Women Making History

Swedish Rock Star Nina Soderquist

Celebrate International Women in Music Day with this "Blast from the Past" episode of Big Blend Radio (2017) featuring Swedish performer, rock star and “field artist” Nina Söderquist. Hear about her music career and success in London's West End with the musical SPAMALOT, her music career, and single at the time “Goodbye”, a duet with Björn Skifs (Blue Swede, “Hooked on a Feeling”).  More: www.NinaSoderquist.com 

American Women Who Made History

In celebration of Women's History Month, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Women Making History" Podcast shines the spotlight on six noteworthy American Women who made a positive impact across the country and around the world. Featured guests are travel writers Barbara Redding, Jo Clark, Kathleen Walls, and Linda Ballou.
ON THIS EPISODE:- TEXAS WOMEN - Barbara Redding discusses Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, First Lady of the US (1963-1969); Barbara Charline Jordan who the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction; and Anne Richards who served as the 45th governor of Texas (1991-1995). Learn more about Barbara at https://barbararedding.com/  
- IVEY COURTNEY STONE - Jo Clark shares the story of how during WWII Ivey volunteered for the WAVES, served as a communications watch officer in the Navy Department, and became one of 10,000 “Code Girls” -- Codebreakers -- for the US Navy. Keep up with Jo at https://haveglasswilltravel.com/  and https://recipestravelculture.com/ 
- SUSAN B. ANTHONY - Kathleen Walls shares how this prominent women's rights advocate and leader of the women's suffrage movement helped pave the way for the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. She was also involved in the anti-slavery movement, and temperance movement. Keep up with Kathleen at https://americanroads.net/  and https://katywalls.com/ 
- KRISTINE "KRIS" TOMPKINS - Linda Ballou talks about this former CEO of Patagonia's conservation work as president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation known for preserving, expanding, and creating national parks in Chile. (Photo featured is by James Q Martin, courtesy of McCarthyatTC, CC BY-SA 4.0, on Wikipedia.) More about Tompkins Conservation: https://www.tompkinsconservation.org/ Keep up with Linda at https://lostangeladventures.com/ 

Noteworthy Women in Artist Ted DeGrazia’s Life

Celebrate Women's History Month with this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Tales of Southwest Artist Ted DeGrazia" Podcast. Featuring Lance Laber, Executive Director of the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, this episode focuses on some of the noteworthy women in Southwest Artist Ted DeGrazia's life including his Mother, first wife Alexandra Diamos, second wife artist Marion DeGrazia, Carol Locust - Mother of musician Domingo DeGrazia, photographer Louise Serpa, and even country singer Sammi Smith.
Current exhibits at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun include "Ted DeGrazia in the Studio of Diego Rivera" (until Sept. 3, 2025), “Louise Serpa's Portraits of Ted DeGrazia” (until Sept. 3, 2025), and “The Way of the Cross” (until May 28, 2025). The Little Gallery is also host to visiting artists from now through April 4, 2025. 
Also hear about the exhibit "Bisbee Through the Eyes of Ted DeGrazia" on display at the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum and the Muheim Heritage House, in Bisbee AZ,  through May 26, 2025.
DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is a 10-acre historic landmark nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona. Opened in 1965, it is home to over 15,000 originals of Ted DeGrazia art pieces including oil paintings, watercolors, ceramics and sculptures. There are six permanent collections on display and several rotating exhibitions each year. More: http://www.degrazia.org/ 
This Big Blend Radio "Tales of Ted DeGrazia" podcast airs every 4th Sunday. Follow the show here: https://ted-degrazia.podbean.com/ 

Seven Superwomen in History

Celebrate Women's History Month with this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures with Linda Ballou" Podcast. Linda talks about seven formidable women in history that she admires, with two being inspirations behind her books "Wai-Nani" and "Embrace of the Wild." 
Hear about author Simone de Beauvoir, Ka’ahumanu who was the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, adventurer and author Isabella Lucy Bird, Georgie White the "Wild Cat of the Colorado River," bush pilot and equestrian Beryl Markham, artist Georgia O’Keefe, and Sacagawea, aka, Bird Woman. You can read her article about these superwomen, here: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/seven-superwomen-in-history/ 
Linda also mentions notorious Bobo - you can hear the full interview about her, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjO7XudIArQ 
Follow Linda Ballou's adventures at https://lostangeladventures.com/ and learn more about her books at http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/ 
Listen to Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures" Show every 3rd Wednesday at High Noon PST,  here on YouTube:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm3Bmktgu8osUzx2VOF35dgO&feature=shared 
This episode is also featured on  our Big Blend Radio "Way Back When" History, "Women Making History," and "Big Daily Blend" Channels.  Check out our Big Blend Radio Network of podcasts here:  https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Author Emily Molina - The Extraordinary Journey of the Odyssey

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 3rd Monday “Food, Wine & Travel” Show with IFWTWA features travel writer and author Emily Molina who discusses her book, "Tacoma's Tall Ship: The Extraordinary Journey of the Odyssey," out now through Arcadia Publishing. 
In 1978, the Odyssey, a 90-foot wooden yawl, arrived in Tacoma to serve as a training vessel and beloved landmark, standing tall in the harbor. Launched in 1938 off Nevins Boatyard in City Island, New York, the Odyssey spent four years traveling the world under the ownership of Barklie Henry. The ship hosted the Vanderbilt family and famous names like Ernest Hemingway before being donated to the cause during World War II. One name change later, it began service as a top-secret research vessel for the U.S. Navy, working in places like San Diego and Woods Hole until finding a home in Tacoma. Now, under new ownership, the Odyssey is docked in San Francisco and being renovated to be able to sail to France. There's some women's history story in the Odyssey's lifespan too! 
Emily Molina is a freelance writer who lives in the South Puget Sound region of Washington with her retired army veteran husband and two children. Molina is a former international flight attendant, and her work has been published in numerous magazines. Visit: https://molinawriter.wordpress.com/ 
Learn more about the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) here: https://www.ifwtwa.org/  
Follow this Podcast Channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm1chVylr9kzBMftUgBoLS-m  
This episode is also featured on our Big Blend Radio "Way Back When" History and "Women Making History" Channels. Check out our Big Blend Radio Network of podcasts here: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork  

Author Anna Marie Jehorek on Big Blend Radio

Happy St. Patrick's Day! With March being National Reading Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, and Women's History Month, we're revisiting this episode of Big Blend Radio featuring author and travel writer Anna Marie Jehorek. Hear about her travel adventures and two women’s fiction novels, “The Cottage on Lough Key" and “The House With the Georgian Door,” which are both set in Ireland. More:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01D1LMW2I 
In addition to writing contemporary women’s fiction she’s also busy writing at her travel website https://pulloverandletmeout.com/ 
 

Fiber Artist Nancy Hershberger in Fort Union

Celebrate National Quilting Day with this "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Friday "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show featuring fiber artist Nancy Hershberger, who talks about her experience as the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist-in-residence in Fort Union National Monument in Northern New Mexico. Nancy's art quilts have been shown in exhibitions in the US and internationally and she has been accepted and served as artist in residence for five residencies in units within the national park service, the most recent one being Fort Union. Follow Nancy's art at https://www.facebook.com/NancyHershberger 
Artist Fort Union was the largest frontier military post and supply center of the southwest. It also was the hub of commerce, national defense, and migration at the final stretch of the Santa Fe Trail. More: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/fort-union-national-monument/ 
The National Parks Arts Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the promotion of the National Parks through creating dynamic opportunities for artworks that are based in our natural and historic heritage. All NPAF artist-in-residence programs are made possible through the philanthropic support of donors of all sorts ranging from corporate sponsors, small businesses, and art patrons and citizen-lovers of the parks. More: https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 

Kim Dinan - The Yellow Envelope

Travel blogger Kim Dinan quit her job, sold her home in Portland and convinced her husband to embark on a round-the-world travel adventure with no timeline or particular destination in mind.
On the eve of their departure, they received an unusual going away gift from friends…a yellow envelope with $1,000 and three simple instructions for giving it away during their travels:
Rule #1: Don’t over think it!
Rule # 2: Share your experiences! (… if you want to)
Rule # 3: Don’t feel pressured to give it all away!
Celebrate National Good Samaritan Day with this "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio featuring travel writer Kim Dinan who talks about her travels and the act of kindness, as documented in her memoir, “The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and A Life-Changing Journey Around the World.” Kim shares how the gift traveled with her through a rickshaw race in India, volunteering at a children’s literacy and arts center in Ecuador, visiting a tiny island in Peru, trekking across Nepal, and beyond.More at https://so-many-places.com/