On this edition of Conversations, Lynne Cheney joins host Dan Skinner to talk about “The Virginia Dynasty: Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation.” Cheney is the author or coauthor of 12 books, including six bestsellers about American history for children. Her bestselling biography “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” was published in 2014.

On this edition of Conversations, Victoria Phillips talks with host Dan Skinner about "Martha Graham's Cold War: The Dance of American Diplomacy." Phillips specializes in Cold War Culture and diplomacy. Dr. Philips is a lecturer in History at the European Institute and Department of History at Columbia University in New York. 

Sanford Levinson is a professor both at the University of Texas Law School and the University of Texas at Austin Department of Government. He is the author of many books on the U.S. Constitution and other subjects. Cynthia Levinson is an author of award-winning non-fiction books about social justice for young readers. On this edition of Conversations, they join us to talk about “Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel.”

On this edition of Conversations, Ellyn Lem talks with host Dan Skinner about “Gray Matters: Finding Meaning in the Stories of Later Life.” Lem is a professor of English and Gender Studies at UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha, where she teaches a variety of composition and literature courses, including a course, Women in Popular Culture.

On this edition of Conversations, Bina Venkataraman talks with host Dan Skinner about “The Optimists Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Venkataraman is the editorial page editor of The Boston Globe. Before joining the Globe, she served as a senior adviser for climate change innovation in the Obama White House and was the director of global policy initiatives at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.