Santa Fe’s emergency shelter, formally known as the Interfaith Community Shelter at Pete’s Place, has been in the headlines the past few months after city councilors voted to end a month-to-month contract with the nonprofit, which had provided an array of services to area homeless people for decades.

In that same decision, councilors approved a new contract with San Francisco-based group Urban Alchemy to take over operations at the shelter’s facility on Cerrillos Road effective the end of July.

As the transition continues, Mike Anderer, chief administrative officer for Urban Alchemy, joins “Conversations Different” to discuss some of the new management changes, including renaming the shelter to Agape House, his team’s efforts to clean up a bed bug infestation and how new policies will impact residents.

Anderer acknowledged the city’s separation from the Interfaith Community Shelter was opposed by many, but emphasized Urban Alchemy is committed to listening and working with community members to maintain and improve services.

For more information about Urban Alchemy, visit their website at urban-alchemy.us

To contact Mike Anderer about volunteering, email him at mikea@urban-alchemy.us

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Santa Fe Public Schools’ months-long search for a superintendent ended in May with the school board choosing Christine Griffin, a previous educational leader in Arizona, to hold the district’s top job. She assumed the role in June and has officially been making the rounds for more than a month now, connecting with parents, students and state and local leaders ahead of the start of a new school year.

Griffin joins “Conversations Different” to discuss how things are going during her first month, the upcoming school year and what her leadership priorities will be. Griffin also addresses a key community concern pertaining to federal funding cuts to schools and how the national issue will impact Santa Fe.

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Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, U.S. representative for New Mexico’s 3rd district, joins “Conversations Different” to discuss what went down during the passage of congressional Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill and how it will impact New Mexicans now that the bill is law.

Leger Fernández expressed deep concern over the bill’s cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits, citing New Mexico’s reliance on federal dollars for those programs to be effective. As a result, she said people could die by not getting the care and resources they need from the programs and rural hospitals could close.

Leger Fernández also recounts her exchange with a Republican colleague during a committee hearing over a provision in the bill which would’ve repealed a tax on tanning services. That provision was taken out of the final bill after her comments made during the meeting went viral on social media.

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The Traditional Spanish Market returns to the Santa Fe Plaza July 25-27. Known for highlighting the rich Hispanic culture in our region, the market carefully selects artists from New Mexico and Southern Colorado for the chance to share their creative pursuits for a weekend and vie for awards.

The Traditional Spanish Market has been managed by the Atrisco Heritage Foundation since 2023 and its Program Coordinator Brissa Chilton-Garcia joins “Conversations Different” to discuss this year’s festivities. Chilton-Garcia discusses the event’s planning, her personal involvement with Spanish cultural art and what attendees should expect.

For more information, visit traditionalspanishmarket.org.

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The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe is bidding farewell to its current president, Dr. Robert Martin, this month. Martin has been with the school since 2007, making an extraordinary impact on its development through his leadership, particularly in infrastructure, degree programs and enrollment growth. Martin joins “Conversations Different” to reflect on his 40-year legacy in higher education as well as his 18 years as president of IAIA. He also discusses the funding challenges that many tribal colleges and universities across the United States are facing in light of proposed federal funding cuts. IAIA could lose all federal funding. He explained that he believes funding will be secured to keep IAIA operating in the near future and spoke favorably about the environment the school’s next president will inherit.

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Dr. Wendy Johnson, a longtime physician, health activist and writer in Northern New Mexico, joins “Conversations Different” to discuss her new book Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves.

Johnson shares what guided her in writing the book along with discussing its theme of kinship medicine, a belief that individual wellbeing is determined by our relationships and interconnection. The book also delves into the belief that we as human beings are smaller ecosystems in a larger system such as the environment and Earth, and to truly be healthy, we must reconcile any misalignments with each other.

Johnson’s official book launch will be on July 15 at Tumbleroot Brewery in Santa Fe with a book tour around the United States to follow in the weeks after.

For more information about the book, launch and tour, visit wendyjohnsonmd.com.

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The International Folk Art Market, a staple in Northern New Mexico for bringing together multicultural artists from around the world, returns to Santa Fe’s Railyard Park July 10-13.

Nadia Hamid, IFAM director of artist development, and Alison Brushaber, IFAM volunteer chair of artist transportation, join “Conversations Different” to preview this year’s folk art market.

Hamid talks about her role in selecting artists for the market, improvements event-goers can expect this year and things people can do outside of just shopping.

Brushaber shares what inspired her to get involved with the organization and how it opened her eyes to a world full of artistic expression without having to travel far.

More information about the market and tickets can be found on their website, folkartmarket.org.

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Alcoholism impacts the lives of many individuals and their families across the country and in New Mexico. According to the New Mexico Department of Health website, the state has been a leader in alcohol deaths since the 1980s with domestic violence, crime, poverty and unemployment also surging as related negative impacts.

Ted Alcorn, a writer/researcher and native New Mexican, joins “Conversations Different” to discuss his previous reporting on New Mexico’s alcohol problem from the individuals who consume it to the lawmakers who haven’t budged much on reform.

Alcorn shares insight into his news series “Blind Drunk,” featured in the news outlet New Mexico In Depth and The Santa Fe New Mexican. The series explores New Mexico’s alcohol crisis by looking at the state’s weaknesses and providing possible solutions.

Alcorn’s bylines include The New York Times, The Atlantic and Washington Post Magazine. He is a graduate of New York University and John Hopkins University.

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