Campbell Conversations

On this episode of the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with Vietnamese poet, novelist and journalist Nguyen Phan Que Mai. Her new novel, "The Mountains Sing" is an epic and harrowing multi-generational story of a family in Vietnam going both backwards and forwards in time from its centerpoint in 1972.

On this week's episode of the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with Ben Walsh. He's just begun his fourth year as Mayor of the city of Syracuse, and recently gave his State of the City address. Grant talks to Walsh about many of the topics that were in Walsh's wide-ranging address.

On this week's episode of the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with Anthony Brindisi, the former Democratic Congressman who just conceded his race for reelection in the 22nd District against Republican challenger Claudia Tenney. The 22nd District includes Chenango, Cortland, Madison and Oneida counties and parts of Broome, Herkimer, Tioga and Oswego counties.

Many prominent voices both inside and outside of government are calling on President Biden to focus more attention on rural issues, and even appoint a rural czar to coordinate the effort. On this episode of the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with Charles Fluharty, founder and President Emeritus of the Rural Policy Research Institute at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health. It's the only US national policy institute solely dedicated to assessing the rural impacts of public policies.

On this episode of the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with Steven Greenhouse. He covered labor and workplace issues for the New York Times for 19 years, and has recently written a book about the ups and downs of labor in America titled, "Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor". He's also the author of, "The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker".

In this episode of the Campbell Conversations, a conversation about the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the historic inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris and where we go from here. Grant Reeher speaks with Kristi Andersen, a town councilor in Cazenovia and political science professor emeritus at Syracuse University's Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs. Also in the discussion is Sean O'Keefe, former Administrator of NASA, former Secretary of the Navy and currently a

Grant Reeher speaks with New York State Assemblyman Will Barclay. A republican, Barclay has been in the state legislature for almost twenty years and represents the 120th Assembly District. The district is north of Syracuse and along the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and includes the cities of Oswego, Fulton, and the town of Lysander. Barclay has held a number of leadership positions in the legislature and is currently serving as the minority leader in the state Assembly.

New York State Senator Rachel May represents the 53rd State Senate district, and is starting her second term. She chairs the Senate Aging Committee and the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. The 53rd Senate district consists of Madison County and part of Oneida and Onondaga Counties, including the majority of the city of Syracuse. She speaks with Grant Reeher about the covid response, the state budget, taxes and recreational marijuana.

Maurice Isserman is a historian and author. A professor at Hamilton College, he's written many notable works, including the mountaineering histories, "Falling Giants," "Continental Divide: A History of American Mountaineering" and a biography of Michael Harrington called, "The Other American." Grant Reeher speaks with Isserman about his new book, "The Winter Army: The World War II Odyssey of the 10th Mountain Division, America's Elite Alpine Warriors."

In this year's elections, Republicans across the country outperformed expectations, including in central New York's 24th Congressional District. Rep. John Katko easily won a fourth term in the House, despite polls showing the race as a toss up. This week, Grant Reeher talks with Katko about the election, COVID-19 stimulus, his being named the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, and more.