Stevens on The River 93.9

I spoke with Ronan Donovan about his career as a visual storyteller and his insolvent with the Hanover Conservation Society.  

I spoke with Bailey Ray of WISE about the tough subject of domestic violence. 

Domestic violence, sexual violence and stalking happen everywhere, including the Upper Valley. WISE advocates are here to listen and support you. We know that you can make your own decisions when you have information and support. You are the expert in your life.

All WISE Advocacy is confidential and free.

24-Hour Crisis Line: 866-348-WISE

I spoke with volunteers and surviving family members of Alzheimer's victims, John Bouton and Kathy Harvard. 

Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's® is the world's largest fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease.

Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® ; now the Alzheimer's Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer's. 

While there is no fee to register for Walk, all participants are encouraged to raise critical funds that allow the Alzheimer’s Association to provide 24/7 care and support and advance research toward methods of prevention, treatment and, ultimately, a cure.

I spoke with John Flynn about his upcoming performance at the Hartford Dismas House October 18th.

John Flynn is an American singer-songwriter and activist known for his powerful music and tireless efforts on behalf of the lost and the lonely, the shackled and scarred. His career has embodied an authentic troubadour odyssey that moved legendary folk DJ Gene Shay to call Flynn "the most quintessential folk singer in my life", and Deana McCloud, Executive Director of the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to write, "John Flynn is the real deal. His work follows in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, and other social justice troubadours as he speaks the truth and gives a voice to society's disenfranchised. His work fills your heart and opens your eyes as he continues to walk the walk of a true advocate for equality, justice, and peace."

I spoke with Sharon Miller-Dombroski about her work with Dismas House in Hartford Vermont.  

I spoke with author and professor Carlo Rotella about his new book. 

An eloquent and moving story about the value and the pleasures of intellectual exploration—and why it matters beyond the classroom.

At a time when college students and their parents often question the “return on investment” from humanities courses, accomplished feature writer and English professor Carlo Rotella invites us into the minds of a group of skeptical first-year students who are ultimately transformed by a required literature class. In WHAT CAN I GET OUT OF THIS?: Teaching and Learning in a Classroom Full of Skeptics (September 2, 2025; UC Press) he follows thirty-three students through his class to provide an intimate look at teaching and learning from their perspectives as well as his own. The students’ reluctance—”How does this get me a job?”—transforms into insight as they wrestle with challenging books, share ideas, discover how to think critically, and form a community. In all these ways, they learn how to extract meaning from the world around them, an essential life skill. Confronting skeptics of higher education, this compassionate and inspiring book reveals the truth of what students actually experience in college.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carlo Rotella is Professor of English at Boston College. A regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine, he has written books about cities, boxing, music, and literature.

I had the opportunity to speak with Jock Bartley of the band Firefall about the band and their upcoming performance at The Flying Monkey in Plymouth, NH. 

I spoke with the CEO of West Central Behavioral Health, Lori Shibinette, about suicide awareness and prevention. 

I Spoke with Jackie Stanley of the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society.

Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society was founded in 1915 by Woodstock, Vermont, businessman Frank Mackenzie in memory of his wife, Lucy. Lucy was a caring woman with a “practical interest in humane work and in the various social and religious activities, which always appeal to one of her sympathies…(and a) readiness to do helpful things at every opportunity.” Mackenzie quietly worked to support those who needed help. Upon her death, Mackenzie’s husband established the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society to care for “abused (and neglected) children as well as animals including horses.”

In a large Victorian building at the center of Woodstock, Vermont, dogs, cats, horses, and children found a refuge where they lived in harmony, well-cared for, when the world let them down. Half a century later, the building moved to another location in Woodstock, and the need to serve children was no longer necessary.

Today, Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society is one of the oldest continuously operating no-kill humane societies in the United States. After almost 100 years, and now located on 14 semi-wooded acres in West Windsor, so much has changed, yet the heart of Lucy Mackenzie remains the same.