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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

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 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 Grandpapa’s passing. For listeners who may be writers themselves planning on self publishing, we also discuss the sometimes scary issue of publicity, something that Wade has taken on by the horns, so to speak, despite being a formerly shy and naturally sensitive person. A jewel of advice is that you’re not “self promoting,” you’re representing the book.The Mirror Box bergnerbooks.com

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 accompany each photograph are like prose poetry that elicits yearning and love and a deep, instinctive peace. Close your eyes as you hear the author read. williamguion.com and returntoheartwood.com

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. Severely injured herself, Jacinta began to write and journal as memories surfaced and Mountain Lion Rises is a testament to her perseverance and also to her gift as an artist. The beautiful book cover is her work. Jacinta’s slow recovery in mind, body and spirit is matched by the joy Philip brought her and we also touch his own healing journey and the power of the natural world and animals that nourish their lives.Mountain Lion Rises: A Memoir of Healing. Published by Pen Women Press. Jacinta will be reading at Eldorado’s Vista Grande Library at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, March 1st.

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 from, opening up the inequality and injustices in the world of sports designed by and for men. Yet this is not a male-bashing book, it is a call for action rather than knee-jerk reaction and Lauren guides the reader and today’s interview listener through her story in a way that is intimate, personal and wonderfully encouraging. Good For A Girl. www.laurenfleshman.com

“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 worlds of their imagination.” Filled with characters they came to love and who welcomed them back each summer, we learn about farming practices where working cows wore shoes to protect their feet from the rocky ground, and dine with the family on scavenged roots and herbs, fresh meat from animals they personally knew, and vegetables picked seconds earlier. A treasure of a memoir from a gifted writer who later discovered the wilds of New Mexico. “When Cows Wore Shoes” by E.P. Rose www.galisteoliz.com Elizabeth will be reading at Travel Bug, 839 Paseo de Peralta, at 5:00 pm on Saturday, April 8th.

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 sports event? Professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, Dacher Keltner, joins me to discuss his fascinating book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Why has awe been essential to our human existence from the beginning of time? Can an experience of awe contribute to our health and well being? How can we experience more awe in our daily lives? Listen and be surprisingly inspired. www.dacherkeltner.com and greatergood.berkeley.edu