Blogs

I spoke with Michael Bisch, the executive director of Yolo Food Bank, earlier in the pandemic, and since then, the Woodland-based non profit has continued to up its game and live its mission of reducing food insecurity in our county, to the tune of 60,000 meals per month. Michael joins me again this Tuesday to talk about bringing food security to Davis during the pandemic, including partnerships with local college campuses and the Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter.

My second guest is Natalie Nelson, executive director of Pence Gallery. When what you do is bring people into your facility to experience art, and you can't do that, how do you pivot? You'll hear about some of the creative changes the Pence has made, and also learn about the current exhibit featuring work by renowned local artist Sara Post.

Show airs live on Tuesdays at noon, repeats during the week, and is available anytime right here at kdrt.org.

Join host David Arthur Reynolds for an hour of traditional and contemporary Celtic tunes and songs. This week's featured artists include Pauline Scanlon,  Mairi Campbell, Tommy Martin, Malinky, Deanta, Danu, John Doyle, Battlefield Band, Andrei Krylov & Lana Ross, Archie Fisher, Donovan, Paul and Linda McCartney with Dennie Laine and local pipers, Karan Casey with John Doyle and from Brittany, the band Kornog.

My guests on this week's Episode 37 will be Jesse Salinas,  Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Yolo County, and artist and community organizer NJ Mvondo, to speak about the new Healing Art Project unfolding in Davis.

Jesse's office  is responsible for multiple key functions within Yolo County, but for this show,  we’ll focus on his role as registrar of voters. Jesse’s team has been very busy getting out information about the changes to voting during the Nov. 3 election cycle, and I'm delighted to speak with him and get fully up to speed on what we need to know here in Yolo County.

Artist and organizer NJ Mvondo is best known for her blog, Multiculturalism Rocks!, which celebrates diversity in children's literature. She's currently in the process of launching the interactive Healing Art Project in Davis. Borne out of her concern about our collective stamina in the face of a pandemic, wildfires, and the harms caused by structural racism, she says her hope is that the project proivides ways for us to lift each other up.

Today my guest is UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May, who happens to be my most-requested interview.

May became UC Davis’ 7th chancellor in 2017. He leads the most comprehensive campus in the University of California system, with four colleges and six professional schools. UC Davis enrolls more than 39,000 students, brings in nearly $850 million annually in sponsored research, and contributes $8 billion annually to California’s economy. It’s an institution that brought many alums, like yours truly, to Davis and helped us find a home and make a difference locally.

This week, UC Davis was once again rated among the top colleges in the country in the latest “Best Colleges” rankings by U.S. News & World Report, which ranked UC Davis the 11th-best public school in the United States, and the 39th-best school overall.

It is the time to celebrate Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, and honor the changing seasons and celebrate the harvest. This is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. It's a time of plenty, of gratitude, and of sharing our abundance with those less fortunate.

This week's program will feature artists Lisa Thiel, Lúnasa, Malinky, Jenna Greene, Libana, two selections from the just released album "Wrackline" by Folkworks: Fay Hield, Omnia, the Afro-Celt Sound System, FAUN and Northern Ireland's Déanta.

Tune in Tuesday 11:00 to Noon with replay Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 pm or stream @kdrt.org. Celtic Songlines is available on iTunes.