10/13/2025

This week on The Forum, we remember the life of Matthew Shepard, a young gay student at the University of Wyoming, on the 27th anniversary of his murder. Brad Ellingboe, artistic director of Coro Lux, and Joe Mitchell, director of El Faro Youth Chorus, join co-host Rev. Talitha Arnold to discuss the upcoming performance of Considering Matthew Shepard. Throughout the program, listeners will hear excerpts from this powerful and deeply moving work — a musical reflection on love, loss, and hope.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Karen Elliott House joins Jim Falk to explore Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitions, reforms, and the risks shaping Saudi Arabia’s future.

This week on The Forum, we welcomed two leaders at the forefront of promoting “the City Different” to visitors and filmmakers. Their efforts have earned Santa Fe remarkable recognition: this year, Travel + Leisure ranked the city as the top destination in the U.S. (and 19th worldwide), while MovieMaker once again named Santa Fe the best place to live and work as a moviemaker—for the third year in a row. Randy Randall, Santa Fe’s Director of Tourism, and Jen Labar-Tapia, Executive Director of the Santa Fe Film Office, discussed the reasons behind these successes and highlighted the significant economic impact that tourism and filmmaking bring to the community.

This week on The Forum, political analysts Dr. John Lawrence of the University of California’s Washington Center and Dr. Cal Jillson of Southern Methodist University examined how Texas and California have moved to gerrymander congressional districts outside of the regular U.S. decennial census. In a pre-recorded interview, New Mexico Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth offered his perspective on these developments and explained the role of the state’s Citizens Redistricting Committee in redrawing congressional districts after the 2020 Census.

Historian and author John Lawrence joins The Forum Plus to discuss his new Sherlock Holmes pastiche, The Case of the Revolutionary’s Daughter, exploring the mysterious death of Karl Marx’s youngest daughter and the enduring appeal of Holmes

Meet the leaders bringing a different approach to homelessness in Santa FeThis week on The Forum, we heard from two leaders of Urban Alchemy about their first six weeks managing Pete’s Place, renamed Agape House, Santa Fe’s homeless shelter on Cerrillos Road. Earlier this summer, the City awarded the California-based nonprofit a one-year, $1.5 million emergency contract, a decision that stirred debate since the previous manager, Interfaith Community Shelter, enjoyed strong community support.

This week on The Forum, former 7-Eleven and Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes joins co-host Peter Smith and host Jim Falk to explore how education can unlock opportunity for every American. Keyes shares insights from his new book Education is Freedom and his MEGA initiative—Make Education Great Again—which aims to harness technology to strengthen learning and reverse declines in U.S. student performance.

The Forum Plus, KSFR’s occasional spotlight on fascinating people, Great Books, timely issues, and noteworthy events.A Conversation with Paul Andrew Hutton, Professor Emeritus of History, University of New Mexico and author Of The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy and the Shaping of the American West.

In celebration of Labor Day, The Forum features acclaimed blues artist and composer Zac Harmon in conversation with hosts Jim Falk and Talitha Arnold. Together they explore how songs of work and struggle not only offered comfort to workers but also became rallying cries that fueled union movements. Before each performance, Harmon and Arnold provide the historical context behind the songs, enriching our understanding of the evolution of nation’s labor movement.