More than a decade ago I interviewed Daniel Hunter about a book he had written, and when I saw the article he had written just before the November election called 10 Things To Do If Trump Wins, I knew it was something I needed to check out. After all, Daniel has done organizing and training in a number of settings, in the United States and abroad, preparing folks to effectively make this a better world. He's written several books, about climate resistance, ending racism, and a choose-your-adventure style book, called What Will You Do If Trump Wins, and remember to check out ChooseDemocracy.US.

Today for Song of the Soul we head to England for a visit with Hilary James. A couple weeks back we had a wonderful time with her partner, Simon James, with some of his songs including Hilary's beautiful voice and singing. Hilary's love of music is wide, and while much of it was part of the English folk club scene of the 1960s and 70s, her musical palate definitely included blues and other forms that we less commonly think of as folk music in the US. Hilary and Simon also did a bit of a deep dive into music for children as part of their journey. Also find her music on AcousticsRecords.co.uk.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Methodist, Agnostic, Yoga, Non-affiliated

Part 2 of our sampling of Kerrville New Folk winners who we've interviewed on NSR. Of the 24 Kerrville competitors we didn't feature last week, 7 of them were winners, so today we glance back at interviews with and music from Tom Neilson, Danny Schmidt, Anne Feeney, Jonathan Byrd, David Massengill, David Roth, and David Wilcox. Take a look at the incredible line-ups of the New Folk Stage at Kerrville since 1973.

Featured Music & Segments:

A different kind of Song of the Soul today, a sampling of our guests who have competed at the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition. We're grabbing glimpses of Kerrville alumni who we've interviewed on our show in recent years, giving you a taste of the rich talent and spirit of Kerrville artists.

We've visited with Mike McCabe several times in the past 15 years, about his work with the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, about the need for real people in government, and relative to his run for Wisconsin governor. Today we have Mike here for something different, a book of fiction called Miracles Along County Q. While fiction, the book reflects truths and insights into many aspects of urban vs rural tensions in terms of both personal and political outlooks. An extra plus is the miracles woven into the story, and the amalgam of fact and magic is a heart and page-turner.

We're headed to England today for a visit with Simon Mayor. Unlike in the US where mandolin is a common instrument in many areas, it is a less common and less-vaunted source of fine music in England, except in the hands of Simon Mayor and a handful of other Brits. Simon plays in a number of configurations, most featuring his partner, Hilary James, but also as part of a mandolin quartet (or quintet) called the Mandolinquents. Among Simon's creations are at least 5 albums that Simon and Hilary made for kids. Though mandolin is Simon's principle instrument, you'll find him occasionally on violin/fiddle as well. Simon lives in Reading, England.

Are there alternatives to the expensive, complicated, healthcare system in the US? After the closing of the Sacred Heart and Saint Joseph's hospitals in Eau Claire & Chippewa Falls, we're about to enter into a promising experiment in community ownership with the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative. Organizing board chair, Robert (Bob) Krause shares the plans for a new community-owned independent hospital and healthcare services. Bob has a long history of community service and corporate management, including the 10 years he spent on the board of Sacred Heart Hospital.

This heart-opening episode is guest-hosted by Peterson Toscano, Nicole Diroff & Ben Yosua-Davis of the BTS Center and is from their Climate Changed Podcast, This program is possible because of the sound and journalism mastery of Peterson Toscano. Today they are bringing one of the deepest reflections on what we need for a climate-changed world through the stories and guidance of Ray Buckley, author of books like Hard to Dance With the Devil On Your Back and Christmas Moccasins.

Flamy Grant and their music is amazing & fun & deep & did I mention wonderful? You see, Flamy is such an unexpected combination of usually adversarial things like a drag queen singing Christian songs. In fact, Flamy's album Bible Belt Baby even made it to #1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel chart. And in 2023 Flamy was a winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition.

Alice Rothchild is many things: a woman, a Jew, a doctor, a feminist, a poet, and the author of 6 books, the latest being Inspired and Outraged: The Making of a Feminist Physician. Rising in the medical ranks when women were almost universally barred from the role of physician, she became a obstetrics-gynecology doc, including co-founding the non-profit Urban Woman and Child Health Inc. Alice transcends barriers, limits, and conventions, including having written this wide-ranging memoir and commentary-on-the-times book in poetic format.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Jewish, Non-affiliated