Like many others her age, Natalie Lewis entered college weeks leading up to the landmark 2016 election and graduated just this past spring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her college years spanned one of the most affecting and politically charged time periods in recent American history. Growing up as a person of color (Afro-Cuban) in a predominantly white, rural community in an overwhelmingly white state was an experience Lewis didn't fully grapple with until going to college, a time during which she began exploring her own background, racial identity and the various cultural factors--positive and negative--which helped shape who she is today. This spring, Lewis became deeply affected by the events spurring the increased growth of the Black Lives Matter movement and its growth across the country, including in her home region of New England. Lewis decided it was time to act, organize and use her voice to discuss issues of racial identity, cultural appropriation, racial representation in our society and how best to support the movements for people of color across the United States and globally. In this episode, Lewis discusses her own views on race and culture, terms of identity, what supporters can best do to help these movements and her own future plans, both in career exploration and her growing role as an social organizer and activist.

Amie Bantz is a working artist and high school teacher currently based in central Pennsylvania. Like many educators, Bantz experienced a range of emotions, surprises and sobering realities during this year’s COVID-19 pandemic and its remote learning era, including trying to connect kids to art with sparse resources, the limits of technology in the remote learning process and simply missing the daily social connection to her students and colleagues. In this episode of Trails to Peaks Radio, Bantz talks about her technical and stylistic development as an artist during her college years and professional career, including her recent move to create public, accessible artwork in her community to how her teaching experiences have affected her perspective of art as both a practitioner and educator. As a biracial woman (Korean/Caucasian) born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in the Midwest and suburban New England, Bantz admits spending much of her life feeling “a step outside” multiple social groups and professional categories, something she has expressed and explored in recent years through her own artwork and travel abroad to South Korea. Bantz’s professional work has been featured in public spaces around her local community and in numerous publications and other media outlets. For more about Bantz and her work as an artist, including prints available for purchase and her online portfolio, visit her website amiebantz.com.

Independent director, writer and producer Alexander P. Gutterman discusses his film "In Winter" and the inspiration for his current film project "The Hunter" (now in post-production) along with the myriad of challenges and unexpected joys of the film making process, including script development, casting, set design, promotion, distribution and dealing with critical feedback. Gutterman also talks about his own personal and professional inspirations and influences, why art matters in today's society and the crucial role of free expression in the creative process. For more content related to Gutterman's film work, including stills, footage and related interviews, visit his Vimeo page.

Neal Lyon completed New Hampshire's List of its 48 four thousand foot summits earlier this year on Mount Isolation during the cold depths and deep snows of January, weeks before the outbreak of COVID-19 shut down trail heads and state parks for weeks on end. As activity opens up gradually across the state, including access to some of the White Mountains’ most visited and prized peaks, Lyon has returned to the ascents which helped transform his life in ways he never imagined possible, building his own community of trail seekers along the way while connecting with others in a way only those who have traversed the long and often arduous pathways in the mountains can understand. Lyon’s Instagram bio reads “My life is simple. At some point I found the mountains. It changed everything…”; three short lines that speak volumes about the value of pushing past one’s own perceived limitations, making a conscious choice to live differently and helping others have their own unique experiences outdoors.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, millions of kids across the country have spent the last few months of the school year accessing their education through remote learning, a massive, unprecedented experience which has yielded mixed results while posing even more questions about how--and if--schools will go back to normal. Sabin Wenger is a social studies teacher at Nashua South High School in southern New Hampshire and has experienced many of the highs and lows felt by teachers across the country, including vastly decreased social connections with her students, significantly increased screen time and device use, the vanishing boundaries between school and home, and the ongoing loss felt by young people and those who teach them each day. Wenger talks about what she thinks we can learn about education from this crisis, how states will adjust to this new era, and what she sees ahead for schools and the country in the coming months.

“The Last Dance” is a 10-episode documentary series chronicling the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 march toward the team’s sixth championship. Austin Bumpus is the creator of the sports and lifestyle website The Swing of Things and published detailed reviews of episodes nine and ten of this landmark documentary film. On this episode of Trails to Peaks Radio, Bumpus talks about the second Bulls threepeat, the compassion of Steve Kerr, Jordan’s perfect ending and speculates about why the team finally broke up for good. For Bumpus’ reviews of “The Last Dance” and other related sports and lifestyle content, visit his website The Swing of Things.

“The Last Dance” is a 10-episode documentary series chronicling the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 march toward the team’s sixth championship. Austin Bumpus is the creator of the sports and lifestyle website The Swing of Things and published detailed reviews of episodes seven and eight of this landmark documentary film. On this episode of Trails to Peaks Radio, Bumpus talks about Jordan taking up baseball, Scottie Pippen’s legacy, Jordan’s first comeback and the underrated 1995 Orlando Magic. For Bumpus’ reviews of “The Last Dance” and other related sports and lifestyle content, visit his website The Swing of Things.

“The Last Dance” is a 10-episode documentary series chronicling the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 march toward the team’s sixth championship. Austin Bumpus is the creator of the sports and lifestyle website The Swing of Things and published detailed reviews of episodes five and six of this landmark documentary film. On this episode of Trails to Peaks Radio, Bumpus talks about MJ’s historic connection with Kobe Bryant, the rise of Air Jordan, Isiah Thomas wearing the black hat and the quiet redemption of Toni Kukoc. For Bumpus’ reviews of “The Last Dance” and other related sports and lifestyle content, visit his website The Swing of Things.

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced many people across the country to stay home for weeks on end, resulting in an unusually high demand for new things to do during this time. Trails to Peaks Radio pop culture guru Luke Woods returns to the show to offer his recommendations of what to watch during the stay at home era, including his most notable surprises, things he likes and doesn’t like about 2020 entertainment so far, including "Mrs. America", "High Fidelity", "The Plot Against America" and more. Woods also reveals his all time “desert island” series picks, including three modern classic comedies, a serial fantasy drama and a surprise documentary series. If you like television and are at home more than usual right now, you don’t want to miss this episode.

“The Last Dance” is a 10-episode documentary series chronicling the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 march toward the team's sixth championship. Austin Bumpus is the creator of the sports and lifestyle website The Swing of Things and has published detailed reviews of episodes three and four of this series. On this episode of Trails to Peaks Radio, Bumpus talks about the strange genius of Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson’s impact on the Bulls, how we might view today’s top NBA players two decades from now and candidates for the next great sports documentary. For Bumpus’ reviews of “The Last Dance” and all other related sports content, visit his website The Swing of Things.