Episode 4: Poetry, Activism, and Backyard Wildlife

On this week’s show, Andy Lyman talks with Hakim Bellamy, who will be familiar to lots of listeners. He was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Albuquerque and is an actor, facilitator, author, and all-around amazing person. AND, he just graduated from the University of New Mexico’s School of Law. Bellamy talks about activism, “bullet-proofing” legislation, love for New Mexico — and, he shares a new poem.Later in the show, Laura Paskus talks with the founder of the Albuquerque Backyard Refuge Program about how to make your yard more wildlife-friendly (it’s easy! it’s cheap!) and why being a part of a community project like this one feels so good. Since we taped this episode on Monday morning, the Trump administration has sent U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. For more reporting on that, we suggest the links below.For more information on (almost) everything mentioned in the show:LAPD pushes to quell unrest downtown as legal battles heat up over Marine activation (LA Times)Live Updates: Marines Arrive in L.A. After Night of Muted Protests (New York Times)Fake Images and Conspiracy Theories Swirl Around L.A. Protests (New York Times)Attacks on the Press, and the Specter of 2020, in LA (Columbia Journalism Review)These Could Be the Unkindest Cuts of All in the West (V.B Price, Mercury Messenger)‘The time for action is now’: Pressure mounts for negotiations over the Colorado River’s future (Colorado Sun)“Everywhere is a Gila”, 2015 poem from Hakim Bellamy (Because, just a reminder, the Gila River is a tributary to the Colorado River)Albuquerque Backyard Refuge Program: http://friendsofvalledeoro.org/abq-backyard-refuge/Thanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can also find us onSpotify orApple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at [email protected]: Get Through it (Instrumental), Neu Song; Own Way (Instrumental), BAP; Glitch Fidelity (Instrumental), Marscott This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com