The Radio Café on Santafenewmexican.com: Recent Episodes
Radio Café
The Santa Fe New Mexican is the home of Mary Charlotte's Radio Café, a twice-weekly show exploring life, politics, and news.
One hundred days ago, the 117th Congress of the United States was sworn in, and we began this series covering the daily life and work of Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez. We talk about what’s been accomplished so far, and what challenges lie ahead.
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is an ecological treasure in Northern New Mexico. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez gives a report from the top of the mountain, and talks about the importance of changing how campaigns are financed.
What is the role of Congress in determining foreign policy, given the strong role of the executive branch? What does Congress have to say about water policy, given that states play a large role in determining their own water law? And how do we transition away from the fossil fuel industry in a state where we’re heavily dependent on its revenues?
What does it mean to spend trillions of dollars on infrastructure? Where does the money come from to pay for it? And what is involved in getting new voting rights legislation passed? Also hear how Teresa Leger Fernandez’s Catholic faith affects the way she thinks about politics in Diary of a Congresswoman.
How do we finally address mass shootings and pay discrimination? And what’s really going on on the U.S.-Mexico border—is it even a crisis? Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez speaks on the issues with host Mary-Charlotte Domandi.
Follow first-time representative to Congress Teresa Leger Fernandez as she navigates the process of representing her country and her district. This is a chance for those of us outside the halls of Congress to understand how things get done…or don’t…and how New Mexico is represented during a transitional moment in U.S. history.
Many of our "essential workers" pay into the unemployment system but get nothing back when they’re unemployed—because of their immigration status. We talk to organizer Marcela Diaz about the challenges—and opportunities—of navigating the health and economic crises caused by the global pandemic.
The new book, "100% Community: Ensuring 10 Vital Services For Surviving,” shows how to build county-based systems that ensure well being for all their residents. We speak with authors Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney and Dominic Cappello.
Host Mary-Charlotte Domandi speaks with Stuart Kauffman – a medical doctor, complex systems research scientist, author, MacArthur Fellow and Santa Fe resident – about how the coronavirus spreads and the importance of social distancing in stopping exponential growth.
Award-winning author Terry Tempest Williams discusses her new book, “Erosion: Essays of Undoing.”
Andrew Lustig, founder and president of Global Outreach Doctors, talks about sending physicians and integrative medicine practitioners to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Historian C.J. Alvarez talks about his new book, “Border Land, Border Water,” and the history of construction on the border, from Mexican independence to the present. We discuss how these projects both divide and connect the two countries—and cause catastrophic consequences to the environment.
Fred Nathan of Think New Mexico talks about how to improve our state system so that private sector employees and contractors can save money for retirement, and how the public sector can better serve its current and future retirees.
The Mexican gray wolf was brought to near extinction by predator-extermination campaigns, spearheaded by the livestock industry. The Endangered Species Act made it possible for wolves to be reintroduced into the wild, where they can do their work as apex predators to keep the rest of the ecosystem in balance. But the pressure against them is still strong. We talk to David Parsons, Carnivore Conservation Biologist with the Rewilding Institute, about the successes and challenges of integrating wolves into their natural habitat.
We talk to Karen Cain of the Street Homeless Animal Project, a Santa Fe-based group that helps people living on the streets to care for their animals. We also talk to Carlyn Montes de Oca about her new book, "Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse."
Author, radio producer, and aural historian Jack Loeffler’s new memoir, “Headed into the Wind,” takes us on a journey of inner and outer freedom in nature and society. After witnessing an atomic bomb test, he realized that our world was insane, and sought new paths, including the counterculture, the environmental movement, jazz music, old-time Hispanic music and culture, Native American ways of life, meditation, and more. A longtime radio producer, he’s recorded thousands of hours of interviews with some of the most important voices of our time, and has recorded wildlife all over the West—including a close encounter with a rattlesnake.
Middlebury professor Allison Stanger’s new book, "Whistleblowers: Honesty in America from Washington to Trump,” recounts the long American tradition of whistleblowing from even before the Revolutionary War, how whistleblowers have been treated (spoiler alert: not very well), and what’s at stake in our new digital world.
Jenny Parks is CEO of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation. In this sponsor spotlight, we hear about the foundation's work with students and teachers, and the challenges of making a difference with philanthropy.
A chat with mixologist and culinary maven Natalie Bovis about Thanksgiving dinner—food choices, recipes, cocktails, and how to enjoy the day even if you’re doing all the cooking.
Fred Hampton was a young, charismatic, and brilliant leader in Chicago's African American community when he was gunned down by the police in service of the FBI. Hampton’s attorney and biographer, Santa Fean Jeff Haas, talks about his life and legacy.
Michael Berman’s new book “Perdido: Sierra San Luis” is a journey in photographs and stories about a complicated landscape on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border, where the natural world has been compromised and where survival depends on a complexity of relationships.
Henry Shukman, director of the Mountain Cloud Zen Center, talks about his new memoir, "One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart."
We talk to Santa Fe Institute and Portland State University computer scientist Melanie Mitchell about her new book, “Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans.”
Santa Fe author Mark Winne’s new book, “Food Town, USA: Seven Unlikely Cities That are Changing the Way We Eat,” is not just a food travelogue, but also the story of how American cities are rebuilding themselves and their local food systems through healthy food entrepreneurship—and along the way starting to heal the wounds of poverty, racism, poor health and erosion of community.
Photographer Joan Myers has spent over 40 years making images of the American West—not the grand, majestic landscapes of previous generations, but complex, layered images of decaying icons, strange cultural juxtapositions and the myths that underly our sense of place.
Mona Malec’s one-woman show, "Motherhood, Barbells & T-Shots," is a powerful story about having a transgender child in a world where acceptance and understanding are hard won. We talk to Mona and director Rod Harrison.
We talk to City Council candidates from districts 2 and 4. Districts 1 and 3 have uncontested races this year. Election day is Tuesday, Nov 5, and early voting runs through Nov. 2.
The current fossil fuel boom in southeastern New Mexico comes with difficulties for workers and residents—impossible housing prices, inadequate infrastructure, and strain on workers both in and outside the industry. Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Jens Erik Gould reports.
Santa Fe's Metamorfosis Documentation Project goes to Latin America to document indigenous traditional ceremonies and ways of life that are under threat from modernization. We talk about the new documentary film about the Tzintzuntzan celebration in a P’urhépecha community in Michoacan, Mexico.
We talk to four filmmakers from the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival about everything from indigenous rights to the Louisiana Bayou to the unraveling of a suburban housewife.
Steve Elkins is a filmmaker and, above all, an explorer. Flying over the rainforest with lidar technology, he found an ancient city—complete with pyramids and plazas—and put together a team of scientists, filmmakers and journalists to explore and document the site. We talk to Elkins and journalist Doug Preston about the film and the book, both titled “The Lost City of the Monkey God.”
All of us are part of a collective intelligence—from our communities, to our workplaces, to our governments. We talk to MIT professor Tom Malone about how artificial intelligence and information technology can make our group mind smarter—and more democratic.
"The Once and Future Child: A Photographic History of Childhood in New Mexico" is an exhibit that traces the history of childhood in New Mexico over the last century. We talk with photographer Don Usner and writer Bill DeBuys about about what these images say about our past—and future.
That’s the name of Pat Mitchell’s book, a memoir of her career in media. She was the first woman head of PBS and has been a lifelong pioneer in women’s media and leadership. She’ll be at Collected Works Bookstore at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Dr. Ross Greene has been working with so-called problem kids for years, and has found what’s really going on with them — and it can’t be solved through punishment, reward or other behavior modification systems. He explains the fundamentals of his successful methods.
Three Santa Fe theater companies collaborate to bring audiences The Elliot Trilogy by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes. We talk to director Alix Hudson.
Paul Watson’s ships had giant blades on the front to tear open the hulls of illegal whaling ships; Dave Foreman’s stealthy conservationists stood up to loggers, corporations and law enforcement—all in the service of species that cannot protect themselves. We talk to these two controversial, audacious and extraordinarily successful conservationists.
Lauren Ancel Meyers is a professor of both integrative biology and statistics and data science. She combines these fields to make models of epidemics—to help us prevent, mitigate and treat things like influenza, zika and other potentially life-threatening illnesses. She will be giving the Ulam lectures for the Santa Fe Institute on Monday, Sept. 23, and Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
Paul Davies is an astrophysicist and astrobiologist whose book "The Eerie Silence" is an exploration of the search for intelligent life in the universe. But what is “life,” and what is “intelligence?” And what is the likelihood of life forming on other planets? And if it did, how would we know?
While politicians and other adults have brought the world to the edge of catastrophic climate disruption, young people all over the globe are organizing and taking action. We speak to four young New Mexicans about the upcoming General Climate Strike and 7 Days of Resistance.
Thirty years ago, a group of pueblo women started getting together to talk about their problems and issues, including everything from child rearing, to trauma, culture and politics. Now, Tewa Women United is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a series of events. We talk to executive director Corrine Sanchez about her journey empowering women and community.
Jason Rezian was the Washington Posts’s Teheran correspondent when he and his wife were taken away at gunpoint and accused of a bizarre list of crimes. His new book, “Prisoner,” details the harrowing 18 months in Iranian prison, and the efforts of his employer, friends and family to get him out.
How can the fruits of Silicon Valley high tech be used to keep our children safe? Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney’s new book, "Anna, Age Eight," is about how to prevent child abuse and trauma by improving the systems within social services, government and private agencies, and getting them to share data.
Laurel Chiten’s documentary Just One Drop looks at the history of this alternative healing practice—the controversy, the efficacy and the mystery surrounding what was once—and in many places still is—an accepted practice.
Aurra Gardner had everything going for her—talented musician, creative artist, beloved daughter and older sister—but she chose to end her own life at 16. How can we understand her story — and the stories of other suffering families? Nick Pachelli of Searchlight New Mexico talks about his in-depth report on this issue.
Migration policies continually changing; migrants in danger from both cartels and police; insufficient work, shelter and service; shortage of immigration attorneys and judges. These are just some of the circumstances encountered by refugees on the Mexico-U.S. border. Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Jens Erik Gould tells about his recent stories from El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.
Santa Fe Institute economist Rajiv Sethi talks from an economics and social science perspective about stereotyping in the criminal justice system, and the resulting disparities in our communities.
Avi Belkin’s new film, "Mike Wallace is Here," profiles the life of the influential broadcast journalist who inaugurated 60 Minutes, and whose life work brings up important questions about journalism today.
Searchlight New Mexico’s April Reese discusses her reporting on the effects of toxic chemicals from Cannon Air Force Base on local groundwater—and the severe toll these toxins have taken on the viability of a dairy business and the health of its owner.
A mining company is exploring the possibility of mineral extraction in the National Forest near Pecos. We talk to two experts on the potential consequences to our state's air and water.
August has been dedicated “Local Food Connects” month, and we talk to local food advocate Denise Miller and farmer Alex Pino.
Jamie Bernstein’s new memoir "Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein” is about the richness and challenges of growing up with her larger-than-life dad, Leonard Bernstein. With humor, honesty and insight, she recounts a life of both privilege and confusion during a period when many things were left unsaid.
We talk to Caroline Frederickson, president of the American Constitution Society, about her new book “The Democracy Fix: How to Win the Fight for Fair Rules, Fair Courts, and Fair Elections.”
Dr. Bruce Perry is author of the extraordinary book “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook—What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing,” and he’s been instrumental in changing the way mental health practitioners understand and treat the most wounded and vulnerable children in our society.
Tim McLaughlin’s new book “Seeds Under the Tongue” is a compilation of poems, some of them inspired by a brush with death in a canyon that the author transformed into a ceremonial experience. McLaughlin’s work combines well-honed craft, inspiration and a profound connection to wild nature.
Central Americans faced with violence, murder, extortion, gangs and a breakdown of the rule of law are coming to the US to seek asylum—only to find chaos and squalor and on this side of the border. We talk to Allegra Love, Santa Fe attorney and executive director of the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, about the realities facing refugees and the politics surrounding them.
The Roswell UFO Festival is a fascinating amalgam of people who believe in flying saucers, conspiracy theorists, those who believe that they’ve been abducted—and their therapists. We talk to four of them about their idiosyncratic beliefs and stories that defy credibility.
Steve Young, comedy writer for Late Show with David Letterman, stumbled across the genre of “industrial musicals” that were huge but virtually unknown to the general public—until now. We talk about his book “Everything’s Coming Up Profits” and the documentary “Bathtubs Over Broadway.”
We talk to historian John Stauffer about his book "The Battle Hymn of the Republic: A Biography of the Song That Marches On."
In 1973, a Mexican anthropologist assembled a group of people from different countries, religions and cultures to cross the Atlantic on a raft with minimal comforts, no motor and a single sail. He was hoping to observe conflict and even violence, but it didn’t turn out the way he’d anticipated. We talk to filmmaker Marcus Lindeen about his documentary about the original journey—and the reunion 43 years later.
"Before Stonewall" is an award-winning and groundbreaking documentary from 1984 about LGBT America before 1969. We talk to co-director Robert Rosenberg about the making of the film, which includes elders who came of age in the 1920s, and the making of a civil rights movement.
We talk to Santa Fe Opera dramaturg Cori Ellison about the operas in this summer’s season—history, production, casting and the beauty and drama of both classics and a world premiere.
Ed Williams of Searchlight New Mexico talks about children with severe disabilities in New Mexico public schools that not only don’t provide the services they need but actually call the police on them, and sometimes make false claims against their parents to CYFD.
David K. Randall’s new book "Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague” is the vividly told story of the advent of modern medicine, and the science and politics of the fight against a brutally lethal bacterium.
At the age of 23, Erica Elliott went to teach school on the Navajo reservation. After a rocky beginning, she fell in love with the people and their culture—and witnessed miracles that even now as a medical doctor she cannot fully understand.
Tomás Rivera of the Chainbreaker Collective talks about what it will take to ensure fairness and equity for the most vulnerable people and neighborhoods in Santa Fe—especially as the former College of Santa Fe campus is developed.
For centuries, pueblos have fought to assert and maintain their rights to land, water and self-determination. In the new book “Pueblo Sovereignty: Indian Land and Water in New Mexico and Texas,” historians Malcolm Ebright and Rick Hendricks explore the long history—and many successes—of this struggle.
Doug Lynam found his calling as a money manager while serving as a monk and taking care of the monastery’s finances. He brings spiritual, environmental and practical perspectives to his work. We talk about his new book “From Monk to Money Manager: A Monk’s Financial Guide to Becoming a Little Bit Wealthy—and Why That’s Okay.”
A tribute to the life of Nobel Prize-winning scientist and co-founder of the Santa Fe Institute, Murray Gell-Mann, who died on May 24. Gell-Mann discovered the subatomic particle the Quark, and worked in many disciplines, including linguistics, archaeology, history and economics.
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Matt Richtel’s new book "An Elegant Defense" tells the story of how the human immune system works—and the stories of four people with extraordinary health challenges.
We talk to Pamela Green, writer and director of the documentary "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché." It’s about an extraordinary woman whose name and work were, until recently, all but forgotten in the history of film.
Anne Hillerman’s new book "The Tale Teller" is the fifth book in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. We talk about the story, the craft of mystery writing, and the cultural/historical background.
Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev of Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe talks about his new book "The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets: Then and Now."
Nicholas Carr, Pulitzer Prize finalist for his book "The Shallows," talks about both the extraordinary benefits — and dangers — of the powerful technologies at our fingertips.
John L. Smith is an award-winning journalist and author of many books. His new book, "The Westside Slugger: Joe Neal's Lifelong Fight for Social Justice," is a biography of Joe Neal, who grew up a sharecropper in the blackest parish in Louisiana and became one of the longest-serving state senators in the history of Nevada.
Terry Holliday is a longtime educator. Former commissioner of education for the state of Kentucky, he has seen what works and what doesn’t, what’s politically expedient, and how we can shift our education systems to serve the wide range of children and communities in our state.
Three teenage advocates for the Gila River died in a plane crash while monitoring the wilderness area. Their mothers took a kayak trip down the river to honor their kids, and it was documented in the film "Hearts on the Gila."We talk to mother Patrice Mutchnick, who founded the non-profit dedicated to the river and its environment.
Heddy Honigmann is an award-winning Peruvian-Dutch filmmaker, whose new film "Buddy" explores the lives of six disabled people and their assistance dogs. And Jill Felice, founder of Assistance Dogs of the West, tell us what goes into the making of assistance dogs—and the many places they work.
Laura Fortunato, Evolutionary Anthropologist at the University of Oxford and the Santa Fe Institute, talks about the prevalence of polygamy—not monogamy—in the history of society. We discuss how a deeper understanding of the diversity of marriage and family structures around the world can help us understand and adapt to our own changing society.
For over a hundred years, projects have been proposed to dam and divert the Gila River, and so far all of them have failed. Now, New Mexico is at a crossroads: do we take federal money and build a diversion, or do we use the money for other water infrastructure projects? Two longtime river observers weigh in.
We talk to U.S. Congresswoman Debra Haaland, youth activist Hannah Laga-Abram, and veteran climate activist Craig O’Hare about climate disruption, the Green New Deal, and Ms. Haaland’s upcoming Town Hall meeting in Santa Fe.
Dr. David Osher is an expert on violence prevention, school safety, supportive school discipline, social and emotional learning, cultural competence, mental health services, and the community collaborations that help transform schools. We talked to him during a recent visit to New Mexico.
When investigative journalist Carey Gillam started writing about farm country she was impressed by the achievements of industrial agriculture companies. But soon she began to uncover stories of illness, death, and environmental devastation from Monsanto's herbicide Roundup. We talk about her hard-hitting book Whitewash, which won many awards, including the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award.
Sara Solovich is executive editor of Searchlight New Mexico, which since its founding just over a year ago has published stories that have not only won national awards, but have spurred much-needed reforms. We talk to Sara, reporter Ed Williams and photojournalist Don Usner.
Santa Fe New Mexican columnist Steve Terrell joins the Radio Cafe with a special April 1 segment, “New Mexico News Roundup.” We talk about what’s going on around the state, from elections to food to big plans for The City Different.
Lilly Ledbetter worked as a manager for Goodyear for almost 20 years— not knowing that she was paid a fraction of her male counterparts. She fought, won, lost, kept fighting, and ultimately helped to get a law passed that helps people get pay equity.
Rachel Conn of Amigos Bravos talks about a proposed change to how New Mexico’s rivers, streams, and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act. She calls it the Dirty Water Rule, as it would remove protection from 96% of New Mexico’s waters—and would allow mines, wastewater treatments plants, corporations, and others to put highly toxic waste into our streams without regulation or consequence.
Salvatore Scibona’s novel, The Volunteer, is a story that spans generations—from rural Iowa to Vietnam, to lowlife New York, to New Mexico. It’s an profound literary journey about people trying to survive in their own lives and in the mechanisms of power over which they have little control.
Ben Goldfarb is a beaver believer. He’s author of the new book, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. We talk about the historical role of beavers in the ecosystems of the entire North American continent, how they were nearly wiped out, and why many communities are brining them back—and with them lusher wetlands and rivers.
Ahmed Abu Artema is a Palestinian writer, whose ideas gave rise to the Great March of Return last year. Jehad Abusalim is a Palestinian intellectual and activist working to facilitate Palestinian-Jewish dialog. We talk about their work for human rights and a basic standard of living.
Elizabeth Hoover traveled all over the country talking to indigenous communities about their food traditions, local gardening and agriculture initiatives, and what it could mean to have food self-sufficiency.
Dahr Jamail is an award-winning author and journalist, whose new book, The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption,is not only a description of the dire state of the planet’s living systems, but also a story of grief, loss, and courage to face the current and imminent crises with open eyes.
Nina Simons is co-founder of Bioneers and author of several books. Her new book is Nature, Culture & the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership. She will be speaking at Collected Works Bookstore Thursday, March 14, in conversation with Cecile Lipworth.
Santa Fe Institute scientist Ross Hammond talks about the “snydemic” of climate change, obesity, and undernourishment—and some solutions that address all three at once.
Many teens in New Mexico are living in fear of gun violence, both in their schools and in the larger world. We speak with high school students Sophia Lussiez and Maki Omori, and gun-safety activist Miranda Viscoli, about their work to pass legislation that would keep firearms out of the hands of children and domestic violence offenders.
Anthropologist and best-selling author Wade Davis talks about the knowledge, practices, and wisdom of non-Western societies, and how they can inspire us and help us to solve some of our most series problems—like climate change.
We talk to Heather Ferguson, director of Common Cause New Mexico, about the formation of the brand new New Mexico ethics commission — what it’s for, who would and wouldn’t be affected, and why it matters to all of us.
In honor of love—and “love” is loosely defined here—we talk to six distinguished Santa Fe poets and listen to some of their selected poems.
We talk to Ben Shelton of Conservation Voters New Mexico and Theresa Cárdenas from the Union of Concerned Scientists about the effort to make New Mexico a 0% carbon emissions state.
So many movies, so little time. We feature three films, on today’s show, but there are so many more to see (check out santafefilmfestival.com)
Tom Donahue’s brilliant documentary, This Changes Everything, is about gender inequity in Hollywood.
Tim Disney talks about his film, William, the cloning of Neanderthal DNA and the resulting young man trying to make his way in a world where he’s different.
And biographer James McGrath Morris talks about the film, Joseph Pulitzer: The Voice Of The People.