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

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

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

We welcome the new year with whimsical and insightful children’s author, Melissa Marie McEwan. Melissa introduces us to Marty the Moose who became a local celebrity last year for his rare travels from native Colorado to Northern New Mexico. We follow his adventures in Marty Moose Makes His Way and learn not only where he’s been, but some of the real history of Moose in our region and other wild animals who venture into human domains. It is a delightful book for all ages, beautifully written and designed by a young, local author to watch for. Contact Melissa at missmelissamcewan@gmail.com

A welcome return to KSFR by multi-award-winning poet Mary Gilliland from Ithaca, New York. Described by Mary Oliver as … “not afraid of delight…and the hard tasks of anger, pain, and deep caring,” Mary Gilliland shares her depth of perception from her collections, The Devil’s Fools and Ember Days which will be published next year. Mary generously shares how a poem evolves, sometimes captured in a moment, sometimes begun and cast out of sight until suddenly the day to complete it arises seemingly out of the creative blue. Be inspired at marygilliland.com

A fascinating glimpse into archetypal psychology with artist and therapistDr. Nina Ross in our studio with her new book, Intimacy with Images: The Art of Archetypal Psychology. With over 35 years in practice, Nina takes us on a quiet journey into our own psyche that informs the layers of our lives and how we may see the world. We get a tiny taste of what our unique creativity may tell us and how dreams and images can bring us closer to our purpose or to simply understanding ourselves and each other. For more information contact Nina at nross24@gmail.com

Welcome in the festive spirit as we celebrate the spoken word with three of this year’s Collected Works Holiday Players. Settle softly into the timeless enchantment of Christmas morning in Northern New Mexico with gifted writer Alfredo Celadon Lujan as he reads his award-winning story, Mis Crismes. Ward off The Grinch with delightful Santa Fe theater veterans Jim and Carol McGiffin celebrating their 15th year with the Holiday Players. Click the podcast link, sip hot chocolate and crunch bizcochitos as you listen to this week’s episode. Collected Works 15th Annual Holiday Players, 6:00 pm Friday, December 15 at the bookstore on Galisteo St.

An essential must-listen interview for all writers, from beginners to seasoned, with the co-founders of the Santa Fe Writers Institute. I’m joined by Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney who is a celebrated author and nationally acclaimed expert on trauma and healing and Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, a Pulitzer-nominated author of 16 books and a seasoned TV and film producer. Their combined wisdom and unique perspectives elicit an engaging conversation as we discuss how writing can help us recover our purpose and reveal personal insights, a writing journey that both Alisa and Katherine have taken themselves.santafewritersinstitute.com

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

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.