Sen. Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico’s junior U.S. senator, joins the latest episode of “Conversations Different” to discuss what he’s working on in the Senate, from a bill that would help families take care of their aging loved ones to holding hearings on the implications of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on everyday Americans. Luján also discusses congressional Republicans’ proposed spending bill deemed “The Big Beautiful Bill.”

In the middle of the interview, Sen. Luján had to step away to go vote and was also briefed on a situation involving U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California being escorted out of an immigration press conference and later handcuffed after he tried to ask a question to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

“Conversations Different” was provided a courtesy clip of Sen. Luján’s Senate floor speech where he spoke on Sen. Padilla’s forceable removal from the press conference.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catching up with former students came with an element of sadness for longtime Santa Fe music educator Marilyn Barnes as she found they lacked opportunities to showcase their talents in front of an audience after graduation. So she and her husband, Cris Barnes, did something about it. They created a musical theater company to give young adults the chance to retake the stage — and the result has been a hit. 

“We had the incentive, seeing our students on the street, and saying ‘What are you doing? Are you singing?’,” Marilyn Barnes said. “And they hadn’t opened their mouths except in their cars and in the shower since high school, and it just broke our hearts. That was our incentive to start Tri-M, but it has just grown way beyond that.”

In the latest episode of “Conversations Different,” Marilyn and Cris Barnes speak with host Inez Russell Gomez about how Tri-M (Millennial Music Makers) Productions has not just been a way for young adults to share their musical talents with the public but has also developed into somewhat of a social club that helps them form connections in the city. 

The pair talk about how they’ve prioritized paying the talent for productions, and the struggle with finding venues in Santa Fe.

They also discuss their upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” which will run June 12-22 at the Santa Fe High School Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit trimsantafe.org.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students Demand Action is an organization of high school and college students across the United States advocating against gun violence. The organization reports to have active volunteers in every state and 900 groups across the U.S.

During New Mexico’s 60-day legislative session earlier this year, Students Demand Action activists had a presence in the Roundhouse advocating for gun safety legislation. In the latest episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell Gomez speaks with two of the members on their recent experience in the legislature and what it’s like growing up in a time of school shooter drills and elevated levels of youth gun violence in the state.

Recent high school graduate Wesley Klum and University of New Mexico student Bo Wilson discuss the legislation they were advocating for during the session and how they feel their message has been received by legislators.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singing, performance and community. Those are the traits that make up The Zia Singers, a local nonprofit women’s choir in Santa Fe. The concept originated in the living room of voice teacher Marilyn Barnes, who founded the group in 1993 with the goal for women to come together to share their love of music, according to its website. Now, that mission still stands under the new leadership of artistic director John Tiranno, who brings years of musical experience.  

Tiranno joins “Conversations Different” to discuss the group, some upcoming June performances open to the public, and how other women can get involved. 

The upcoming performances are part of “June Is Busting Out All Over,” a two-day concert on June 7 at 7 p.m. and June 8 at 3 p.m., both held at Cristo Rey Catholic Church in Santa Fe. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What should I recycle? What can't be recycled? Where does the city send the items that we recycle?

Peter Olson, outreach director with the city of Santa Fe's Environmental Service Department, joins the "Conversations Different" host Inez Russell Gomez to answer those questions and more on an episode focused on recycling.

Olson talks about how residents can be more effective at recycling and how to be more sustainable in everyday life. He offers recycling tips, clarifies the city’s guidelines and preferences in what and how to recycle, and discusses the biggest mistakes Santa Feans make when it comes to recycling. Olson also talks about the impact people can have before they put their blue bins on the curb, sharing how our choices as consumers can impact what and how much we recycle and throw away.

To get more tips on what can and can’t be recycled, he suggests using the city’s recycle coach app that can be found at https://app.my-waste.mobi/US/NM/Santa_Fe.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heather Cox Richardson is an author, historian and professor of American history who has examined the presidency of Donald Trump since his rise to power in 2016. During his first term in office she launched the popular newsletter “Letters from an American” to share her insight on his and the Republican Party's policies while offering the history behind the country’s current political climate.

Cox Richardson joins “Conversations Different” ahead of speaking at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival to discuss Trump’s presidency, her optimism for the future of the country and what festival-goers can expect from her upcoming appearance.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Santa Fe International Literary Festival is returning to the City Different May 16-18, with esteemed and award-winning writers from around the world slated to speak about their work and take questions from audience members.

According to the festival’s website, the experience is meant to bring writers, readers and free thinkers alike into one space for an interactive and inclusive weekend experience. The lineup features authors from the New York Times Best Sellers list to Pulitzer Prize winners.

Megan Mulry, the festival’s executive director, and Susan Burks, its executive producer, join “Conversations Different” to discuss some of this year’s lineup, what attendees can do outside of the festival and how it has expanded throughout the years.

Learn more about the Santa Fe International Literary Festival at www.sfinternationallitfest.org.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Food Depot has served Northern New Mexico residents for over 30 years, aiming to bridge the gap between hunger and food security. According to its website, 1 in 7 New Mexicans experience food insecurity because of a lack of consistent access to food. The percentages are higher in smaller rural communities where there are few, if any, grocery stores and economic challenges may prevent people from traveling to the closest options.  

Jill Dixon, executive director of The Food Depot, and Amanda Bregel, the organization’s communications director, join “Conversations Different” to discuss why Northern New Mexico’s largest food bank is a necessity for the nine counties it serves. The two talk about the nonprofit’s efforts to provide high-quality food, ways for people to get involved and how recent cuts to federal grants are making their work more challenging.

For more information on The Food Depot and ways to get involved, visit thefooddepot.org.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Susannah Walden says the mountains in Afghanistan remind her of the Sangre de Cristos near her former home of Santa Fe. The familiar landscape makes her feel homesick, but she stays busy with her work telling the stories of the people who have spent generations living amid war and instability.

Walden, the Kabul bureau chief for Agence France-Presse, has spent much of her career reporting abroad and has volunteered for multiple assignments in nations experiencing conflict. On a break to visit her family in Santa Fe, she stopped by to share her experiences as an international correspondent in the latest episode of "Conversations Different."

Walden arrived in Afghanistan about 1 1/2 years ago, after the U.S. withdrew its troops from the country. She discusses what it's been like in the country during that time, and talks about her daily life working and living with her colleagues in a guarded compound.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Santa Fe’s first, now former, poet laureate Arthur Sze joins “Conversations Different” to discuss his latest books Into the Hush and The White Orchard, his life path to becoming a professional writer and an upcoming book event on April 24.  

Sze first became interested in poetry while writing in the back of a math notebook in his freshman calculus class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He shares with “Conversations Different” host Inez Russell Gomez that he discovered the craft by accident and was excited to pursue it despite family pressure to choose a more practical career.  

Sze would transfer and graduate from the University of California, Berkeley and later move to Santa Fe where he’s been a longtime resident and retired professor from the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Join him at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, 2025, for a reading and signing of his books at the Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.