Natalie Benally is an OG guest from Colton’s first podcast. From her first interview back in the pandemic, Natalie has added numerous titles to her resume. On top of a recurring role on AMC’s Dark Winds, she now has two films she’s written on the film festival circuit. Listen to the two catch up and talk about her new endeavors.

Jourdan Bennett-Begaye is the first female to become managing editor of ICT News (formerly Indian Country Today). From the Navajo Nation, Jourdan is now based in Washington, D.C. She talks about coverage in Indian Country and the stories that need attention ahead of the Indigenous Journalist Association annual conference.

Students Imani Haven and Carmen Thompson from Dishchii'bikoh Community School are competing in the National History Day. They have advanced to the national competition, using the platform as a way to spread awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. The students centered their research on Emily Pike, a young Indigenous girl whose life was taken way too soon, to bring attention to the issue. Their teacher Jeron Valasco has been their sponsor.

Shonie De La Rosa is a Native filmmaker who directed “The Arrangement.” The romantic comedy centers on the Navajo culture and arranged marriage with the actors speaking primarily in the Navajo language. The film was supported by Navajo Nation Film to help preserve and revitalize the language.

Arizona-based journalist Patty Talahongva (Hopi) and ASU Howard Center for Investigative Reporting professor Lauren Mucciolo go in-depth on the crisis many Native Alaska villages are facing amid rising temperatures and the fight for survival and relocation. The work culminates in the FRONTLINE/PBS documentary “Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages” which will air on Earth Day, April 22.  

Shuuluk Leo-Retz (Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Nation), an ASU alumnus and starring cast member of Haagua: "An Indigenous Surf Film," explores indigenous culture, surfing, and the importance of water.

Author Brian Young (Navajo) talks about his books for young adult readers that explore Navajo identity paying homage to tradition in modern times. The two-time Ivy League grad discusses Native representation in media and his refusal to water down his work to appeal to a broader audience.

Thomas “Breeze” Marcus is an artist whose murals are displayed all over the Phoenix area. He was raised on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Reservation. “Breeze” ties his modern graffiti art displays with ties to cultural art elements. A featured artists at Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week (March 20-23), he tackles new-wave A.I. (American Indian) art.

Pearl Yellowman (Diné) was the Vice President of Operations at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. She recently found herself on the list of layoffs at the school, SIPI, among 20 others. Yellowman talks about the impact of cuts to higher learning and Native American students. [We’ve reached out to SIPI’s current leadership for comment, we’ll update when we get a response.]

Federal Indian Law Attorney Julia Kolsrud discusses the tribe’s quest to gain crucial and much-needed resources in what would be the largest tribal water settlement in U.S. history.