Suzanne Lang talks with Matthew Ferrence, who ran for the Pennsylvania State Legislature (and lost) in a gerrymandered red area that is deemed “un-winnable” by Democrats. He tells his story in I Hate it Here, Please Vote for Me: Essays on Rural Political Decay.

Also featured is Suzanne’s conversation with award winning librarian and free speech advocate Amanda Jones, who has been the target of a nasty campaign of harassment from the far right in her home state of Louisiana. Her memoir is That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.

It’s A Novel Idea on KRCB FM 104.9. streaming and podcasting at krcb.org.