This country’s nuclear arsenal is “geriatric.” And many of the people who maintain it are heading towards retirement. Plus, the agency that oversees the nuclear arsenal has not been immune to the possibility of federal staffing cuts. Colorado science writer Sarah Scoles examines the future of nuclear defense in her book, “Countdown: The Blinding Future of Nuclear Weapons.” She spoke with Ryan Warner at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte during last spring's Mountain Words Festival.

Ryan will be back at this year's festival on May 24 to interview author Craig Childs, whose new book is "The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light."