If you’ve ever attended the Anchorage International Film Festival, you know their slogan, films worth freezing for, is accurate. The annual line up of features and shorts from Alaskan filmmakers and other U.S. and international creatives brings a festive start to December. This year is the festival’s 25th anniversary and Alaska Native film adaptations of classic books like Two Old Women will bring even more excitement to this year’s mix. Directors and filmmakers join us to dig into the details on this Talk of Alaska.

The Alaska office of Children’s Services, OCS, is tasked with protecting children and supporting struggling families. Providing a stable, loving home for children helps improve their chances for success in health, education, social settings and future employment. An audit required by a 2018 law aimed at improving OCS outcomes found problems persist. Where has OCS had success and what else is needed? Advocates on both sides join us for this Talk of Alaska.

Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, have inspired legends, songs and stories for generations. Recent atmospheric conditions have made the aurora especially active and have delighted Alaskans as well as people in the lower 48. What’s the science behind the spike in activity? Why do the colorful displays happen at all? And how can you capture better photos of them? Understanding the science and enjoying the mystique of the vibrant streaks of light in the winter sky is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.

For decades, most Americans have relied on the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and their own local physician to get advice and guidance on everything from a healthy diet and exercise to air quality, disease prevention and which annual vaccines they should get. But the Trump administration’s pick of RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary has cast confusion and doubt on long standing medical norms. What do two of Alaska’s top doctors think of his ideas and how might it affect public health in the future? They join us for this Talk of Alaska.

Housing for people who have been sleeping outdoors becomes more urgent as winter approaches, and as the chronic shortage of affordable housing persists across the state, new complications such as the federal government shutdown and the sudden housing crisis in the Kuskokwim region are adding pressure to plans for helping Alaskans find shelter. What are state and city leaders working on and how can people help? The ongoing need for safe, affordable housing is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.

Typhoon Halong devastated Kipnuk, wiping out the majority of the community. Kwigillingok was hit very hard and numerous other communities in the Kuskokwim Delta region also suffered damage. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the hardest-hit areas, and many are now in temporary shelters in Anchorage. As repair and recovery work ramp up, how much can be restored before winter and what is needed right now to help get the work done? Helping our neighbors after a huge disaster is our on this Talk of Alaska.

Democracy is often loud, messy and argumentative. After all, it’s a system designed to support the right to differing values and political ideas. A healthy democracy allows for dissent and disagreement, peaceful protests, marches and campaigns that work to persuade voters to support or reject certain ideas. But currently in America, dissent too often turns to violence where people threaten harm rather than simply debating viewpoints. Why has it become dangerous to express free speech and how can we get back to more civil discourse in our nation? Two elected officials with opposing political views have found ways to work together and they share what they’ve learned, on this Talk of Alaska.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski criticizes the indictment of the former FBI Director. Plus, state officials found the first case in Alaska of a beetle that invades beehives and spoils honey. And, with winter coming quickly, Akiak is racing to restore its power plant.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has served as one of Alaska’s two U.S. Senators for the past 23 years and she joins us on this Talk of Alaska.

A well-written novel can change the course of a life, a nation, the world, or just provide you some nice entertainment for an afternoon.