M ago29:12

29:12

Marcia Franklin talks with poet Richard Blanco, the first LatinX and gay inaugural poet. Blanco wrote a poem for President Obama’s second inaugural and read it at the ceremony. He discusses the process of writing the inaugural poem, “One Today,” how the piece reflected his life and his philosophy of writing, the themes of his work, and the power of…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Idaho Public Television Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide