
Frannie Carr Toth was the editor of WBUR's opinion page, Cognoscenti. She was previously the executive producer of The Emily Rooney Show, a daily news talk show out of WGBH-FM in Boston. Prior to that, she was a producer and writer in WBUR’s newscast unit. Frannie has also worked for NPR affiliates WCAI-FM and New England Public Radio — as well as Atlantic Public Media, Northern Light Productions and the Radio Foundation in New York City. She has a master’s degree in advertising from Boston University and a B.A. in journalism from the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She lives in Somerville.
Recently published

'This is the hill I will die on': Readers react to a potential ban on abortion
Abortion is one of the biggest fault lines in American politics. This week, a leaked version of a Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade set off a political...

We want to hear from you: Abortion in America
In a draft opinion obtained by Politico, at least five Supreme Court justices appear poised to strike down Roe vs. Wade. If the opinion becomes law, it would end legal...

Cognoscenti's Best Stories of 2021
We published hundreds of essays and commentaries this year. Here are the pieces that attracted the most readers, and took up the most space in our hearts and brains.

Tatyana McFadden: 'Running together into a new future'
Tatyana McFadden is a 20-time Paralympic medalist and a 23-time major marathon winner. She's the only elite female athlete attempting to podium in five major marathons this fall, including Boston....

As ‘9/11 Kids,' We Only Have The Stories Other People Tell Us About Our Dad
Sophia and Lindsay Cook were too young when their father died to have many memories of him. Now, 20 years after 9/11, they’re still trying to understand who he was,...
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'I Just Wish I Could Stay A Little Longer': Jack Thomas Considers The End Of His Life
An inevitable part of life is the end of it. No one cheats death, of course. But most of us don’t know exactly when our time will be up. Longtime...

A Cook, A Plant Lover, A Homebody: A Daughter Remembers Her Dad Who Died From COVID-19
Salman Wasti was a Pakistani immigrant, a biology professor, and a lover of books and plants. He died of COVID-19 in December.

Singing Bollywood In The Sunroom: A Daughter Remembers Her Dad As He Was Before COVID
Salman Wasti was an immigrant, a professor, a lover of plants and a collector of things. He’s also one of nearly 500,000 Americans who’ve died from COVID-19. Here, his daughter...

'He Blew Me A Kiss. And That Was The Last Time I Saw Him': They Were Both Gravely Ill With COVID — But Only One Survived
Karen Nascembeni and her husband, Steven T. Richard, contracted the coronavirus last March. When Karen woke up after 31 days in a medically induced coma, Steven was gone. Here, she...

Cognoscenti's Best Stories Of 2020
Cognoscenti published nearly 450 essays and commentaries this year. Here are the pieces that attracted the most readers, and took up the most space in our hearts and brains.