Conversations Different with Inez Russell Gomez

New Mexico’s oil and gas industry is a touchy subject if you ask anyone. Supporters say it’s the lifeline to the state’s economy and without it, New Mexico wouldn’t have the luxuries or cashflow that it does. But on the flip side, opponents argue the industry is allowing contaminants to pollute the environment, putting communities’ health and future sustainability at...

Fourth of July celebrations are one of America’s favorite pastimes that honor our nation’s history and independence. Each year, friends and family mark the occasion in their own ways, but a common activity is fireworks.    In Santa Fe, the Kiwanis Club puts on a fireworks display for the entire city to...

Santa Fe’s Railyard Park, located a short distance from downtown and the Plaza, is a familiar fixture for longtime residents and frequent visitors alike.  Founded through a public-private partnership in 2010, the park’s urban design in an old industrial train lot became a prominent project for the city of Santa Fe at the time because it preserved prime real estate f...

International Folk Art Market returns July 9–12 at Railyard Park, bringing artisans from around the world to Santa Fe to showcase multicultural works.  The annual market has long served as a venue for folk artists to sell their products and for community members to experience cultures from outside the United States. According to IFA...

From a small business office space on 2nd Street and Cerrillos Road to a refurbished bowling alley on Rufina Street, Meow Wolf’s success story is one marked by sacrifice, strength, vision and a little help from one of Santa Fe’s most famous residents — author George R.R. Martin. &n...

The Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is a beloved institution that for nearly four decades has brought creators and enthusiasts together to celebrate art forms of all kinds.   Founded as a grassroots organization in 1979, CCA has evolved into a welcoming meeting place in Santa Fe for everyone to experience ...

The Zia Singers return this week for a concert in Santa Fe honoring the legacy of women who have shaped American politics across administrations, movements and branches of government.   John Tiranno, artistic director of The Zia Singers, said the concert is titled “She the People” and wi...

A new edition of  Bienvenidos  magazine is now available, and this year’s theme pays homage to Route 66, the beloved highway that has connected travelers and towns near and far for a century.   To discuss the magazine’s release, Ashley M. Biggers, magazines editor at...

There’s a lot to love during this year’s Santa Fe International Literary Festival which takes place May 15-17 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.   Authors from around the country and of diverse literary backgrounds will descend on the City Different to engage in conversations around their beloved ...

Santa Fe is a place of rich cultural traditions that are honored each year because of people who care deeply about the city’s history and preservation. One group that is part of that mission is La Sociedad Folklórica, a nonprofit organization that has been around for 90 years.   First started in 1935 by Cleofas Jaramillo, the organization was originally a small meet up for o...

The feeling of impending doom is an emotion that many Americans have felt since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025. Not knowing what’s next for the country as this administration carries out a high velocity of policy changes in such a short period of time has left some people’s spirits very low. The worries come as prospects of Democrats retaking Congressional power sur...

Political conflict between the United States and Venezuela has been an issue for quite some time but within the past year, tensions have been especially high.   What started off as U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean that were alleged to be transporting drugs transpired into a military operation months later to capture and jail Venezuelan President N...

On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell Gomez is joined by New Mexico Public Education Secretary Mariana Padilla.   Secretary Padilla joins the podcast to discuss the state’s free summer reading program and how it has correlated to literacy improvements among children — a problem area New Mexico has struggled with for years. P...

The downtown public library building in Santa Fe could undergo renovations in the coming years, helping the space meet the modern-day needs of Santa Feans.    The Pueblo-Spanish style building on Washington Ave., which once housed municipal offices and a fire station, has seen little updating since the library moved into the building in 1986. The city’s Library Division Direct...

The missing, murdered, Indigenous people crisis has long plagued Native American communities throughout the country, especially here in the Southwest. According to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, it is estimated that 4,200 reported cases have gone unsolved. The result? It has left many questions unanswered, families with grief and documentarians like Amanda Erickson on a mission to sh...

Did Texas steal El Paso from New Mexico? Depending on who you ask, the answer is likely straightforward. However, for Blake Gumprecht, an Albuquerque-based writer and longtime geographer who once lived and worked in the borderlands, the answer is a matter of delving into historical records to find the facts.   On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host I...

Santa Fe has not been short in holding protests since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. The protests have come alongside national No Kings demonstrations, drawing people of all ages to voice concerns over this administration’s actions on immigration, federal layoffs and heightened foreign policy decisions.   At the end of this month, Santa&nb...

Former New Mexico poet laureate and author Lauren Camp is getting ready for the release of a new poetry book this spring called  Is Is Enough .  Published by Texas A&M University Press, the book transmutes the raw emotions from a time in Camp’s life where she was tasked with caring for a parent diagnosed with Alzh...

New Mexico’s economic potential has yet to be achieved but is on the cusp of something remarkable. That is the sentiment of Meg Whitman, a former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, former CEO and president of eBay and Hewlett-Packard, and now a new resident of the state.   Whitman’s thoughts, as outlined in an  opinion piece  published by the  Santa Fe New Mex...

Attacks on transgender individuals in our country have been rampant in recent years due to change in our political systems and environments. The issue has stemmed from debates over controversial policies related to transgender individuals in classrooms, bathrooms and sports teams. Not everyone sees eye-to-eye on this topic, including Dr. sj Miller, a Santa Fe-based educator, activist and now autho...

On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell Gomez interviews Santa Fe author and historian Garrett Peck about an upcoming book he is getting ready to launch March 10.  The book, titled  The Bright Edges of the World: Willa Cather and her Archbishop , chronicles parts of writer Willa Cathe...

Tired of the dating apps and relationships that lead to nowhere? You’re not alone. A popular social networking group in Santa Fe is ditching the online sphere for an in-person one-of-a-kind experience meant to bring people of all ages together for connection, dates and even friendship.    On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell...

Vaccination guidance for children at the federal level is changing under  new directives  from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and with it comes much confusion about the number of vaccines now being recommended for kids as well as which ones will still be easily accessible.&nbsp...

On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell Gomez talks with author, historian and podcaster Dan Flores about the new edition of his  New York Times  best-selling book  Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History .   The book, according to its summary, highlights the biological backstory of the coyote and explo...

4Corners K-9 Search and Rescue, based out of the Farmington area, has been around for nearly five years helping New Mexico families in their most desperate times in trying to locate reported missing individuals especially those classified as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.   The mission of the nonprofit according to its website is to provide relief and compassion during the agoni...