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Since she was five years old, Bettye’s mother has reminded her of the family credo, “Always remember you’re a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president.” Her book, The Other Madisons: The Lost History of A President’s Black Family” is Bettye’s gift to her own descendants and to all of us to remember that the Founding Fathers may have laid the foundations for our country, but the actual physical foundations were built and maintained by millions of enslaved people. Bettye is the “griotte” in her family, the one bearing witness to the lives of generations long past by retaining and protecting the oral history which she will in turn pass onto her own daughter. The Other Madisons takes this history and her decades of exhaustive research and puts it in writing for the first time. Yet to listen to this interview with Bettye gives you a taste of the ancient storytelling tradition without which we would never learn the truth. The Other Madisons bettyekearse.com

All You Have to Do is Call sounds like easy advice. But for women in late 1960’s Chicago it is a suggestion filled with deeply conflicted emotions in the days before Roe vs. Wade became law. And again now. Best selling novelist Kerri Maher began researching and writing All You Have To Do Is Call several years before the Supreme Court overthrew Roe vs. Wade last year. She brings to life the voices of women friends grappling with their differing convictions, when one of them founds the Jane Collective to help women find safe and secret care. Brilliantly written historical fiction, profoundly relevant for now, this interview and book brings essential insights. Click here to visit her website.

Award-winning environmental journalist, Ben Goldfarb, joins me today from Colorado with his fascinating and compassionate new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping The Future of Our Planet. Described as sweeping and spirited Crossings is also filled with humor and hope. Ben is an avid adventurer who brings his research and the science to life and shares his perception with listeners in a way we can all understand. From mountain lions in the Santa Monica mountains near Los Angeles to the tiniest, vulnerable bugs caught in our tire treads on I-25 and highways around the globe, Ben weaves their tales together and illumines our consciousness in the telling. bengoldfarb.com

A fun and very different aspect of the world of writing today with local composer and lyricist Carol Calvert who has written a delightful musical operetta called The Way of Angels which will premier next weekend. What comes first I ask, the lyrics or the music? Carol’s answer surprises me. We explore the way the creative muse, and perhaps angels themselves, guided Carol to find collaborators including Santa Fe’s Criss Jay, members of the Zia Singers and accompanist Holly Mead. As an ordained minister, Carol’s fascinating conversation also strayed away from the actual writing to discuss the role of angelic help in other ways in our troubled world. A different take on The Last Word. The Way of Angels will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 107 Barcelona St., Santa Fe on Saturday, February 24th at 7:00 and Sunday 25th at 2:00. By donation.

Marsie Silvestro is an internationally respected speaker, feminist composer, author, visual artist and non-profit and business consultant. Known especially in Santa Fe as the former Executive Director of Esperanza Shelter she brings to the KSFR studio her years of community service and awareness distilled in four slim volumes of sumptuous poetry. Listen as Marsie describes The Gold of Poetry and reads from her latest collection, Shifting Stillness. Her earlier body of work, Grief Walks Through Me Like A Rake, brings comfort and heart-wrenching familiarity. This week’s show is not to be missed. Contact Marsie directly at marsiemoon@earthlink.net

On this episode of Community Matters, we explore how universal childcare is transforming life for New Mexico families and early childhood professionals with two leaders closest to the work. Dr. Hailey Heinz from the Early Childhood Education and Care Department and Deyanira Contreras from Kids Campus at Santa Fe Community College discuss the importance of expanding access, elevating quality, and building a stronger childcare workforce across the state.

Big Medicine Pretty Water takes us into the harsh wildness of Northern New Mexico 100 years ago with a courageous young woman inspired by the author’s Grandmother Elvira. An atmospheric debut novel by former school principal and sports broadcaster Mike Katko. His superb storytelling takes us to places familiar to those of us privileged to live in this enchanted land. Yet are we prepared for an early winter blizzard while hunting deep in beautiful Valles Caldera with wolves howling outside our cabin and mountain lions circling? Mike is dedicating a portion of the sale of Big Medicine Pretty Water to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, an organization close to his heart and his people mikekatko.com

Joined today by bestselling author and Santa Fe resident Douglas Preston. Known for his collaboration with Lincoln Child on their superb crime thrillers, Doug takes on a very different kind of collaboration. Working closely with Margaret Atwood and the Authors Guild they invited 36 brilliant authors to contribute stories for a pandemic-era tale set on a shabby rooftop in New York City’s Lower East Side. The result is Fourteen Days which begins in late March 2020 as the neighborhood is ravished by Covid 19 and the only safe escape from lockdown is sitting six feet apart on the roof. Contributors include John Grisham, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Celeste Ng, Hampton Sides and Doug Preston, who does an extraordinary job of framing the original idea and linking the characters’ stories with Margaret Atwood’s masterful editing. Unprepared for the twist at the end! All profits from Fourteen Days go to the Authors Guild. authorsguild.org

An essential listen for all pet lovers in this uplifting return visit with animal rights activist, Carlyn Montes de Oca author of Dog as Your Doctor, Cat as Your Nurse and the multi-award winning Junkyard Girl. Last month, Carlyn’s beloved dog, Gracie, went missing in the Glorieta wilderness while on a hike with a trusted dog sitter friend. Her loss and return have become an inspiration. With the assistance of tracker Conrad Mahaffey of CMM Lost Pet Recovery and Humane Trapping, Grace and Carlyn were safely reunited in 24 hours. Listen and learn how that happened, it’s not what you’d expect. And learn more about Carlyn at animalhumanhealth.com

A treat for me to unwind with poet and writing teacher, Miriam Sagan, stopping by the KSFR studios with her inspiring collection, Thanks for Stopping By. Always breaking new ground and breaking the rules, this time Miriam’s poems are untitled, adding an unexpected potency and triggering an unconscious sense of immediacy. Miriam discusses her sojourns as writer-in-residence in Japan a few years ago, as well as alone in four of our vast National Parks. Also, we take a peak into a new project she’s creating with her daughter Isabel. Look for Thanks for Stopping By at any of our treasured local bookstores.