The Last Word: Recent Episodes
KSFR
For people who read, for people who write, for people who want to publish, or for people who are just curious…What do writers think? What do writers really do?
A joy to welcome Santa Fe poet, musician, and former music critic, Wayne Lee, back into the studio ahead of his workshop The Music of Poetry. Wayne’s innate sensitivity takes listeners deep into the rhythms of poetry and lyrics and the perceptive range of the human voice that through poetry bridges cultures often divided. Beginning with a poem honoring his beloved Nana, who lived to 100 and inspired then-four-year-old Wayne’s love of music, this interview is rich with emotion and rare wisdom. Connect with Wayne at wayneleepoet.com
Ease gently into the new year with award-winning poet Mary Gilliland reading from her new collection, The Devil’s Fools. Mary begins by honoring her brother who’s work in New Mexico brought new awareness for educators and long-needed recognition of the needs of our children. Mary’s poems are deeply rooted in her reverence for all of nature’s creatures and our environment. Her perception of the human condition, yours and mine, is illuminating. Discover all of Mary‘s works and delightful insights into her life at www.marygilliland.com
Today, a beautiful interview with two of Santa Fe’s performing art treasures and the co-founders of Praising Earth. Madi Sato holds the songs of many cultures including her Irish and Japanese Ainu roots. She shares her Irish heritage with her husband, wild earth poet and ceremonialist Timothy McLaughlin. Together they bring their wisdom and wonderful voices to the KSFR studio ahead of Saturday’s Winter Solstice Celebration where they will be joined by several other beloved local musicians. The concert begins at 4:00 pm in the Railyard Performance Center, December 17th. To attend please email info@praisingearth.org attendance by donation to the work of Praising Earth. www.praisingearth.org
A delight to be joined today by Patricia Hodapp, retired Director of Libraries for the City of Santa Fe in the studio with her fun book, “The Complete Santa Fe Bucket List: 100 Things to Do in Santa Fe Before you Die.” We noted that the contents are for tourists, locals and Santa Fe natives alike. Even if you’ve lived here for years, listen and learn ! From skiing in our glorious mountains to the brilliant stars in our wide, majestic night sky, Pat takes us there. From favorite food haunts to discovering hidden gardens and where to find apricots in an abundant year, Pat knows. In our City of Holy Faith settled millennia before by native people wise to the secrets of the seasons and spirit of beauty, we touch the pulse of Santa Fe. The Complete Santa Fe Bucket List always available at Collected Works bookstore or from the author pathodapp@yahoo.com Plus, details of the contests mentioned during the show at www.newmexicopresswomen.org
My guest today is award-winning Santa Fe writer Rosemary Zibart. Her career covers almost every genre from novels for adults, children and young adults to film scripts and full-length plays. Most of all Rosemary is a storyteller, an astute observer of our times, and a fascinating researcher of times and centuries and characters steeped in the past. Rosemary is currently immersed in five different projects including a one-act play “Dizzy,” a delightful and insightful take on 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, and a true story of survival in the harsh Utah wilderness. During our interview she offers tips for budding playwrights and novelists and how she moves fluidly from one format to another. You can find Rosemary on medium.com and at rosemaryzibart.com
A personal delight to interview award-winning poet Sarah Newfeld-Green who, you may guess, is related to me. In fact, my own dear twin sister. Winner of this year’s Golden Quill award for poetry in California’s Central Coast where she lives, Sarah dips into the personal and the political, including a timely comment “on the effluvia of the media.” Her observations on family, death and aging, on nature’s magnificence and subtlety glimpse a mind and heart that “summon’s memory and savor’s love” as her work has been described. Her 2019 collection Rainbows is available directly from her, best to contact me at thelastword@ksfr.org and I will send your request on to her. A new collection hopefully coming next year.
A poignant interview with local author Shirley Melis on her memoir Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss. How do you cope with and survive losing two beloveds just a few years apart? How do climb out of the despair of grief and risk loving again? Or don’t take that risk and live only a half-life. A wide-ranging interview touching also the importance of advocacy for a loved one with medical needs and somehow taking care of oneself. A tender interview that allows us to glimpse life’s hardest lessons through the eyes and words of someone who has been there twice. www.shirleymelis.com
Eleven years before New Mexico’s largest recorded wildfire in Hermit’s Peak and Calf Calf another vast, destructive and shockingly hotter fire called the Las Conchas Fire devastated the Jemez Mountains, wildlife and unique flora of the area.
Photographers Patricia Galagan and her late husband Philip Metcalf, then new to the American west, chronicled the devastation, the stark aftermath, and the ultimate recovery of the land over a seven year period, creating and publishing a volume of photographs to treasure in a beautiful book called Fire Ghosts.
Patricia joins me in the studio to talk about their journey of visual discovery and her observations as a photographer on how fire transforms and teaches. And how nature responds as best she can in this time of escalating climate change. A sensitive and enlightening interview.
Fire Ghosts published by George F. Thompson 2019.
Do not miss this sparkling interview with renowned travel journalist and delightful storyteller Judith Fein, back in the KSFR studio with her fascinating book, How to Communicate with The Dead and How Cultures Do It Around The World. Why are we in the United States generally wary of discussing death and the “beyond” and expected to wear somber black for funerals? During her decades of travel Judith observed and actively participated in ceremonies and rituals celebrating the death of loved ones. She learned that the simple willingness to open our hearts and minds can offer us a glimpse through the gossamer thin veil that separates life from death. And that rather than being frightening or spooky the communications and conversations are filled with love and grace. Discover Judith Fein and all her books at www.globaladventure.us
Pull on your “wellies” or sturdy trail sneakers we’re going into the woods for a delicious journey with anthropologist Lisa Rose who’s focus on ethnobotany has taken her around the corner and across the globe to study plants and people. Like our hunter-gatherer ancestors of old we’re Urban Foraging, the title of her new book filled with photographs and recipes and essential information to help you recognize what’s growing in your neck of the woods and whether it’s edible and safe, especially in our modern civilization. Santa Fe’s glorious golden aspens will take on a new light and our plentiful aromatic Russian Sage holds surprises. Urban Foraging: Find, Gather. and Cook 50 Wild Plants and Herbs. www.authorlisamrose.com
A rare privilege to interview Dr. Temple Grandin professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, bestselling author and outspoken advocate for the autism community. Dr. Grandin reveals her very personal journey from being non-verbal as a child to the highly respected scientist, activist and sought-after problem solver she is today as a visual thinker. Some of the greatest inventors and makers of our time (and before) were and are visual thinkers. Are you ? Her new book Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns and Abstractions. Published by Penguin Random House www.templegrandin.com
A sensitive and very personal interview with Connie Nelson about her new book Cavalier: The Story of An Unsolved Murder in A Small Town. In 1986, Connie’s close friend Jack was stabbed to death in his home in rural North Dakota and his murder is still one of over 250,000 unsolved cases in the United States. Written as a “true crime memoir” in part to honor Jack and in part to make sense of and piece together disparate clues largely ignored by law enforcement, Connie takes us on a journey we hope to never have to take ourselves. www.connielnelson.com
When I tend to the world from the heart, it becomes poetics.” The words of artist Dominique Mazeaud begins her description of her work and book, The Heartist’s Secret. A former gallery owner in France who has lived in Santa Fe since 1987, Dominique is best known for her ritual performances and installations which she considers prayers. Her lifetime quest for the spiritual in art has taken her around the world and brought her deep insights informing everything she creates and touches. In this gentle interview Dominique takes us on her journey as a “heartist” including along the Santa Fe river and the Rio Grande as a kind of pilgrimage, a walk of art. www.earthheartist.net
Are you hungry? Go into your garden, open your refrigerator or run over to your local growers‘ market, farm stand, or favorite grocery store. I’m joined today by intrepid mother and daughter, Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn with their new book, Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior: Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious. In this very lively and fun interview Ann and Jane clarify misunderstandings and myths and introduce us to the incredible delights and surprising ease of eating from the earth with a wider awareness of the health, financial and environmental benefits. Filled with hundreds of recipes and gorgeous photographs Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior is likely to end up being one of your most well-thumbed cookbooks smeared with sauce. Published by Penguin Random House. Meet the whole family at janeesselstyn.com
Robert Jensen, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas, Austin, brings clarity and honesty to KSFR listeners on the most critical challenge facing us today. His latest book, An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and The Fate of Humanity is co-authored with Wes Jackson, recognized as this country’s leader in the sustainable agriculture movement.
In their very readable, short and clear book Jensen and Jackson don’t mince words, their style of writing is infectious and brings readers close to home as it lets our awkward feelings arise. But is there any hope left amidst the multiple converging and cascading crises, or is hope now irrelevant ? How do we do our part, however small, to offset or slow down inevitable contraction and collapse in cultures and society as we know them ? How do we move on from being a consumer even as we think our familiar habits are not adding to the problems?
An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis and The Fate of Humanity published by University of Notre Dame Press.
Delighted to interview Professor Chantel Prat, a cognitive neuroscientist who has been described as “making neurons sing and dendrites dance.” A fascinating 23 minutes discussing her new, very readable book The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours. Are you more inclined to be “left brained” or “right brained” and can we train our own brains to think differently? Why do languages or mathematics seem to come effortlessly to some people while the rest of us struggle to grasp the basics? Are we born that way? These and other questions answered or at least ruminated upon! www.chantelprat.com
Delighted to interview Professor Chantel Prat, a cognitive neuroscientist who has been described as “making neurons sing and dendrites dance.” A fascinating 23 minutes discussing her new, very readable book The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours. Are you more inclined to be “left brained” or “right brained” and can we train our own brains to think differently? Why do languages or mathematics seem to come effortlessly to some people while the rest of us struggle to grasp the basics? Are we born that way? These and other questions answered or at least ruminated upon! www.chantelprat.com
Continuing a critical and heart-warming conversation from last week, Mariah is joined by her husband Byron as the two explore together the way to “Journey Well: You are More than Enough.” Who is this book written for and why even begin the Journey when all around us chaos seems to rule and no one can add one more thing to their agenda? And why More than Enough ? Isn’t it enough to just make it to the end of the day and collapse on the sofa ? In a loving husband-and-wife style By and Mariah discuss their mission “Mandate to Elevate,” something they’ve been doing all their lives, first in their respective professions giving and giving thanks, and now as writers and professional speakers. How can we, too, without feeling duty-bound or putting extra pressure on ourselves? mandatetoelevate.com
How do we take care of ourselves while taking care of so many others ? Is self care selfish? These and other questions are answered by Mariah Edgington co-author with her husband Byron Edgington of “Journey Well: You Are More Than Enough.” Mariah, a former critical care nurse flying to accident scenes met her husband Byron, the helicopter pilot and Vietnam veteran, and when both retired were inspired to continue their mission to “mandate to elevate.” This time elevating friends and strangers by speaking and writing about rediscovering our passion and purpose and love of life. Journey Well has a companion Guidebook and invites readers in with personal and very relatable stories. mariahedgington.com and byronedgington.com Byron joins Mariah for Part Two next week, August 18.
We continue our conversation and pilgrimage to Minkowitz in Ukraine with Paul Ross and Judith Fein. Their journey a few years ago predated this year’s new horrors inflicted upon a beautiful land tossed back and forth in blood since at least the 15th century. What were the six, small facts that Judie’s grandma recounted of her youth in the shtetl and how did they form clues to lead Paul and Judie to their ancestral village? Who did they meet and how important is simply being completely in the moment critical for all of us who love to travel? How do you become fully present, how do you stumble upon people and places with such synchronistic timing? And did they ever find the village of Minkowitz and what happened just before they arrived? The Spoon from Minkowitz: A Bittersweet Roots Journey to Ancestral Lands. www.globaladventure.us
Award-winning travel journalist Judith Fein and her husband, photojournalist Paul Ross, join me with their most personal and provocative book yet, The Spoon from Minkowitz: A Bittersweet Roots Journey to Ancestral Lands. Sitting in her Grandmother’s kitchen, little Judie learned six seemingly unrelated facts about the shtetl where her maternal ancestors lived until forced to flee or be killed first by the pogroms decimating Jews and later by Nazis. Her grandma’s stories were few and filled mostly with sadness, yet ignited in Judie a burning desire to see from where she came. How surprised she was on the eve of her wedding to Paul when his usually-distant father presented the young couple with a old spoon, a last remaining memento of his family’s life in the very same shtetl, Minkowitz. In Ukraine. This is part one of a riveting interview filled with history and hope and more. Find Judie and Paul, their books and travel tips at www.globaladventure.us
Part 2 next week!
Continuing the conversation with Bonnie Blue about her new book, Finding My Soul: Five Years at The Findhorn Community. Tips for listeners and writers hoping to publish, Bonnie shares her process of writing a memoir and finding help in the world of self publishing and book design. Why write a memoir, we ask ? She also shares more about what’s happened since she “found her soul” and also more about life in the inspiring Findhorn Community now, 35 years since she lived there. Contact Bonnie at beaublue4@gmail.com and the Findhorn Foundation at findhorn.org
At age 33 Bonnie Blue’s life in the 1980’s Midwest took a turn that would transform her for ever. A lifelong spiritual seeker and always happiest in nature she took herself off to Scotland to the pioneering Findhorn Community originally made famous for its miraculous gardens grown in sand. Nearly 40 years later Bonnie shares her memoir, Finding My Soul: Five Years at The Findhorn Community. She weaves a fascinating tale of adventure and very personal exploration inner and outer, inspiring for all of us. This is Part 1 of a chat with Bonnie Blue. Part 2 next week on July 21st. Contact Bonnie at beaublue4@gmail.com and learn more about The Findhorn Foundation at findhorn.org
Santa Fe listeners monsoon season is upon us and as excited as we are to finally have blessed rain on our parched land what’s the chance of being Struck by Lightning? Statistician Jeff Rosenthal joins us from the University of Toronto to reassure us. The respected author of numerous professional research papers and two books for the lay person (us), we chat about the weather, election polls, algorithms, gambling and how statistics help to make order out of our lives. His fascinating books are Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities and Knock on Wood: Luck, Chance and The Meaning of Everything. Find Jeff and his work at www.probability.ca
A show filled with heart for the week of Juneteenth with Laurie Gunst discussing and reading from her memoir Off-White. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Richmond, Virginia, Laurie tells the intimate story of being raised by the family’s beloved Rhoda Lloyd. Beautifully written with the deft hand of mystery, Off-White reveals a life of many twists and turns uncovering shocking and often shameful actions of the family’s hidden past that shaped this country’s history as well as the author’s own. How do you find a way to belong ? And what if you never do ? Laurie Gunst can be reached at lgunst49@gmail.com
A truly delicious interview today with internationally-recognized Ayurvedic educator, yoga teacher, cook and author, Amadea Morningstar. Take out your blenders and smoothie shakers to make Easy Healing Drinks from The Wisdom of Ayurveda, Amadea’s newest and beautifully illustrated book with mouth-watering photography by Renee Lynn. We discuss nourishing “mocktails” and Agua Fresca for summer sipping plus the use of spices for our digestive wellbeing year round. Amadea gives us a glimpse into the 5,000-year-old healing tradition of Ayurveda trusted by millions in India and around the globe. Join her on instagram.com/ayurvedaamadea/ for a free Easy Healing Drinks class on June 23 at 3:30. www.amadeamorningstar.net
History is written by the victors, so it is said. If that is so, how do we know it is accurate? Even oral history handed down through millennia may have changed as each generation adds their unique flourish. With this in mind, how can we rely and trust how history is taught in schools ? Today’s guest, Wendy Leighton, has been teaching Social Studies for 31 years and in 2021 she was invited to join the team of educators writing and revising the New Mexico K-12 Social Studies Standards. Ms. Leighton’s focus on the US high school history team was specifically on including the history of marginalized peoples including LGBTQ+ history [for the first time in the history of the state], tribal sovereignty, social justice and sustainability. Adopted earlier this year by the New Mexico Public Education Department, this ground-breaking document could prove to significantly improve education in the state and set an example for the teaching of history nationwide. Wendy also brought into the studio four essential books that NMPED have made available for all students. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of The United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, A Queer History of The United States by Michael Bronski and his companion volume for young people. And Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Wendy Leighton can be contacted at wwhite66@gmail.com
As a Quaker interfaith chaplain and practicing Buddhist, gifted writer, poet, artist and quilter Julie Hliboki guides us compassionately through life’s fluid stages.
Her sixth book Going to Essence: Aging into Wisdom with Intention and Grace serves a need we may not be aware we have, including the need to practice intention and grace now, at whatever age life finds us. That practice may help us when emerging from loss or facing impossible decisions. In this gentle, open-hearted interview Julie reads from Going to Essence and we explore friendship, support possibilities and beauty. www.juliehliboki.com
A feast of poetry from Joanie Puma reading from Longing Distance: Poems of Love, Lust and Geography. Once described as “fortunate enough to inhabit a sheltered corner of the New York publishing world” as a staff writer on The New Yorker, Joanie sits down in the KSFR studio with me to read poems that disturb, uplift and revel in life’s idiosyncrasies. How do we live in all our skins at the same time? Poetry as an art form and an incisive commentary on humanity’s multiverse of emotions, actions and inactions. Come and meet Joanie this Saturday, May 7 at 1:00 o’clock at Southside Library on Jaguar Drive.
How do you chronicle the journey into Alzheimer’s from the inside out?Internationally renowned flutist and writer Eugenia Zukerman takes up her pen to describe her days and delightful life in prose and poetry that sweeps away many preconceived ideas held by those of us who fear a diagnosis of dementia for ourselves or close family. Like Falling Through a Cloud: A Lyrical Memoir of Coping with Forgetfulness, Confusion and a Dreaded Diagnosis is filled with beauty and perception and joy. Hold this exquisitely designed book in your hands and hear Eugenia’s voice and passion inspire you. www.eugeniazukerman.com
How does a mystery thriller writer get inside the criminal mind? Why are we, the avid readers, fascinated by murder mysteries whilst surrounded by real-world horrors and crime? These are some of the questions I ask award-winning author Carole Lawrence after reading her newest book, Cleopatra’s Dagger, late into the night. Set in Manhattan in the last decade of the 19th century, Carole’s protagonist takes us into “old money” society teas, notorious seedy dives, and the icy morgue, mixing and mingling with characters we grow to love and hate. www.celawrence.com
Restoration and remediation expert Michael Rubino joins me today to discuss his critical work and book The Mold Medic. We uncover the often unnoticed way that mold can form and proliferate in our homes, even in dry climates like New Mexico. How our health can be seriously compromised by the biotoxins mold produces and how to prevent mold in the first place. Michael is not a medical professional himself but consults with doctors and specialists who are putting together the puzzle pieces of medical mysteries that appear to mimic other illnesses but are, in fact, caused by dangerous mold and bacteria on our homes. www.themoldmedic.com An interview not to be missed.
One of Santa Fe’s most beloved authors, Elaine Pinkerton, joins me today to celebrate KSFR during our Spring Fundraiser. She’s also celebrating this week’s release of her newest book Hand of Ganesh, inspired by her travels in Mother India set amidst the Kumbha Mela gathering. She also reminds us that her beautiful book From Calcutta with Love, her own parents' wartime love letters, is being re-released soon. Elaine tells delightful stories of how KSFR’s open, thoughtful contributors and opera have informed and blessed her daily life for years. Join her in donating any time by clicking the “donate” button on ksfr.org and discover all her books and blog at elainepinkerton.wordpress.com and at our superb local bookstores. Plus, beginning in May, meet Elaine in person at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market on most Tuesdays.
Generating beauty out of pain is an incisive perception of Santa Fe’s gifted and well-loved, award-winning poet Donald Levering. Reading from his sixteenth collection Breaking Down Familiar, Donald offers KSFR listeners a first, intimate glimpse into his own family with insights that will inspire both new and seasoned writers to glance deeper into their most formative relationships. To understand what and who made them who they are. And who they are not. Published by Main Street Rag Publishing.
Earlier in her career Adrienne Youdim, M.D. was the medical director of the Center for Weight Loss at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She observed that clients’ desire to lose weight very often masked a deeper desire for something more meaningful in their lives. For the past 15 years her private practice has revealed that many of us are hungry for more, inspiring her book Hungry for More: Stories and Science to Inspire Weight Loss from The Inside Out. In this interview Dr. Adrienne asks you what you’re really hungry for. Your own answer may surprise you, mine did. www.dradrienneyoudim.com
When pioneering labor leader Cesar Chavez put his trust in then 15-year old Antonio Salazar-Hobson by affirming, “Antonio, We Know You,” he helped to turn around Antonio’s life. The two went on to work together for 20 years.
Kidnapped at age four, heinously abused by his abductors and trafficked for sex, Antonio’s memoir, “Antonio, We Know You” is the story of the young Chicano man’s courage, the few who advocated for him, and his journey to become a fierce legal advocate for international unions, women, and Native American tribes.
Holding on to the memory of his beloved mother, 13 siblings, and his Chicano roots and culture, how does Antonio find his family of origin and the love of his life? An interview like no other, a book filled with love and hope against all odds. “Antonio, We Know You” by Antonio Salazar-Hobson.
A sensitive, heart-warming yet heartbreaking interview with Lesley Lowe author of Autumn Gold: A Rendezvous with Cancer, Knowing Death is Not Final. When her beautiful and brilliant daughter Vashti was diagnosed with the rare blood cancer Multiple Myeloma at age 31 Lesley was by her side every moment, including through two bone marrow transplants. Revealing with pain-filled accuracy Vashti’s grueling journey this interview and book is also a journey of love between mother and daughter who share a grounded spiritual awareness of life after death and also a delicious and poignant love story between Vashti and her once lost first love who comes back into her life at the perfect moment. www.33greyhound.com
Listen and be transported to the excitement, cafes, and art of the bohemian Left Bank of 1920’s Paris with author Kerri Maher who literally embodies the spirit and mind of courageous bookseller Sylvia Beach. In her new novel, The Paris Bookseller, Maher weaves the true story of the creation of the famous bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, and Sylvia’s intrepid saga to overcome censorship to publish the first edition of James Joyce’s groundbreaking Ulysses and “smuggle” it into prohibition-era New York City.
A sumptuous novel, taste “forbidden” love and delicious food, and sit in Beach’s wonderful bookstore with the “cultural creatives” of their time, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and of course Joyce himself. How does an historical novelist bring her legendary characters to life? www.kerrimaher.com
A poignant interview to commemorate World Holocaust Remembrance Day with Canadian composer and author Stella ter Hart. As a child, Stella knew nothing about her family’s horrific recent past, nor of her Jewish heritage. However, no secret is safe forever as the sub-title to her book, Discovering Twins, warns us. Part memoir, part biography, and part vividly re-imagined true stories, Stella discovers first through whispers and then through ancestral web site myheritage.com, not only the extraordinary prevalence of twins in her family, but that more than 1,200 members of her family perished in Auschwitz-Berkenau and labor camps including most of the sweet twins.
Her mother, born in Holland, had been trained in childhood never to reveal that she was half-Jewish and her deception was the only thing that saved her life as her cousins, aunts and uncles were rounded up and transported to hell. Weaving skillfully back and forth between present day and 1940’s Amsterdam and filled with photographs of happy, loving families lost to the Nazi gas chambers, Discovering Twins is honest, graphic, and beautifully written. Stellaterhart.com
A true delight to welcome Santa Fe’s Miriam Sagan, creative writing teacher and gifted, award-winning author of over 30 books of poetry, memoir and fiction. Miriam joins me today to read from her new collection Start Again. A fascinating and intimate conversation revealing that poetry doesn’t necessarily have to stem from anger or disillusionment, but that careful observation and perception offer both the writer and the reader a doorway to profound understanding, hope and joy.
Miriam has a zoom presentation and reading on Tuesday February 1st sponsored by Santa Fe Community College. Register at http://www.sfcc.edu/events/
Start Again is published by Red Mountain Press and available locally and from online vendors.
A privilege and a wonderful treat to interview one of Santa Fe’s most gifted poets, Donald Levering with fine artist Jane Shoenfeld who has recently published her first book of poetry and paintings, Petals in The Tunnel. Jane and Donald read today ahead of their February events and listeners will learn what and who has inspired their new work and perhaps feel inspired themselves.
On Thursday, February 3rd Jane brings her exquisite art and poetry to life with fellow painter Bill Sortino at the opening of "Paintings and Poetry: The Center Cannot Hold" from 5:00–7:00 at Santa Fe Community College’s Visual Arts Gallery. The exhibit will be up through February 24th. The following evening, Feb 4th they read new works together at 6:00 pm at The Strata Gallery in The Design Center, 418 Cerrillos Rd.
And on Friday, February 11th, Donald offers a free poetry workshop, “Poems on Paintings,” where participants will write poems on the Shoenfeld/Sortino exhibit. The workshop is from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Visual Arts Gallery, SFCC. Email dlevering@cybermesa.com or jane@skyfields.net to attend the workshop.
www.donaldlevering.com
www.janeshoenfeld.com
Subject: Podcast description, Ingrid Newkirk, January 13
Attention animal advocates: Today’s interview is with the president of PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) Ingrid Newkirk. Ingrid’s new book is especially for cat guardians and written from a cat’s point of view: 250 Vital Things Your Cat Wants You To Know is filled with excellent and sometimes surprising tidbits, plus essential life-saving tips and information. In 23 minutes we touch on health and sickness, communication between cats and humans, and how to recognize a feline emergency. Ingrid writes and speaks with humor, compassion, and lots of experience. There’s a quiz and lots of resources at the end of the book. PETA.org
Start off the New Year with a quick health check-up of our finances with Stacking Benjamins podcaster Joe Saul-Sehy and colleague Emily Guy Birken. Their new book, Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, is fun and easy to read for everyone, millionaires or college students alike. We discuss insurance, smart investing, and against all past financial advice: why emotions can actually be helpful when dealing with our money! Published by Avery (Penguin) www.stackingbenjamins.com
“Who do we become when we’ve lost the things that define us ?” asks today’s guest Linda Durham, renowned former Santa Fe art gallery owner. Linda teases out some answers to this question in this candid interview about her beautifully written memoir and travel journal, Still Moving. A must listen for all of us who have lost or who are lost and an encouragement to harvest the threads of past successes and seeming failures and to keep moving. www.lindadurham.us
A caring interview with Santa Fe’s Debra Rosenman, author of the multi-award winning The Chimpanzee Chronicles: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope from Behind The Bars.
This week, Debra’s collection of essays and richly-photographed book has won its twelfth award, an extraordinary honor for a self-published book. We discuss the wisdom and joy that chimpanzees bring to our world, and the pain and suffering they’ve endured over centuries in captivity despite sharing more than 98 percent of their DNA with humans. For listeners who are writers themselves we also delve into the unique challenges of self publishing from the seed of an idea to the first keystroke to marketing the beautiful finished product. Wild Soul Press. www.debrarosenman.com
One of Santa Fe’s most loved and respected authors, Elaine Pinkerton joins me today with news of her eagerly awaited forthcoming novel Hand of Ganesh to be published in February by Pocol Press. Threading themes of a search for their birth parents amidst ancient mysteries, spiritual trial and the gorgeous landscape of India two women meet adventure and misadventure in a way only Elaine Pinkerton can tell. Weaving elements of her own life story, we discuss her decades of writing, with Santa Fe on Foot now in its 30th year of publication and her own parents’ World War II love letters From Calcutta with Love also about to be re-released. Connect with Elaine and follow her blog at www.elainepinkerton.wordpress.com
Part memoir, part real-life mystery page-turner Love’s Legacy: Viscount Chateaubriand and The Irish Girl is as absorbing and confounding as our very own ancestry quest. Professor Emeritus Daniel Fallon turns his distinguished scholarly mind to his family’s stories handed down with wit and flourish over many generations. Dan, born in Columbia, South America knows that his heritage is Spanish and Irish, but is he also descended from the French romantic writer and legendary lover Chateaubriand? His research for Love’s Legacy began in the early 1990’s two decades before ancestral DNA tests became widely available making his quest one of travel and impeccable research to find century old records and documents. Most mysteriously, why did Chateaubriand, a man who kept legions of letters, never mention his apparent depth of friendship with Mary, the Irish girl at the heart of this mystery? www.loveslegacybook.com
Performance poet, creativity coach, and screenwriter Cari Griffo reads from her newest poetry collection Sheltered and Before The Contagious, written during the heart of 2020’s pandemic lockdown. Perceptive and very relatable, Cari sought inspiration and encouragement from the minutest changes in nature that we normally miss when rushing about our normal lives. As she and her family sheltered inwardly she took the opportunity to craft and hone her innate creativity discovering ways to become “unstuck” even as doors and outdoors were still closed. Cari’s books Ripening and Sheltered can be ordered from your local bookstore. carigriffo.com
A delightful return visit to the KSFR studios from intrepid travel journalists, award-winning author Judie Fein and gifted photographer husband Paul Ross. Halloween is here and the veil between the living and dead is said to be at its “thinnest.” How to Communicate with The Dead and How Cultures Do It Around The World tells real-life stories from Paul and Judie’s conversations and experiences from South Africa to Ukraine, from Israel to Japan and beyond. In this interview we explore death traditions and ceremonies near and far, from the hair raising to the heart opening and life affirming, encouraging you, the listener, to reach out to your own departed loved ones if you wish and to listen wisely if they reach out to you. How to Communicate with The Dead is available everywhere or order from your local bookstore. www.globaladventure.us
A podcast treat for horse lovers from Judy Beil Vaughan who reads from her delightful and poignant memoir, Strawberry Roan: Growing Up in The Shadow of Hermit’s Peak. A collection of short stories set in Northern New Mexico’s beautiful mountain wilderness and her childhood in Montezuma. Judy was training horses on her family’s horse ranch by the time she was 11 years old and became a skilled rider and aspiring rodeo queen until the promise of medical school took her into a new direction. Memoir writers will particularly enjoy the way in which Judy has designed her beautiful book around the horses she has known and loved. www.judybeilvaughan.com
A sensitive, in-depth interview with Santa Fe poet, Wayne Lee, who reads from The Underside of Light as well as several evocative septets written during the closing months of his wife’s life and after her passing. Listeners who are the primary caregivers for a loved one will particularly resonate with Wayne’s words and experience. His wife, Alice Morse Lee, was also a gifted published poet and of particular note is their intimate collaborative collection, Twenty Poems from The Blue House. Wayne is currently offering poetry workshops and writing a memoir. www.wayneleepoet.com
International journalist, filmmaker, and author Debra Denker brings us back to Afghanistan with the new edition of her debut novel Love and War in The Land of Cain, chronicling the hardships under the Soviet occupation of the 1980s through the eyes of a fictional character she calls Elizabeth. We discuss the lifelong friendships she made during her months in Afghanistan and the real concerns she has now for her friends who she is unable to contact directly. At that time her insightful story was published in National Geographic, but the rest of the world was looking away. Until now. Debra is the author of Sisters on The Bridge of Fire and 2019’s prophetic climate change novel, Weather Menders.
www.debradenker.com
www.loveandwarinthelandofcain.com
Santa Fe songwriter, musician and explorer Bird Thompson introduces his delightful memoir Nine Lifetimes in One (The Last 300 Years). Readers may initially think this is a book about reincarnation, but far from it. It perhaps belongs in a History niche as Bird reveals little-known facts about people many of us have admired. Bird (his real name and that of his father and grandfather) reflects on the lives of the nine famous people who have most influenced him throughout his life and helped to guide his own journey which he sets in the context of more than 50 years practicing Tibetan Buddhism beginning during his days at MIT. We’ll “meet” Ludwig van Beethoven, Chief Cornplanter and John Lennon among others as we listen and learn. birdthompson.net
Travel from New Mexico to India and around the world with El Rito poet, Renée Gregorio reading from her new collection Abyss & Bridge. Her work asks us to make a leap of faith whether we know there is a safe path, or not. How does a poet find inspiration, and how can we all learn to pay attention observing the minute details that form the gentle heart of both a complex and simple poem? That form the minutia of our days and nights of self reflection and dream? A delicious interview with a gifted wordsmith. Abyss & Bridge is published by Three: A Taos Press www.3taospress.com
Forty years ago, as a college student feeling depressed and uncertain about her future, Carrie, with her parents’ help, found the perfect psychiatrist to guide her through her problems. She thought. What at first felt safe and positive became a nightmare so skewed, manipulative and subtly controlling that Carrie’s story was featured on one of national TV’s most watched shows.
Today, Carrie Ishee is a highly credentialed, gifted art therapist and author. Seduced into Darkness: Transcending My Psychiatrist’s Sexual Abuse is dark and real yet reads like a gripping novel you can’t put down. Don’t miss this intimate interview with Carrie offering unexpected lessons for all of us. Seduced into Darkness won first place for memoir with The National Federation of Press Women. Published by Terra Nova Books www.carrieishee.com
An in-depth follow-up interview with author and playwright Rosemary Zibart discussing her award-winning novels True Brit and Beatrice on Her Own set in wartime Santa Fe. Rosemary’s research and writing reveals different aspects of the Japanese Internment Camp here, drawing timely and important comparisons to current conflicts. How can a writer appear to live in the shoes, culture and even color of skin of different characters and historical figures? Or can they? www.rosemaryzibart.com
A fascinating glimpse into our brains with Albuquerque-based neuropsychologist Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin author of How My Brain Works: A Guide to Understanding It Better and Keeping It Healthy. How does the work of a neuropsychologist differ from other mental health professionals and what happens during a cognitive evaluation ? How can a neuropsychologist help someone with traumatic brain injury, ADHD or apparent decline during aging ? Dr. Koltuska’s book is an International Book Awards finalist, a short, concise and easy-to-read volume packed with clear information. A delightful surprise in her book and during this interview is how Dr. Koltuska complements her years of clinical work with her joy of gardening and the wealth of knowledge she’s gleaned about herbs and nutrition that help to support brain health throughout our lives. www.drkoltuska.com
A former Catholic priest, Tom has always wished he could speak directly to Jesus about the deep, disturbing questions he has about faith, religion, guilt and sexuality. After leaving the Church and marrying a wonderful woman, he became friends with writer Mercedes Kirkel who has been blessed with a gift of inner listening and contact with the spirits of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. In this soul-searching interview for her new book, “Dialogues with Yeshua and Mary Magdalene : The Journey to Love,” Mercedes explains in a down-to-earth way what is meant by “channeling” and offers a glimpse of the conversation between Tom and Yeshua (Jesus’s Aramaic name) and his most devoted disciple Mary Magdalene, revealing simple wisdom. www.mercedeskirkel.com
A critical and timely interview with best-selling author Marianne Larned on her inspiring new book, Stone Soup for A Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes featuring the trailblazing work of 100 young, courageous pioneers all over the globe. Marianne, founder of The Stone Soup Leadership Institute, covers the initiatives of youth in environmental justice, climate change, green invention, education, sustainable business, politics and much more. This is a book that should be in every classroom ! We encourage listeners to order and buy books featured here from local, independent bookstores whenever possible. Sustainabilityisfun.org stonesoupleadership.org/book
Jessica O’Dwyer takes us to Guatemala in her heartwarming and heartrending novel, Mother Mother, to adopt an orphaned indigenous Ixil Maya baby. An adoptive mother herself of two teens born in Guatemala, Jessica unfolds a story that reveals the truth of the genocide that tore through Guatemala for decades, and a glimpse through the eyes of its beautiful Mayan people into the corruption behind the adoption system. A sensitive interview that by its nature helps us better understand and respect today’s immigrant families from Central America desperate to give their children a safer life. jessicaodwyer.com
Award-winning author, Judie Fein, and her husband, award-winning photo journalist, Paul Ross take us on a journey beyond their book, Life Is A Trip: The Transformative Magic of Travel. In this intriguing and often humorous interview the itinerant global travel journalists reveal their radical approach to travel as we emerge from the pandemic. Is there somewhere you’ve never been close to your very own back yard ? Judie and Paul literally stick pins in a map of New Mexico, pack a picnic lunch, double-tie their shoelaces and pull out of their driveway. Some days they don’t even need to buy gas !
globaladventures.us and livetoleave.com
An important conversation with Certified Dementia Practitioner and community educator, Ruth Dennis, on her book Mindful Dementia Care: Lost and Found in The Alzheimer’s Forest co-authored with Velma Arellano and Luke Nachtrab. Ruth has worked for over two decades in every aspect of dementia care and emphasizes perhaps the most needed element of care at every stage, kindness An essential interview for listeners caring for loved ones at home, for professional caregivers and anyone curious or concerned. vistalivingcare.com
How do we speak to and listen to our children ? Wade Bergner discovered a shocking statistic that children hear the word “Don’t” about 150,000 times by the time they’re 18 years old but only hear about 2,000 words of encouragement. Prompted by that, his own sons’ growing into young men, and his personal midlife reassessment, he wrote The Bird Ride, a sweet and literally eye opening beautifully illustrated children’s book. Listen and learn from this first-time writer on his first ever interview. He’s doing well ! The Bird Ride published by Winds of Change Press. bergnerbooks.com
We explore the art of screenwriting with filmmaker Arthur Kanegis, writer, editor and producer of The World is My Country currently airing on many PBS stations. Arthur discovered and chronicled the fascinating, almost-lost story of fearless “world citizen #1“ Garry Davis who gave up his American citizenship and passport after World War II to pursue a world without boundaries. Davis gained enormous support including from Albert Einstein and especially Eleanor Roosevelt who challenged him to help create The Universal Declaration of Human Rights theworldismycountry.com/trailer futurewave.org
Peoplepoweredplanet.com
A joy to interview past Kentucky poet laureate George Ella Lyon with her powerful new collection Back to The Light. Teacher and author of more than 40 books for adults and children, George Ella takes us back to her own childhood and the people, perceptions, insights and healing that has brought her safely and gently to this time of reconciliation and beauty in her life. Published by University of Kentucky Press. georgeellalyon.com
Religious Studies Professor Vanessa R. Sasson finally brings a feminine voice to the timeless story of The Buddha, first made famous to non Buddhists by Herman Hesse. Vanessa tells the story from the point of view and aching heart of Prince Siddhartha’s wife, Yasodhara, in her richly reimagined first novel Yasodhara and The Buddha, a beautiful telling steeped in the fragrance, tastes and colors of northern India. Published by Bloomsbury vanessarsasson.com
Financial wellness expert Jennifer Barrett is a contributor to Forbes, The New York Times and The Washington Post among other trusted forums, and brings her wisdom to The Last Word with her brand new book Think Like A Breadwinner: A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More and Worry Less. In this fast-paced interview Jennifer debunks common myths and habits that often sabotage our best efforts to earn more, save more and invest wisely. Why do we let emotions rule our financial well being and how can we once and for all put our financial fears to rest ? Think Like A Breadwinner published by G.P. Putnam jenniferbarrett.com
Santa Fe based writer, educator and former business administrator Kay Sellers reads from three collections of luminous prose poetry, Outlier, Constructions and Optics inspired by his sojourns in the Pacific Northwest and South America as well as the American Southwest. Kay shares with listeners how a writer can shift from the practical, day-to-day world of work to the creative, sometimes atmospheric consciousness that writing poetry calls forth. How does a poet turn visual perception and imagery into an award-winning piece of writing ? Sellers is a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Medal Provocateur Award for Outlier. His books are available at amazon.com and as always we encourage listeners to order books featured on The Last Word directly from local Santa Fe bookstores. Follow Kay at the blog kaysellers.org
Travel to northeast India to the tea growing District of Assam with environmental scientist Janie Chodosh to meet India’s most revered veterinarian, Dr. K. K. Sarma. Janie’s latest book, The Elephant Doctor of India, tells Dr. Sarma’s inspiring story from his childhood dreams to present day with delightful and sometimes hair raising stories of his work to save elephants both domesticated and wild. Janie Chodosh is based in Santa Fe and her book is available at local bookstores and through her website at janiechodosh.com
Ten years ago Linda Durham closed her internationally acclaimed art gallery in Santa Fe after 33 extraordinary years, propelling her from the highest echelon of glamorous inner circles into an ocean of bewilderment and loss of perceived identity. In this intimate chat Linda talks about how being shaken to her roots helped her find herself again. And again. What is our identity ? Do we actually need one ? Linda Durham’s fascinating memoir Still Moving answers some questions and asks more, available from local bookstores, online and from Linda herself www.lindadurham.us
America’s beloved “dog doc” Dr. Marty Goldstein, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine for over 40 years informs and delights pet-loving listeners with his new book The Spirit of Animal Healing: An Integrative Medicine Guide to a Higher State of Well Being. We discuss the importance of knowing what’s in your pet’s food and why diseases in animals have skyrocketed over the last few decades. Did you know that your dear dog or cat may have a spiritual life and certainly an emotional life often in tune with your own ?
Published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group. drmarty.com drmartypets.com dogdogthefilm.com
Writer, poet, psychotherapist and writing coach Ya’el Chaikind reads from her newest book Revelations of The Heart and explains how she follows the ancient Hebrew tradition of Counting The Omer each spring to immerse in the qualities of lovingkindness, strength, harmony, endurance, awe, foundation and dignity. The 50th Day is known as the day of revelation. yaelchaikind.com
A powerful and sometimes uncomfortable interview with journalist, award-winning author and writing coach Marcia Meier about her newly-published memoir, Face. At 5 years old Marcia was hit by a car on a crosswalk while riding her bicycle and dragged underneath for 200 yds. leaving her horribly disfigured and in indescribable pain. Face: A Memoir chronicles her 20 surgeries and a childhood haunted by traumatic scars both physical and emotional. Why did it take half a lifetime for Marcia to complete this book and how has she forgiven those who hurt her, or has she ? Published by Saddle Road Press marciameier.com plus resources including the Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Foundation cptsdfoundation.org and the Facebook group Beyond Childhood Trauma
Santa Fe award-winning author and playwright, Rosemary Zibart joins me to discuss her latest book, Beatrice on Her Own, the second in her Far and Away series for young people, the first being True Brit. Both books are based on real accounts of World War II and tell the story of a young girl who flees London during the blitz to find safety with a stranger, a courageous pubic health nurse hosting her in far away Santa Fe. Beatrice grows up fast in the land of enchantment and Rosemary does not shy away from the difficulties of life in the pueblos in the years before running water and antibiotics. Through Beatrice’s eyes and heart we learn truth about the Japanese Internment Camp as well as picture Santa Fe’s bustling plaza in the days of Zook’s Soda Fountain and grocery stores. kinkajoupress.com rosemaryzibart.com
New Mexico’s celebrated author and writing teacher Natalie Goldberg reads from her newest book, Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku. This elegant book is a reverent journey into the beauty, fragrance and joy of following in the footsteps of Japan’s Haiku masters. Listen with delight as Natalie takes us with her and rediscover how reading three simple lines can “make the mind leap” and open up a spaciousness in our souls. nataliegoldberg.com
Plastic pollution activist and educator Sandra Ann Harris helps to set an intent for this new year to minimize our use of single-use plastic products which are cluttering and destroying the world’s oceans and jeopardizing our own health and that of our children. Founder of EcoLunchboxes and author of Say Goodbye to Plastic: a Survival Guide to Plastic-free Living Sandra suggests an easy-to-follow guide that takes us through each room in our homes to see where we can make changes. Even one small change can make a difference. More about Sandra at ecolunchboxes.com Say Goodbye to Plastic published by Penguin Random House available from ecolunchboxes.com
Perhaps the first form of news reporting and education, storytelling is as ancient as humanity itself. Along with his wife, Liz Mangual, Bob Kanegis has inspired and entertained throughout New Mexico for decades in schools, conferences, gatherings and currently online for everyone to enjoy. This fun interview gives a taste of Bob’s tales that can inform and guide us through this new year. Bob and Liz can be found anytime at storyconnection.com
Ann Todhunter Brode has been a respected bodywork therapist, consultant and writer in the healthcare field for over 40 years. Over decades she has observed time and again how our minds and bodies interact and has published her findings in A Guide to Body Wisdom: What Your Mind Needs to Know About Your Body. In this interview Ann cites just a few of hundreds of examples which will likely have you nodding in agreement and perhaps generate an “aha” moment or two. A well resourced addition to literature about how mindfulness may help to offer a fresh perspective on our health. Published by Llewelyn.com bodywisdomforlife.com anntodhunterbrode.com
This week’s interview honors the life and legacy of fine artist Sarah Zoutewelle-Morris, who’s last wish was to see her almost completed book, A Generous Spirit, brought to publication. Kathy, herself an artist and gifted photographer, compiled Sarah’s book and Judy was the final editor and publishing support. Illustrated in full color, A Generous Spirit brings Sarah’s values, beauty, fearless skill and soaring imagination to all. Her blog artcalling.wordpress.com has been recently updated to offer insights, wisdom and Sarah’s gift for capturing nature and form in glorious detail. A Generous Spirit: Exploring New Directions for The Arts published by Kaminn Media.
Hersch Wilson is a 30-year veteran volunteer firefighter and EMT with Santa Fe County’s Hondo Fire Department. Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times brings the reader into the front lines with Hersch and his teams and offers succinct field notes for those of us on the somewhat less dramatic sidelines. How do firefighters keep calm in the midst of chaos ? How do they process the grief and sometimes anger they feel with passion ? How do they summon grit and courage in the face of monstrous tragedy ? Be brave, be kind, fight fires.
Interviewing Hersch was enormous fun despite the subject matter, and these 23 minutes are dedicated to all the brave and dedicated firefighters in our County and in our country.
Discover “The Wonder-Full World of The Home” with Timothy Hass. Timothy’s compact book is filled with examples and simple exercises to help us bring our homes to vibrant life in “collaboration” with unseen beings that cohabit with us, just like faeries and nature spirits may help our gardens ! Open your mind to the possibilities of techno-elementals, underbuddies and even electro-elementals who might just help to fix our devices and gadgets. Timothy, also works with the Wild Foundation and tells a remarkable true story of how “underbuddies” saved the day in a potentially volatile situation at a Wild Congress in Mexico City. Published by Lorian Press. thass7@icloud.com or wild.org for more info about the Wild Foundation.
Santa Fe’s beloved award-winning writer Miriam Sagan is the author of over 30 books of poetry, fiction and memoir and the founder of SFCC’s creative writing program. In this delightful interview Miriam reads from her new collection, Star Gazing: Poems of Astronomy, bringing her inner world and far away outer world to sparkling life. New Mexico is blessed with extraordinary night skies. Look up !
When psychotherapist Malcolm Stern’s daughter Melissa committed suicide in 2014 his grief forced him to face every aspect of his work and life. What emerged is his new book, Slay Your Dragons With Compassion, which is not a grief journal, rather a beautiful story of resilience filled with wisdom, humanity and grace for all of life’s challenges. This intimate interview brings Malcolm’s journey to life. malcolmstern.com
Award-winning author, playwright and theater professor Nancy King, was determined to learn the truth of her painful childhood and the heartbreaking effect it had on her adult life, uncovers the secrets, sees through the lies and breaks the silence.
Her powerful memoir, Breaking The Silence is written in short storytelling form to allow readers an intimate and compassionate insight into her healing journey. Listeners can join Nancy in a Zoom conversation next Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 pm at TerraNovaBooks.com or contact her at nancykingstories.com anytime.
Bestselling British novelist, Wendy Holden, brings to vibrant life a little-known story of the childhood of Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret. Beautifully crafted, The Royal Governess is written through the eyes of their beloved Governess, Marion Crawford, who made one innocent mistake and almost immediately became “persona non grata” after 17 years of dedicated service to the Royal Family. WendyHolden.net
Husband and wife poets and award-winning writers Anne Valley-Fox and Tom Ireland read essays from their grounding, insightful and honest collection The Household Muse. Written as emails to one another from their living room to their kitchen table, from studio to garden chair over a span of almost two decades The Household Muse is a reflection of relationship we can all relate to and profoundly enjoy.
Writer, philosopher and technologist Gary F. Bengier takes us on an Unfettered Journey to a richly envisioned world 140 years in Earth’s future. Protagonist, Joe, seeks to create Artificial Intelligence consciousness and discovers the resilience of the human spirit ... and much more. garyfbengier.com and unfetteredjourney.com
Award-winning investigative journalist Greg Palast joins us with his startling new book How Trump Stole 2020. Does he have a crystal ball ? What is hard fact and what is propaganda fiction ? Find out, listen and share this link to help protect your voting rights, take action, and make your vote count. gregpalast.com
One Last Lunch: A Final Meal with Those Who Meant So Much to Us is the title of a brilliantly conceived anthology by writer and memoirist Erica Heller. She is joined in this delicious interview by author Allegra Huston who reads a portion of her poignant piece of her reimagined “last” lunch with her beautiful, ballerina mother.
The authors describe what happens when 50 deceased celebrities of every walk of fame and infamy were invited to lunch by their grown children, siblings or close friends, where they lunched, what they ate, what wines they chose, what they spoke about the afterlife, or didn’t. We meet and eat with David Bowie to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with Julia Child to Jimi Hendrix and dare you to have a conversation with Steve Jobs and the Catch 22 that happened when book compiler Erica Heller lunched twice with her famous father Joseph Heller.
David Gilbreath Barton is an award-winning journalist, associate professor of humanities at Northern New Mexico College and author of Havel: Unfinished Revolution.
His recent biography of Václav Havel, the former Czech dissident, intellectual and playwright and first President of the Czech Republic elicits perceptive discussion for this extraordinary and uncertain time here in the United States. Professor Barton brings his unique insights to this not-to-be-missed interview.
Joan Sotkin, author of Build Your Money Muscles offers real solutions to the fear generated by the financial challenges of Covid-19. What can we all do right now even if we believe we’ve hit rock bottom ? Joan charts her personal journey from the fear of homelessness to the success she now enjoys. www.prosperityplace.com
Dr. Kasket is a pioneer in the privacy industry, helping to demystify online privacy and make wise decisions about “oversharing” on social media platforms. A counseling psychologist, she is an Honorary Professor in Cyberpsychology and author and contributor to the news media in the US and the UK.
Dr. Kasket discusses her latest book, All the Ghosts in The Machine: The Digital Afterlife of Your Personal Data. Who owns and controls your information now, and after you or your loved ones die ?
Rosalie Deer Heart is an international workshop leader and retreat facilitator. She is the author of ten books on the human condition ranging from Healing Grief: A Mother’s Story written after the death of her 14 year old son, to newly published Joy Re-Awakened. In this interview Rosalie shares how experiencing joy is a daily choice and how harvesting from decades of personal journal entries has brought her to a place of exquisite joy to share with others.
Carl Woestwin “presses juice from every moment” in his poetry collection Lucky Bastard. Carl was inspired to begin writing by his high school English teacher, Sister Contardo and received his degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. While in college his poems were published locally. A 45-year hiatus included travel, marriages, his son Sam, groundskeeping, a degree in Horticulture, a landscaping business, men’s groups, work at Seattle Tilth Association and the City of Seattle. In 2013 he retired a very lucky bastard !
Science journalist and New York Times best-selling author, Wendy Williams, takes listeners down a most delightful “rabbit hole” with the world’s favorite insect as she discusses her new book, The Language of Butterflies wendywilliamsauthor.com
Marcia Rutan is a Seattle poet of perceptive depth and range, and trained as a peer facilitator with the Institute for Poetic Medicine to lead circlesfor people to experience healing and wellness through poetry. She is currently compiling her first collection and can be found on her public Facebook page, Marcia Rutan, or contact through thelastword@ksfr.org
| Kay Lynne Sherman is Facilitator and Trainer with Pachamama Alliance in association with Project Drawdown based on the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, compiled by Paul Hawken. Kay Lynne emphasizes several of the 100 proven solutions and 10 key insights that can reverse climate change around the world, and which are already making a difference despite crisis headlines. More details at drawdown.org and a free 90-minute introduction to reversing climate change at pachamama.org |
Debra Rosenman is the award-winning author of The Chimpanzee Chronicles: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope from Behind The Bars. Debra shares her decade-long journey collecting stories about the mistreatment and exploitation of chimpanzees from those who have dedicated their lives to rescue these beloved sentient beings from biomedical research, illicit trading and even Hollywood movie sets. www.debrarosenman.com
Judith discusses travel in the time of global pandemic and how we can make the very best of staying home. She delightfully self-describes “off-the-wall” ideas and approaches to traveling now and in the future. Judie is a travel journalist, contributor to many periodicals including Psychology Today magazine, and author of travel-inspired books, Life Is A Trip, The Spoon from Minkowitz, and How to Communicate with The Dead. Catch her travel journal, grounded awareness and tips at www.globaladventure.us
Ginger Gaffney is a top-ranked, nationally acclaimed horse trainer and author of Half Broke her intimate, enchanting and gritty memoir working with “untrainable” horses and sometimes “broken” residents on a Northern New Mexico prison ranch.
https://gingergaffney.com/
Sarah’s poetry compilation ‘Rainbows’ was published last year. Her sensitivity and awareness have won praise from fellow poets on California’s Central Coast. Sarah is the twin sister of Last Word producer Carly Newfeld and listeners may catch a sweet glimpse of the life of twins in this intimate interview.
Internationally acclaimed Sumi-E artist Virginia Lloyd-Davies describes the process of creating her beautiful new book Sumi-E Mastering the Meditative Art of Japanese Brush Painting. Her interview includes how painting mindfully helped her through months of cancer treatment. She writes a blog and demonstrates her art at joyfulbrush.com
Internationally acclaimed Sumi-E artist Virginia Lloyd-Davies describes the process of creating her beautiful new book Sumi-E Mastering the Meditative Art of Japanese Brush Painting. Her interview includes how painting mindfully helped her through months of cancer treatment. She writes a blog and demonstrates her art at joyfulbrush.com
Celebrated Santa Fe author Elaine Pinkerton-Coleman shares fascinating glimpses into the writing process for her upcoming book The Hand of Ganesha, the third in her series set in India beginning in the 16th Century to present day. Her next memoir-writing workshop takes place Sunday, April 5th at Santa Fe Botanical Garden starting 1:00 pm www.elainepinkerton.wordpress.com
In 2017, artists, poets and photographers Julie and Matthew were granted a National Parks Arts Foundation residency on remote Loggerhead Key in the Gulf of Mexico. Documenting the changes wrought by extreme weather conditions and noting how climate change is affecting Florida’s coral reefs and ocean life worldwide. Their work is presented in The Blue Fold, a book and exhibit opening at Santa Fe’s CCA on March 6th. chasedaniel.com/bluefold
Linda Anderman, metric system advocate and scientist ambassador for the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos talks about why the United States is one of only three countries in the world that still uses customary weights and measures instead of metric. More than a Mile Behind: America and the Metric System
Three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee of Britain’s Oxford Research Group, Scilla Elworthy, discusses her latest book, The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War
www.thebusinessplanforpeace.org
Sheva Carr, Director and representative to the United Nations for Pathways to Peace, discusses HeartMastery and shares from her book Being The Source of Love. Both
authors can be reached at support@heartambassadors.com
Dr. Valentine McKay-Riddell of Orenda Healing International and publisher of Four Winds Journal, reporting positive change regionally and globally through interviews, stories and example.
Lyla June Johnston, internationally recognized Dine (Navajo) performance poet, artist, politician and scholar speaks about her lifetime awareness of honoring seven generations and reads from her recent work.
Wendy Brown Baez, writing teacher and author of Heart on The Page discusses the writing process and specifically the real challenges and surprises when teaching writing and journaling with prisoners. wendybrownbaez.com.
Debra Denker author of Weather Menders discusses her new “Cli-fi” novel and potential solutions to climate change.
Maria Sanchez Tucker, Santa Fe Library Division Director speaks about The Future of Libraries.
A conversation weaving dance and story with Zuleikha, Founder and Director of the international non-profit, The Storydancer Project.
Guest Carol Calvert, author of Beitha’s Sound, an adventure in the world of the Celtic people of France and Ireland.
Author of Beitha’s Sound, an adventure in the world of the Celtic people of France and Ireland. Historical fiction.
Producer and Host: Carly Newfeld
Rabbi Berel Levertov of Chabad Jewish Center is sponsoring the visit of Anne Frank’s surviving stepsister, Eva Schloss, to Santa Fe on November 17. We discuss The Diary of Anne Frank and Eva’s Story.
Judith Fein, author of How to Communicate with The Dead and How Cultures Do It Around The World. Producer and Host Carly Newfeld
Bio: Judith Fein is an award-winning travel journalist, author, and speaker. She spent 20 years experiencing how death is not the end for cultures around the world.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and New York Times Bestselling Author. She has published thirty novels. Her work has won or been nominated for many awards, including the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, The Carol Award, and the Christy Award.
Wingate's most recent novel, Before We Were Yours, has been on the New York Times Bestseller List for more than one year- and, it is currently number one on the NY Times bestseller list. The book is Publishers Weekly’s #3 longest running bestseller of 2017. Before We Were Yours has, to date, sold nearly 2 million copies. It has just come out in paperback.
Wingate's writing career began late: after college, after marriage, after a career as a journalist and technical writer, and then the birth of her oldest son .
Wingate says she was lucky to marry into a big family of Southern tall-tale enthusiasts who never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Lisa Wingate lives north of Dallas - and joins us by telephone.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Erica Elliott
In her new book, MEDICINE AND MIRACLES IN THE HIGH DESERT: My Life Among The Navajo People,Erica Elliott tells us about the deep dive she took into the Navajo culture. She reveals her profound experiences on the Navajo Resevation ---with the people, animals and spirits of the legendary, remote, Canyon de Chelley.
Before all that, Erica Elliott had an international childhood. She began her schooling in England, graduated from high school in Germany and studied art history in Italy. She earned a bachelors degree from Antioch College. She then spent a year in Switzerland, a year teaching at a boarding school on the Navajo Reservation, and a year in Peace Corps in Ecuador. Elliott lead an all-woman's expedition to the top of Denali in Alaska.
After all that, she finished a medical degree at the University of Colorado Medical School and began practicing medicine in Cuba NM. She opened her own private practice in Santa Fe, NM where she is known as “The Health Detective.” She specializes in treating mysterious and difficult-to-diagnose illnesses.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Mary Miller
Biloxi, Mississippi- a city on the Gulf Coast, in the heart of the deep South. Now, it's a new book- BILOXI , by Author Mary Miller. BILOXI is about a forlorn 63 year old man whose wife has left him, who quit his job in expectation of an inheritance, a man who is a bit confused with his life and how he got there. Then he meets a dog and things change.
Mary Miller's first novel, THE LAST DAYS OF CALIFORNIA, was published in 2014 to wide acclaim. She has published two books of short stories and her fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, the Oxford American, McSweeney's Quarterly, American Short Fiction, and many other publications.
Mary Miller is a native of Mississippi. She was born in Jackson. Miller has a bachelors degree from Mississippi State; She also has a masters and a masters of fine art degrees.
Mary Miller is a former James A. Michener Fellow in Fiction at the University of Texas and John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
Mary Miller joins us by phone from Oxford Mississippi.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Wendy Fox
Wendy J. Fox was raised in rural Washington state which inspired much of her writing about place and class. Wendy Fox has published two novels- THE PULL OF IT in 2014 and IF THE ICE HAD HELD just out May first of this year. She is the author of a short story collection, THE SEVEN STAGES OF ANGER. and her work has appeared in numerous periodicals and internet journals including Buzzfeed and The Millions. Fox is a popular speaker and travels the country reading her work, lecturing and speaking at workshops. She speaks regularly on the intersection of the writing life and holding down a day job in corporate marketing.
Wendy Fox earned a degree in English from Western Washington University with a minor in political science. Fox has an MFA in creative writing from Eastern Washington University.
She currently lives in Denver, Colorado and she joins us from there today by phone.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Henry Shukman
Writer, poet and Zen teacher, Henry Shukman, has won many prestigious awards for his writing. His newest book which will be published later this year is a memoir of many things The title: ONE BLADE OF GRASS: FINDING THE OLD ROAD OF THE HEART. Shukman has been a travel writer for the New York Times. He has written book reviews for the New York Times and The Times Literary Supplement. His poems have appeared in many publications including the New Re[public, The Guardian, The Times and the London Review of Books. As a young man, between writing assignments, Shukman took up various day time jobs working on a commercial fishing boat, at a record shop and as a trombonist in a Caribbean band.
Henry Shukman is a associate Zen Buddhist teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage. He is currently the teacher at Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM. His articles about Buddhism have appeared in Tricycle and Lion's Roar.
Henry Shukman grew up and went to school in Oxford England.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: W.C. Jameson
W.C. Jameson has written more than 100 books, 1500 articles, and 400 songs which he accompanies with his guitar and harmonica. So you better be ready to use some pretty big numbers when you're talking about W.C. He is also a treasure hunter, and the subject of two documentaries. When he's not locked away writing, W.C. travels the country playing his songs at music festivals, universities and roadhouses.
He's recorded 10 albums of original music and contributed music to the soundtrack for 7 movies. He's also published 3 books of poetry.
W.C. is with us today to talk about his latest book- ROCKY MOUNTAIN TRAIN ROBBERIES -True stories of Notorious Bandits and Infamous Escapes.
He will be the first to tell you he's from Texas--- Llano Texas.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: W.K. Stratton
W.K. Stratton (William Kip Stratton) writes about what he knows and what he likes- And that is film-making, boxing and rodeo. WK--– friends call him by his middle name, Kip– is the bestselling author of nine books. The latest, just out is, The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film .
Stratton has deep family roots in the West. He was born in Guthrie< Oklahoma, and has lived much of his life in Texas. His mother's family homesteaded outside Guthrie during the Great Land Run of 1889. His father was a rodeo cowboy.
Stratton put himself through college by working as a newspaper reporter. He earned a bachelor's degree in English with honors. He also has a Master’s degree in English.
Since then, Stratton has worked as a newspaper journalist (Tulsa World) and as a high tech manager to support his writing career. He freelances for the Dallas Morning News. In addition, he has published articles in many magazines including Texas Monthly, GQ, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and Texas Observer.
He has published 3 books of poetry.
He lives in Austin, Texas.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Priyanka Kumar
Priyanka Kumar writes for the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Her focus is literary criticism and books that deal with the natural world.
Kumar also wrote, directed, and produced the feature documentary The Song of the Little Road about revered Indian film maker Satyajit Ray. The film includes interviews with Martin Scorsese and Peter Rainer. It is now part of the permanent collection of the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences.
Priyanka Kumar is a recipient of many awards and grants including an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Award, New Mexico/New Visions Governor’s Award, and an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Fellowship. Her debut novel, the critically acclaimed Take Wing and Fly Here, was published in 2013.
Kumar has earned a degree in English Literature from University of Toronto and a masters in film production from The University of Southern California. She has taught filmmaking at The University of California, Santa Cruz.
Priyanka Kumar grew up in India and as a teenager moved to Canada. She now lives in Santa Fe, NM
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: T.R. Kenneth
TR Kenneth's novel, A room Full of Night takes us on a roller coaster ride of a thriller.We are taken into the world of Nazis past and present, into the world of a mysterious evil corporation. We are taken along with the hero of the novel, Stag MacGuire as he askes the big question - Why?
TR Kenneth (a pen name) was born in the midwest and grew up in the Netherlands, Japan, and Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University and an expert on the Third Reich and the history of genocide, in particular, the Holocaust. A Room Full of Night is her first thriller novel. TR Kenneth is a part-time resident of Santa Fe, NM
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Michel Stone
Michel Stone is a writer, speaker, and educator. Her critically acclaimed novels, Border Child and The Iguana Tree, have been optioned for film. The latest one, Border Child, recently came out in paperback.
Stone is a recipient of the South Carolina Fiction Award and the 2018 recipient of the Patricia Winn Award for Southern Literature. Her has published stories and essays in numerous magazines and literary reviews.
Stone's novels have been favorably reviewed in The San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The New York Journal of Books, Texas Observer, Publishers Weekly and many others. She's a graduate of Clemson University with a Master's Degree from Converse College, and she is an alumna of the Sewanee Writers Conference. She lives in Spartanburg, SC where she’s at work on her third novel. Her first name is pronounced like Michelle (Michel says,people always ask!)
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Sue Nelson
Sue Nelson's latest book, Wally Funk's Race For Space… The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer- has just come out in the United States. It was first published in Great Britain.
The book puts readers in a a front seat as Nelson travels with the talented, brilliant and eccentric Wally Funk. Funk was one of the women in the U.S. space program which originally included women in 1962. Now in her 80's Funk hasn't given up her dream of space travel.
Author Sue Nelson is a former BBC TV and radio correspondent, presenter and producer. Nelson also was editor of The Biologist. Her field of expertise is science, technology and environment. Nelson has received acclaim and awards for her radio productions: Right Stuff Wrong Sex: Female Astronauts and Women with the Right Stuff. Sue Nelson now makes films for the European Space Agency. She also hosts the podcast Space Boffins.
Nelson studied physics at University College Cardiff. She won a Knight-Wallace Fellowship to the University of Michigan in 2004.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Anne Hillerman
Anne Hillerman's newest novel, The Tale Teller, is the fifth in her Navajo Mysteries series. It continues the saga of the Navajo policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee and policewoman Bernadette Manualito. It also continues the legacy of her father, Tony Hillerman, the famous author of 18 Leaphorn and Chee detective novels Anne Hillerman has established herself firmly in the detective genre with THE TALE TELLER. All of her books in the series have become New York Times bestsellers.
Ann Hillerman, was a writer long before she began the Navajo mystery series. Hillermen wrote non-fiction pieces and worked as the editorial page editor for the New Mexican and the Journal North. Before that she worked as a reporter in print, , radio and TV.
Along with her husband and partner, photographer Don Strel, Hillerman published the book, Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn.
Anne ran the Hillerman writer’s conference and established the Tony Hillerman prize for best first mystery set in the Southwest.
Anne Hillerman grew up in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Katie Arnold
Katie Arnold is the author of Running Home, A Memoir- a new book just published by Random House. Arnold is a contributing editor and former managing editor at Outside Magazine, where she worked on staff for 12 years. In addition to Outside, her stories have appeared in many publications including The New York Times,Men’s Journal, Runner’s World, Elle, and Sunset. Her essays, articles and profiles have won numerous awards.
In addition to writing, Arnold is a champion long-distance runner. Here are just a few of the titles she's won---She is the 2018 women's champion of the Leadville Trail 100 Run, where she finished 11th overall in field of more than 700 runners. She won the 2018 Jemez Mountains 50 Mile, and the 2014 TransRockies 3-Day Trail Run. She is two-time overall champion and course record holder at the Angel Fire 100K.
Arnold shares her thrill of running with kids through her blogs, speaking appearances and her children's trail-running club.
Arnold lives in Santa Fe however she joins us today from San Francisco.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Carrie Gibson
Author Carrie Gibson has just come out with a new book- EL NORTE:The Epic And Forgotten story of Hispanic North America. Her first book, Empire's Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day was published in 2014. Gibson earned a masters in history from the University of London and a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge.
After working for smaller publications and newspapers she worked at the Guardian in London from 2000 to 2006. She continues to contribute to the Guardian and its sister paper the Observer. Gibson's work has appeared in other media outlets, including BBC Radio 4 and Vox. Carrie Gibson lives in London--- however, she joins us by phone from Atlanta, Georgia.
KSFR RADIO 101.1FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: David Treuer
David Treuer's newest book just out- is THE HEARTBEAT OF WOUNDED KNEE. He is the author of 7 books including 4 works of fiction.This latest book has already received a lot of attention from critics and scholars. Treuer's stories and essays have appeared in many publications including, The Washington Post, the LA Times, "The New York Times," Esquire and Slate.
Currently he teaches at the university of Southern California where he is a professor of English.
Treuer grew up primarily on the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota. His mother is Ojibwe and and was an Ojibwe Tribal Court Judge. His father was a Holocaust suvriver who worked in several capacities on the reservation. Treuer graduated from Princeton university with a degree in anthropology. He also wrote a thesis in creative writing. For that,Toni Morrison was his mentor. He then went on to earn a PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan. In 2016, Treuer was a resident scholar at The School for Advanced Research in Santa fe. Today he joins us by phone from Tulsa Oklahoma.
KSFR RADIO 101.1 FM SANTA FE NM
Producer and Host: Abigail Adler
Guest: Jennifer Harvey
Dr. Jennifer Harvey is a writer, speaker, and professor. Her work focuses on racial justice and white anti-racism. Harvey's most recent book Raising White Kids:Bringing Up Children in Racially Unjust America is a ground-breaking work designed to create a new generation of kids who are socially aware and actively participating in a more just society.
Dr. Harvey also contributes to CCN, NPR, The New York Times, and Huffington Post. She is ordained in the American Baptist Churches (U.S.A.). She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, where she is a professor at Drake University.She joins us by phone from Des Moines.