Dialogue with Marcia Franklin

Marcia Franklin talks with leading death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J. about her views, as well as the success of the book and film about her life, 'Dead Man Walking.' The two also discuss the potential future of the death penalty, women in the priesthood, and her next project.

Originally aired: 05/13/98

As part of the events in 2016 surrounding the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, Dialogue host Marcia Franklin talks with Professor Eric Rasmussen of the University of Nevada, Reno. Rasmussen, the chair of the English department at UNR, is a pre-eminent Shakespeare scholar and an expert on the First Folio, which was published in 1623 and includes almost all of the Bard of Avon's plays.

Rasmussen, also the author of a 1000-page catalog called The Shakespeare First Folio, worked with a team to locate 232 surviving copies of the First Folio, 72 more than were originally thought to exist. An estimated 800 were originally printed. There are now 235 known copies. The group went on to painstakingly document the condition of every page of as many copies as it could examine.

Rasmussen is also the author of The Shakespeare Thefts: In Search of the First Folios, in which he includes some of the more colorful stories surrounding the various copies of the 900-plus page book, both ones that have been found and those that are still missing. Franklin talks with the professor about his interest in the First Folio, how he authenticates the new copies he finds, some of the unique aspects of the books, what he's learned studying them, and what he thinks about the various authorship theories regarding Shakespeare's works.

The interview took place at the Humanities Institute at Boise State University, one of 52 locations in the United States chosen by the Folger Shakespeare Library to display the First Folio in 2016.

Originally Aired: 09/09/2016

Marcia Franklin talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt about storytelling and the power of memory. (Note: McCourt died July 19, 2009)

The two talk about the loss of the storytelling ethos in our culture, and the need to preserve history through both oral and written tradition. They also discuss the rigors of teaching; McCourt taught high school English for 30 years and wrote about the experience in his 2005 book "Teacher Man". He says it was his students who urged him to write his memoir of growing up poor in Ireland, which was eventually published as "Angela's Ashes" and garnered the Pulitzer.

Franklin and McCourt also talk about how the events of 9/11 affected McCourt, who contributed to a book honoring the efforts of firefighters during the disaster. And he gives his picks for good reading. McCourt was in Boise to speak to the Idaho Humanities Council.

Originally Aired: 11/14/2002

Idaho native and author Alyssa Harad talks with Marcia Franklin about her first book, Coming to My Senses, which chronicles her surprise at discovering how the power of perfume helped her grow personally as both a writer and feminist. She also recommends books for good winter reading.

Harad, who grew up in Boise, had been working in a series of unfulfilling jobs in Austin, TX after receiving her Ph.D. One day she started reading about perfume. Her academic interest in the language and history of scent turned personal when she began ordering perfume for herself and others. She found that all of her senses became more acute, making her a better writer, and that enjoying perfume also broadened her ideas about what it meant to be a strong woman.

Originally Aired: 12/21/2012

Marcia Franklin talks with Judge Joan E. Donoghue of the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court. Donoghue is the first female American judge to sit on the court, which is in The Hague, Netherlands, and is only the third female judge to be seated in that court's history.

She discusses the role of the court, which hears disputes between nation-states, her experience on the court, and the importance of international law. The court's opinions are sometimes controversial, and since 1986, the United States has only recognized its jurisdiction on a case-by-case basis. Franklin also discusses that situation with Judge Donoghue.

Before being elected to her post in 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council, Judge Donoghue had a distinguished career in the U.S. Department of State. Among her positions, she served as Principal Deputy Legal Adviser, Deputy Legal Adviser, Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic and Business Affairs and Assistant Legal Adviser for Oceans, Environment and Science.

Originally Aired: 07/19/2013

As Russia's dominance on the international stage increases, along with its presence in the American presidential election, Dialogue host Marcia Franklin talks with journalist Jill Dougherty about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dougherty, who reported for CNN for 30 years, most recently as its Foreign Affairs Correspondent, was also the network's Moscow Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent. She left CNN in 2013 to get a Master's degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and is now writing a book on Putin's 'soft power.' At the time she spoke with Franklin, Dougherty was a Global Fellow at the Kennan Institute, a division of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

The two discuss what Dougherty means by 'soft power,' and some of the factors that drive President Putin's persona and politics. Franklin also asks Dougherty about Putin's involvement in the United States' presidential election and what the next U.S. president should keep in mind when negotiating with Russia.

Dougherty was in Boise in September 2016 to address the Boise Committee on Foreign Relations.

Originally Aired: 09/30/2016

Director, writer and performance artist Miranda July talks with host Marcia Franklin about her life and work. The conversation was filmed at the Church of the Big Wood in Ketchum, as part of an event sponsored by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. July discusses the inspirations for her work, her creative process, and how becoming a mother has changed her.

Miranda July wrote, directed and starred in the film "Me and You and Everyone We Know," which won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Caméra d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. July's novel, "The First Bad Man," was a New York Times bestseller, and her collection of short stories, "No One Belongs Here More Than You," won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. July is also known for her performance pieces.

Originally aired: 05/19/17

Host Marcia Franklin talks with bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Anna Quindlen. The two discuss the political and cultural landscape of today, including the "Me Too" movement. The author of "How Reading Changed My Life," Quindlen also talks about the power of reading to bridge gaps between people.

Quindlen has written 17 books of fiction and non-fiction, including "Lots of Candles," "Plenty of Cake," "Still Life with Bread Crumbs," "A Short Guide to a Happy Life," "Miller's Valley," and her most recent book, "Alternate Side." A longtime reporter and columnist, Quindlen worked for the New York Times for many years. In 1992 she won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of columns she wrote for the paper, including some about the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was also a columnist for Newsweek.

Quindlen was in Boise as the keynote speaker for the annual Idaho Humanities Council Distinguished Lecture.

Originally aired: 11/23/2018

Host Marcia Franklin talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Idaho native Laurel Thatcher Ulrich about her latest book, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History." Ulrich, a professor at Harvard University, coined the phrase in a scholarly paper she wrote in the 1970s.

Franklin and her guest discuss how growing up in Idaho influenced Professor Ulrich to become a historian. She also explains why she calls herself "a Mormon feminist" and why she believes "good history is almost always dangerous." Franklin recorded this interview after Ulrich's Distinguished Humanities Lecture in Idaho Falls for the Idaho Humanities Council.

Originally Aired: 06/11/2009

Marcia Franklin talks with novelist Dinaw Mengestu about the themes of his books, which include All the Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and All Our Names. Mengestu, who emigrated from Ethiopia with his family when he was two, often writes about the lives of immigrants. He is the recipient of many honors, including the Guardian First Book Award and the MacArthur Fellowship.

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Originally Aired: 11/27/2015

The interview is part of Dialogue's series "Conversations from the Sun Valley Writers' Conference" and was taped at the 2015 conference. Since 1995, the conference has been bringing together some of the world's most well-known and illuminating authors to discuss literature and life.