Arizona Spotlight

Also on Arizona Spotlight: NPR's Scott Simon new book shows love for pets of all make and model; and an audio postcard from the Autism Society of Southern Arizona's largest annual event.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The curious history of ostrich farming in Arizona; and graphic novelist Alison Bechdel on letting memory guide her art.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Arizona Theatre Company presents "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors"; and the public reaction to the decision to move The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Looking back fifty years to the tragic wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald; and a tiny hummingbid who acts like a mighty eagle.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: PCC's "Fairview" offers a Pulitzer-prize winning play like no other; and comedian Omar Tarango tells a story about laughter and failure from the high seas.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A night of contemporary Indigenous comedy comes to Club Congress, courtesy of The Arizona State Museum.

Learners in Tibetan Buddhism at the Bodhisattva Institute in Tucson share stories of overcoming negativity through positive coping skills.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Bisbee Bikeways is trying to build better communities; and "Truth be Told" asks important questions that won't go away.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: invisible Theater previews new show "Inside Out: Men Behind Bars"; and storyteller Ana Montanez shares how Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show was a unifying moment for her multi-generational immigrant family.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Author Jacquelyn L. Jackson talks about "The Female Rouge: A Memoir of Living Fiercely"; and historian Janelle Molony on the fascinating history of Ostrich ranching in Arizona.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Jeanine Cummins on her novel "Speak to Me of Home"; Indigenous artist Tim Farris talks about "Tricksters and Truthtellers"; and you and your pet are invited to join a parade.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Canelo Project: A Straw Bale Story; Ability Dogs trains canines to help humans in need; and which fictional detective do you trust?

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The 2026 NPR Student Podcast Challenge searches for the voices of tomorrow; the Arizona premiere of a new documentary about Paul McCartney in the 1970s; and a story about the bond of love between a father and daughter.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Find out how friends worked together to rescue the indie music festival called "Fallfest"; and documentary filmmaker Frances Reid shares two important LGBTQ+ films with a new generation.

Also on Spotlight: The Tiny Desk Contest is underway; meet the filmmaker behind the documentary "The Return of Navajo Boy"; and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society welcomes rock hounds from around the world.

Also on Spotlight: Paula Poundstone fights tyranny with laughter - and cats; and author, publisher and podcaster Zibby Owens on the changing book industry.

Observing the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Aviation Pioneer behind Ryan Field; Invisible Theater's follows love across the universe and beyond; and storyteller Beth Colburn Orozco shares a story about love overcoming remorse.

A conversation with Julie Cohen and Betsy West, the directors of the documentary Gabby Giffords: Won't Back Down. Also on Arizona Spotlight: Dr. Fabi Hirsch-Kruse shares her pride over playing a part in Gabby Giffords' ongoing journey; and what Homicide Survivors Incorporated offers to a community in need.

Father and daughter join forces to ride their bicycles across the country. A University of Arizona student uses Kazakhtan as a fascinating classroom, and married flight attendants share their story about traveling the world.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Live Theatre Workshop invites you to spend "A Year with Frog and Toad"; and Saguaro City Music Theatre brings optimism personified to the stage with "Annie".

Also on Arizona Spotlight:A church in Douglas, rises from the ashes of an arson; visit a place in Tucson honoring Frida Kahlo; hear an essay that highlights the simplicity of taking a walk and listen to memories of growing up on the Rillito River.

A Story Corps mobile recording booth recently visited Tucson, here is just a small sample of what they heard from us.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A new book commemorates the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald; storyteller Curt Beall shares about his AIDS experience and finding new hope in Tucson; and some voices from the All Souls Procession.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "We Walk in Beauty: Native American Photographs and Words"; Chris Dashiell on the Mexican film "No Nos Moveran"; and musician Clay Dudash talks about his band The Manor Born, and the DUSK Music Festival.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A hit-and-run acident takes the lives of three UA students;William Shatner brings "The Wrath of Khan" to Tucson; and remembering Diane Ladd.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Rogue Theatre defies expectations with "Cloud Nine"; and remembering Tucson artist and Holocaust survivor Chris Tanz.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue" brings a new spin to beloved characters; understanding the needs of native plants during drought; and Diane Keaton remembered.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Poet and author Tracy K. Smith to visit the Tucson Humanities Festival; Owl and Panther celebrates 30 years of hope; and one man's journey to becoming a full-time "worm wrangler".

Visit a traveling exhibition at the Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures that celebrates the groundbreaking special effects created by a filmmaking legend, the late Ray Harryhausen. Mark talks with Harryhausen's daughter Vanessa, and the curator of this one-of-a-kind collection, Connor Heaney. Also on Arizona Spotlight: Composer Evan Walker discusses "Dead White Man Music"; and PCC's "Night of the Living Dead" blends stage and screen.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: For 60 years, The Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter has offered hope to felines and humans in need; and a gold medal Olympian Carrie Bates shares her story of addiction and recovery.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Building bridges through interfaith connections; the documentary "Stripped for Parts" looks at the current state of the news business; and iconic Tucson cafe "The Little One" serves its final dish.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Meet the host of a new podcast dedicated to building a stronger Arizona community; and the story of a beloved dog named Betty that takes a surprising turn.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Weekend Edition Sunday" host Ayesha Rascoe on the current reality facing NPR; and storyteller Sharon Wysocki tells how her art project went viral way back in the '90s.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How "Say One Thing" is helping to heal the Tucson community; an essay by nature writer, Rebekah Doyle; and behind the scenes at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Raptor Free Flight Program.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Poet Joshua Lillie previews his new collection, "Small Talk Symphony".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins to peer through space and time; and memories of growing up unsupervised in the 1950s.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Set sail for NPR's podcast, "Sea Camp"; and a new book makes native plant gardening in the Southwest accessible to all.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Local grassroots theater group debuts a new comedy/mystery; and how a local middle school teacher reclaimed her life after a tragic illness.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Building bridges through interfaith connections; and the spiritual creations of artist, Quinton Antone.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Retired Tucson architect Paula Holmes celebrates 100 years; and "Stories that Soar!" shares an amphibious love story.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Sharing memories of "The Twilight Zone" with Joseph Dougherty, author of "Rod Serling at 100".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Katrina Kerstetter shares how she brought back things she learned in South Korea to help make Southern Arizona a better place.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The connection between Alcatraz prison and the Hopi tribe of Arizona; The Tucson Pink Pistols make a comeback; and the former owner of Colette's remembers Tucson's queer nightlife in the '80s.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Mike Stark shares the natural history "Starlings: The Curious Odyssey of a Most Hated Bird"; and "Stories that Soar!" asks that we look for beauty beyond the screen.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson youth explores emotion and expectations in his book "The Weight of Tomorrow"; and how Ability Dogs of Arizona pairs those in need with canine companions.

Get a behind the scenes view at what it is like to win on Jeopardy, and a new 10 minute drama that explores what stepping on a crack in the pavement can really do.

Poet and author Liza Porter, storyteller Carmelene Siani and artist Tim H. Murphy share how they're able to look to the future without despair.

Explore how the Master-Apprentice program offered by the Southwest Folklife Alliance is preserving not just mariachi music, but the involvement of women in mariachi. Also: Sound Fiction returns with James Mustard's "Homestead on Bellatrix Prime"; celebrating the return of the Elegant Trogon to Madera Canyon; and "A Book I Love" from Cyclovia Tucson 2025.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Film essayist Chris Dashiell; remembering James Mercer, a Pima County Ranger killed in action in 1914; and "Stories That Soar!" celebrates the sun.