The Last Word: Conversations with Writers

 An inspiring interview with multi-award-winning author J.C. Cervantes in Santa Fe with her latest book, The Enchanted Hacienda. Known and loved for her novels for children and young adults, this time Jen takes grown-ups into a lush garden and farm in rural Mexico where flowers appear to have magical powers and the woman of the Estrada family have been charged through generations with tending the...

A delightful interview with two of the poets who make up An Orchard Quartet named after the lovely La Cieneguita orchard where they first came together. Marmika Paskiewicz and Kathamann read their own work during this show as well as pieces by Mary McGinnis and Lynn La La who could not join me in person. Their readings and our conversation includes discussion about the different composition forms...

Neil King Jr. takes us on an American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal. That is the title of his exquisite memoir that took him, and will take you the listener and reader, on a journey from Washington, DC to New York City on paths you have likely never traveled before. Neil walked the 330 miles over 26 days taking literal roads less travelled alongside mighty rivers and delightful fishing cree...

An exciting and fun preview of the Young Writers and Readers Community Program to take place on May 20th and 21st at the Santa Fe international Literary Festival at our downtown Convention Center on Marcy St. I’m joined by Program Curator, Raashan Ahmad and Collected Works Events Producer, Cecile Lipworth who invite you and your children to this special and free Community Program. From morning Chi...

Come to the theater tonight for 23 fascinating, honest and deeply moving minutes with Christine Barker, former celebrated dancer on Broadway with A Chorus Line. On stage she was The Third Girl From The Left the title of her intimate memoir. What did it take to make it as a dancer from Santa Fe to Broadway in the 1970’s and how did she summon the grit and guts it took to stay the course ? Keep list...

A deep dive into The American Penal System with Dr. Helen Clarke Molanphy political science professor emeritus at Richland College in Dallas, Texas. Her book The American Penal System: Transparency as a Pathway to Correctional Reform brings the curious reader and criminal justice student alike inside the prison system. We discuss the degradation and dehumanization of inmates and the big business t...

 A captivating 23 minutes with best-selling Santa Fe author Michael R. French.  His latest work, Ghost with Two Hearts is set in exquisite Kyoto, Japan, and takes us down a path of intrigue, danger and surprisingly, love, as the protagonist Adrian tries to return a ceremonial katana, an ancient sword, stolen by his grandfather as a spoil of war more than 70 years earlier.  Little does he realize t...

A return visit to The Last Word by children’s author Wade Bergner with his new book in the Emotional Agility Matters series, The Mirror Box. Designed for children between ages 5 to about 9, Wade explores the sensitive terrain talking with youngsters about the death of a loved one, a close relative or perhaps a beloved family pet, crafting a story about a boy called Christopher learning about his G...

Journey with us to the Louisiana coast to discover the beauty, history and possible future of the sentient beings known as live oaks with award-winning photographer and essayist William Guion. His gorgeous new book Return to Heartwood: A Search for the Heart of Live Oak Country reveals the hidden and vibrant ecology of these ancient trees and their environment. Bill Guion’s short essays that accom...

An exciting glimpse into The 2023 Santa Fe International Literary Festival with Co-founder and Curator Mark Bryant who for decades has been at the epicenter of the world of publishing and journalism. The Festival will take place May 19th to 21st at Santa Fe Convention Center and is a veritable feast for book lovers of every genre ever imagined. Literary luminaries, local and from around the globe,...

“When Cows Wore Shoes” takes us back in time to mid-century rural Spain where Elizabeth Rose and her young family spent eleven idyllic summers untouched by modern conveniences. Wanting her sons to experience a culture different from their well-ordered English life Elizabeth and her then partner found their way to the tiny mountain village of Ruesga, where the boys could “run feral, roam the unseen...

Listeners, have you ever experienced a moment of transcendent awe? Perhaps walking in nature inspires heart-opening beauty that takes your breath away, or being in the presence of a beloved friend or witnessing the birth of a baby. How do you feel during and after these moments? Do they only happen when you’re alone, or do you experience awe among friends and even strangers at a concert or a sport...

 A sensitive interview with Jacinta Hart Kehoe, author of Mountain Lion Rises, who is joined in the studio by her husband Philip Kehoe. We explore personal tragedy that is unimaginable and ultimately transformative after the death in a car crash of Jacinta’s beloved teenage son, Raymond, a devastating crash that also killed her first husband, Jon, and somehow spared her daughter Elizabeth. Severel...

A privilege to interview one of this country’s most decorated distance runners of all time. Lauren Fleshman joins me to discuss her groundbreaking book, Good For A Girl: A Woman Running in A Man’s World. Even if you’re not an athlete yourself you probably know someone who is or who is a parent, teacher or coach of young girls and women. Lauren’s important and insightful book is for all us to learn...

A return visit by wild earth poet, Timothy McLaughlin, whose life and work have taken him into tracts of wilderness unknown to many of us. Listen as Timothy recites pieces from his observations and heightened perception deep in forests and inspires exploration of the close relationship between our human selves and the natural world. On Saturday, February 4th Timothy, his wife singer Madi Sato, and...

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 inspir...

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 hum...