From the Amazon to the Chinese Diaspora: Rowan Jacobsen on WILD CHOCOLATE & Karissa Chen on HOMESEEKING
01/31/25 • 62 min
In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we explore two fascinating books. Rowan Jacobsen takes us deep into the Amazon in Wild Chocolate, uncovering the origins of cacao and the ethical challenges of the chocolate industry.
Then, Karissa Chen discusses Homeseeking, her powerful novel tracing the Chinese diaspora through generations of displacement, love, and longing for home.
“We’ve been eating a shadow of what chocolate once was— and wild chocolate is bringing back its soul.”* — Rowan Jacobsen
Connect with WV:
Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast
Key Words: Rowan Jacobsen, Wild Chocolate book, wild cacao, ethical chocolate, cacao biodiversity, Big Chocolate, Karissa Chen, Homeseeking novel, Chinese diaspora.
You Might Also Like: Rowan Jacobsen, AMERICAN TERROIR, Tessa Hulls, FEEDING GHOSTS, Ava Chin, MOTT STREET
Summary
Rowan Jacobsen shares the hidden world of wild chocolate, from its Amazonian roots to its ethical and environmental implications. He contrasts mass-market chocolate with rare, wild cacao varieties and explores the industry’s dark side, from worker exploitation to Big Chocolate’s market manipulation.
Next, Karissa Chen discusses Homeseeking, a novel spanning decades of displacement, war, and migration, following two star-crossed lovers through the upheavals of modern Chinese history. Chen reflects on themes of identity, memory, and what it truly means to find home.
Key Topics
Segment 1: Rowan Jacobsen on *Wild Chocolate
- The Amazonian origins of cacao and its discovery in Mesoamerica
- How wild chocolate differs from industrial chocolate in taste and genetics
- The exploitation of cacao farmers and labor conditions in West Africa
- The rise of ethical chocolate and sustainable harvesting efforts
- The role of indigenous communities in preserving wild cacao biodiversity
Segment 2: Karissa Chen on *Homeseeking
- The inspiration behind the novel: a family history of displacement
- The impact of war and political upheaval on personal identity
- How the novel’s dual timelines reflect different perspectives on memory
- The evolving definition of “home” in the context of migration and diaspora
- The role of fate, fortune-telling, and personal agency in shaping the characters’ lives
In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we explore two fascinating books. Rowan Jacobsen takes us deep into the Amazon in Wild Chocolate, uncovering the origins of cacao and the ethical challenges of the chocolate industry.
Then, Karissa Chen discusses Homeseeking, her powerful novel tracing the Chinese diaspora through generations of displacement, love, and longing for home.
“We’ve been eating a shadow of what chocolate once was— and wild chocolate is bringing back its soul.”* — Rowan Jacobsen
Connect with WV:
Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast
Key Words: Rowan Jacobsen, Wild Chocolate book, wild cacao, ethical chocolate, cacao biodiversity, Big Chocolate, Karissa Chen, Homeseeking novel, Chinese diaspora.
You Might Also Like: Rowan Jacobsen, AMERICAN TERROIR, Tessa Hulls, FEEDING GHOSTS, Ava Chin, MOTT STREET
Summary
Rowan Jacobsen shares the hidden world of wild chocolate, from its Amazonian roots to its ethical and environmental implications. He contrasts mass-market chocolate with rare, wild cacao varieties and explores the industry’s dark side, from worker exploitation to Big Chocolate’s market manipulation.
Next, Karissa Chen discusses Homeseeking, a novel spanning decades of displacement, war, and migration, following two star-crossed lovers through the upheavals of modern Chinese history. Chen reflects on themes of identity, memory, and what it truly means to find home.
Key Topics
Segment 1: Rowan Jacobsen on *Wild Chocolate
- The Amazonian origins of cacao and its discovery in Mesoamerica
- How wild chocolate differs from industrial chocolate in taste and genetics
- The exploitation of cacao farmers and labor conditions in West Africa
- The rise of ethical chocolate and sustainable harvesting efforts
- The role of indigenous communities in preserving wild cacao biodiversity
Segment 2: Karissa Chen on *Homeseeking
- The inspiration behind the novel: a family history of displacement
- The impact of war and political upheaval on personal identity
- How the novel’s dual timelines reflect different perspectives on memory
- The evolving definition of “home” in the context of migration and diaspora
- The role of fate, fortune-telling, and personal agency in shaping the characters’ lives
Previous Episode
Utopias, Pipelines, and Political Art: Karen Joy Fowler, Charlotte Dennett, and Jules Feiffer
This week on Writer’s Voice we feature three great conversations. Karen Joy Fowler reflects on the relevance of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed and its vision of utopia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary re-issue of that classic work of speculative fiction. She wrote the introduction. Listen to our 2012 interview with Ursulla K. Le Guin
Then, Charlotte Dennett gives us a timely update on the geopolitics of the Middle East, connecting current conflicts to her book Follow the Pipelines.
And finally, we pay tribute to Jules Feiffer, the legendary cartoonist and author, revisiting his insights on political art and his noir graphic novel about the Hollywood Black List, The Ghost Script. We spoke with him in 2019. He died January 17.
Connect with WV:
Follow us on Bluesky @rheannonf.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon, and on Instagram and Threads @WritersVoicePodcast
Key Words: Karen Joy Fowler, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed, utopia, Charlotte Dennett, Follow the Pipelines, Middle Eastern geopolitics, Jules Feiffer, The Ghost Script, Hollywood blacklist, energy politics
You Might Also Like: Charlotte Dennet, FOLLOW THE PIPELINES, Jules Feiffer, THE GHOST SCRIPT, Ursula K. Le Guin, UNREAL AND REAL.
Listen, Like & Subscribe to Writer’s Voice!
Key Topics:
Segment 1: Karen Joy Fowler on The Dispossessed
- Le Guin’s vision of “ambiguous utopias” and its contradictions
- The ongoing relevance of The Dispossessed in today’s sociopolitical climate
- Exploring themes of equality, individualism, and community
- Fowler’s reflections on human nature and the balance between utopia and dystopia
Segment 2: Charlotte Dennett on Middle Eastern Geopolitics
- The role of pipelines as “arteries of empire” in shaping global power
- How energy politics fuel ongoing conflict in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon
- The significance of the Leviathan gas fields and Netanyahu’s energy corridor ambitions
- Broader implications for U.S. foreign policy and energy security
Segment 3: Jules Feiffer on The Ghost Script
- The Hollywood blacklist’s impact on creatives and its relevance today
- Feiffer’s personal connection to the blacklist as a political cartoonist
- How The Ghost Script blends noir storytelling with political commentary
- Reflections on the power of art to challenge oppression
Next Episode
Black History Month: Aaron Robertson, THE BLACK UTOPIANS. Also, Cory Doctorow, PICKS AND SHOVELS
In this episode of Writer’s Voice, we talk with Aaron Robertson about his fascinating book, The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America. It’s about the hidden legacies of Black utopian experiments and what they teach us about the power of community today.
Then, we talk with best-selling novelist, journalist and activist Cory Doctorow about his new crime thriller, the latest installment in the Martin Hench series, Picks and Shovels. It tells the origin stories of forensic accountant Martin Hench and the most powerful tool for crime ever invented: the personal computer.
Black History Month on Writer’s Voice
Every week this month, we’ll be featuring books about key times in America’s Black History, a history that enriches and enlightens us all. We talk with:
- Aaron Robertson, BLACK UTOPIANS
- Aran Shetterly about MORNINGSIDE: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre
- Victoria Christopher Murray about her novel of the Harlem Renaissance, HARLEM RHAPSODY
- Bernadette Atuahene about her history of how racist policies undermine Black home ownership In America, PLUNDERED
Connect with WV:
Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack. Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast
You can support our show and the others you listen to by contributing through Lenny.fm. Your support helps us bring you more of the episodes, like this one, that you look forward to. Thanks for being a vital part of our community!
Key Words: Black utopian communities, Aaron Robertson, The Black Utopians, Promiseland Tennessee, Black Christian nationalism, Albert Cleage Jr., Black History Month, Cory Doctorow, Picks and Shovels book, enshittification, digital rights, big tech antitrust
Segment 1: Aaron Robertson
Aaron Robertson’s book The Black Utopians uncovers the rich yet often overlooked history of Black utopian communities in America—places born from struggle, but driven by hope, self-determination, and perserverance. From the historic town of Promiseland, Tennessee, to the radical vision of Black Christian nationalism in Detroit, Robertson takes us on a journey through forgotten movements that sought to build a better world right here in America.
“Moments of crisis are often when utopian experiments flourish. When existing systems fail, people turn to each other and create something new.“ — Aaron Robertson
Topics Covered
- The history and significance of Black utopian communities
- Promiseland, Tennessee: A historic all-Black town
- The role of Black Christian nationalism and its leader, Albert Cleage Jr.
- How Black utopian movements contrast with white countercultural movements of the 1960s
- Why mainstream narratives have overlooked Black utopian experiments
- Lessons from The Black Utopians for building resilient communities today
Segment 2: Cory Doctorow
We welcome back Cory Doctorow—bestselling author, activist, and one of the most incisive voices on the intersection of technology, capitalism, and digital rights. His latest book, Picks and Shovels, is a gripping prequel to Red Team Blues and The Bezel, diving into the dawn of the personal computing era in 1986. Through the eyes of forensic accountant Martin Hench, Doctorow explores corporate fraud, the rise of monopolies, and what he famously calls the “enshittification” of technology.
We also discuss how modern fraud operates, the power of spreadsheets in financial crimes, Amazon’s monopoly over the audiobook industry, and why Doctorow is hopeful—not optimistic—about the future of digital rights and labor movements.
“We stopped enforcing antitrust laws, and we got monopolies. This shouldn’t surprise anyone.” — Cory Doctorow
Topics Covered
- Why Doctorow set his novel in 1986 and how it serves as a prequel to his previous books
- How the character Martin Hench uses forensic accounting to uncover fraud using spreadsheets, and why fraudsters often think they’re untouchable.
- How the early PC industry was a Wild West of innovation, scams, and untapped potential.
- The...
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