The feeling of impending doom is an emotion that many Americans have felt since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025. Not knowing what’s next for the country as this administration carries out a high velocity of policy changes in such a short period of time has left some people’s spirits very low. The worries come as prospects of Democrats retaking Congressional power surge, but is that enough to reassure people?

As best-selling author and progressive activist Rebecca Solnit puts it in the title of her new book — the beginning comes after the end.

Solnit, who will be appearing at this year’s Santa Fe International Literary Festival, joins the latest “Conversations Different” podcast episode to discuss with host Inez Russell Gomez her newly released book The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change.

According to the book’s summary, Solnit writes about the political and social movements over the last few decades to share how people have responded to change and how the common takeaway from those movements has been to create a new world that embraces community, culture and diversity. It’s advice Solnit says is extremely relevant in today’s political times.

In the episode, Solnit also talks about the state of our current politics, explains how her essay inspired the term “mansplaining” and what her message for this year’s literary festival — May 15-17 — will be.

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Political conflict between the United States and Venezuela has been an issue for quite some time but within the past year, tensions have been especially high.

What started off as U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean that were alleged to be transporting drugs transpired into a military operation months later to capture and jail Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro on narcoterrorism charges. The capture of Maduro came as a surprise to many, especially for retired foreign diplomat Brian Naranjo.

Naranjo, who served in the U.S. Department of State and at embassies in Venezuela, Canada and Mexico, said he was “utterly horrified” to see Maduro’s capture on the news and warned Maduro’s succesor may usher in his same radical agenda.

On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell Gomez is joined by Naranjo to discuss his views on the U.S.-Venezuela conflicts ahead of his talk at the World Affairs Forum in Santa Fe that runs April 30–May 1. He shares what the conflicts have meant to him as a former official who has experience dealing with these types of relations.

In the episode, Naranjo also talks about his ties to Northern New Mexico and how his grandfather Emilio Naranjo, known as one of the last political patrónes, inspired him to pursue a life of public service.

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On the latest podcast episode of “Conversations Different,” host Inez Russell Gomez is joined by New Mexico Public Education Secretary Mariana Padilla.

Secretary Padilla joins the podcast to discuss the state’s free summer reading program and how it has correlated to literacy improvements among children — a problem area New Mexico has struggled with for years. Padilla says the initiative is part of a larger goal, championed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, to get kids reading at a proficient level at an early age, so they are set up for future academic success. And this year, free math tutoring is in the works for students as well.

In the episode, Padilla also shares how parents can best support their kids at home and why keeping them engaged during summer months matters when back-to-school time rolls around in the fall.

To learn more or register for the free summer reading program, visit literacy.nm.gov

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