Big Blend Radio

It's Fall Y'all in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana! Big Blend Radio host/producer Lisa D. Smith is joined by Natalie Roblin of the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism, filling in for regular co-hosts Wilbert Carmouche and Mary Guillory, who are at the Jefferson Highway Conference in Joplin, Missouri. Together they explore why fall is one of the best times to visit the Centre de la Louisiane.Natalie shares the story of how Marksville got its start with a broken wagon wheel (hence Broken Wheel Brewery), what's happening at Paragon Casino Resort and the Fox Theater, and how fall in Avoyelles is marked by food: home-cooked church dinner plates on Sundays, cochon de lait, sweet potato harvest season, boudin, barbecue, and even gas station breakfasts you won't forget.Then it's time to roll the windows down. Explore Bunkie Trade Days, Griffin's, Hoover's Five and Dime and the retro full-service gas station along the Jefferson Highway; learn about National Hunting and Fishing Day at the Outdoor Education Center in Woodworth; and discover the Solomon Northup Trail, the Louisiana Colonial Trail, the Zachary Taylor Parkway, and the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. Natalie also shares outdoor favorites including the Big Bend Museum and Sarto Old Iron Bridge, the Big Bend loop (LA 451), Spring Valley WMA, the Tunica-Biloxi Nature Trail, and Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge, plus a Louisiana music playlist of swamp pop and Zydeco.Events mentioned: National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 26, free, 8:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Woodworth); Couillons of Comedy at the Fox Theater in Marksville (Oct. 3); Bunkie Trade Days (Oct. 3); church dinner plates and fairs throughout the parish in September and October.Plan your visit: https://TravelAvoyelles.com  Events page: https://TravelAvoyelles.com/events   Last Month's Fall Event Episode: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/fall-in-avoyelles-parish-louisiana-2026 New episodes of the Travel Avoyelles Podcast air every 3rd Sunday at 6pm CST on Big Blend Radio. Listen: https://travel-avoyelles.podbean.com/  

Debut novelist Tara Badstubner joins us on Big Blend Radio's "Toast to the Arts Podcast" as her first novel, "Every Room Remembers" (Sibylline Press), arrives on September 25, 2026. The novel follows SJ Monroe, an interior designer grieving the sudden death of her husband, and Wyatt, a ghost in a liminal state who must watch in silence as she mourns everything left unresolved in their marriage.Tara shares the three experiences that sparked the story: anxiety about losing loved ones during COVID, an accident across the street that drew her whole town to mourn, and an extraordinary haunting during a writers' visit to a house in upstate New York. She talks about why grief calls for treading lightly, how she wrote an imperfect marriage, and the animal signs that appear at pivotal moments in the book, including a black snake, a fox, green beetles, and a Carolina wren. She also tells the story of the bluebird that keeps tapping at her own windows, and takes us to the Osprey House restoration in Beaufort, South Carolina.Tara reads a passage from the book, and we talk about book clubs, reading through grief, favorite rereads, her writing habits, and advice for first-time novelists."Every Room Remembers" is available for pre-order now. A must-read for fans of "Remarkably Bright Creatures" and the film "A Ghost Story." Visit: https://www.tarabadstubner.com/ 

Today we're rethinking everything we thought we knew about Mary Cassatt. On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "World of Art" Podcast, host Victoria Chick and Lisa D. Smith welcome Mary G. Morton, curator and head of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art, to talk about her new book, "Cassatt Reconsidered," out this November from Getty Publications.2026 marks the centennial of Mary Cassatt's death (born May 22, 1844, died June 14, 1926), and Mary Morton makes the case for an artist who was bold, modern, and uncompromising. Cassatt's images of mothers and children are an extraordinary part of her work, but they're only part of the story. Mary explains how a narrow label took hold and what the fuller picture looks like.In this conversation:- How Cassatt built a career at a time when the École des Beaux-Arts did not admit women, and why selling her work mattered- The business-minded family that shaped her, and the role of dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in packaging her as "the painter of mothers and babies"- Why her maternity pictures were a realist break from the sentimental versions painted by men- Why the National Gallery holds the best Cassatt collection in the world, and why seven of its 12 oil paintings can't leave the building- The centennial exhibitions in Chicago, at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, in London, and in Boston- The cover painting, and how a woman's portrait that defies conventional beauty became the face of the book- Why the National Gallery belongs to all of us, and what a first visit to a great museum can do for a lifeMORE: - Get the Book: https://shop.getty.edu/products/cassatt-reconsidered-979-8887120508 - Victoria Chick: https://victoriachick.com/ - World of Art Podcast: https://worldofart-victoriachick.podbean.com/ - Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center: https://www.southwest-art-museum.org 

Happy Global Company Culture Day! Company culture isn't what's written on your website or printed on a poster — it's how your people feel walking in the door on a Sunday night. On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Supervision Matters" Podcast, HR and organizational culture expert Rita Sever joins Lisa D. Smith to break down what culture actually is, how it's built (and eroded), and why it has to be intentional from day one.Rita walks through the three components of a healthy culture — Mission, Vision, and Values; how the work gets done; and how people are treated — and shares the story of a NASA janitor who told President Kennedy he was "helping put a man on the moon."Rita is the author of two books — "Supervision Matters" and "Leading for Justice." Links:🌐 Rita's website: https://supervisionmatters.com 📖 Supervision Matters Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/supervision-matters-magazine 🎙️ Supervision Matters Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/supervision-matters-podcast-with-rita-sever 

Screenwriter-turned-mystery-novelist Jule Selbo joins hosts Matt Cost and BJ Magnani on Big Blend Radio's "Pets, Plots & Poisons" Podcast to talk about her award-winning Dee Rommel mystery series — a countdown series that just landed its fifth book, "Six Days." The conversation covers building a lead detective with a below-the-knee amputation, the Falmouth, Maine coffee-shop friendship that shaped her research, a scene-stealing Pomeranian named Prince Zhao, and how Seven Days turned PFAS "forever chemicals" into a plot device. Matt and Jule also trade plotting tips, and BJ closes out the episode with this month's poison: batrachotoxin, harvested from Colombia's golden poison frog.Learn more:- Jule Selbo: https://www.juleselbo.com - BJ Magnani: https://www.bjmagnani.com - Matt Cost: https://www.mattcost.net - Pets, Plots & Poisons Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/pets-plots-poisons-podcast 

For World Patient Safety Day, Big Blend Radio's "Quality of Life" Show welcomes author Kenitra W. Dominguez to discuss her debut memoir, "Because I Deserve It: What Chronic Illness Taught Me About Finding My Voice in the Healthcare System" — out now.In 2021, a routine eye exam led Kenitra to an ER visit and, the next day, a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) — a rare, incurable neurological condition. In this conversation, she talks with host Lisa D. Smith about what that diagnosis took from her, the racial and gender bias she encountered navigating the healthcare system, and the practical tools she built along the way: how to assemble a care team, how to prepare for a doctor's visit, how to request your medical records, how to ask for workplace accommodations, and how to trust your own instincts about your body.Kenitra W. Dominguez is the founder of Bay Equity HR, sits on the Advisory Board of the California Black Women's Health Project, and holds a master's in Work Law and Social Justice from UC Law San Francisco. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, HuffPost, and Teen Vogue.Book (out now): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX3131XK

September is Pet Memorial Month, and on this shared episode of "The Pet Connection," Lisa D. Smith and co-host Angela Laws of TrustedHousesitters.com dig deep into how we remember the animals who shape our lives — personally, historically, and everywhere in between.From home memorial gardens and paw-print keepsakes to the extraordinary true stories of Old Sam (a Civil War artillery horse secretly buried at night), Cher Ami (the WWI pigeon who saved 200 soldiers), Old Abe the Civil War eagle, and Chaser the border collie who learned over 1,000 words — this episode covers the full span of how humans across history and cultures have honored their animal companions.Angela also shares insights from her pet-loss support work, including Trustedhousesitters' Pet Plaques program honoring extraordinary animals, and Lisa closes with the story of her heart-horse Cinnabar and the biggest lesson any animal ever taught her: be present.Listen to more episodes of The Pet Connection: https://pet-connection.podbean.com/ Learn more about Trusted Housesitters: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/ 

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures" Podcast, travel writer Linda Ballou shares her latest adventure: six days rafting 89 miles of the Green River through Desolation Canyon, one of the largest roadless wildernesses left in the American Southwest. Traveling with OARS Whitewater Rafting, Linda and a group of fellow outdoor enthusiasts — many of them retirees in their sixties, seventies, and eighties — floated past towering sandstone cliffs, ancient Fremont and Ute rock art, and the site where Butch Cassidy once hid stolen cattle.Linda talks about the rhythm of "river time" — no cell service, no politics, just canyon wrens at dawn and guitar music at camp — and how the trip challenged her physically more than she expected as she continues to rebuild her strength. She also shares the history of John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition, which gave the canyon its name, and reflects on what six days unplugged in the wilderness taught her about pacing herself and accepting help from others.Whether you're planning your own rafting trip or just want an armchair escape to redrock country, this episode captures the scenery, the characters, and the quiet magic of one of Utah's most remote stretches of river.PLAY YOUR ADVENTURE:📖 Read the full article on Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/deep-dive-into-desolation-canyon-in-southwest-utah  📝 Read more on NABBW: https://nabbw.com/expert-columns/travel/linda-ballou-rafts-desolation-canyon-utah-or-the-green-river-affair/  🚣 Raft With OARS: https://www.oars.com/adventures/green-river-rafting-through-desolation-canyon/  🌍CHECK OUT LINDA'S BOOKS & TRAVELS:- https://www.LindaBallouAuthor.com - https://www.LostAngelAdventures.com 🎙️ Subscribe to Lost Angel Travel Adventures Podcast: https://lost-angel-travel-adventures.podbean.com  📖 Explore the Lost Angel Travel Adventures Digital Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/podcast-retrospective/ 

Travel writer and advisor Lisa Evans, host of Big Blend Radio's "Journey Jukebox" Podcast takes us to Yellowstone National Park — America's very first national park, marking 110 years of the National Park Service this year. This episode picks up right where her Cody, Wyoming visit left off: after basing herself in Cody, Lisa spent a day and a half looping through Yellowstone by chartered bus, and brings back a full rundown — bison herds thick enough to stop traffic for fifty cars, a moose sighting straight out of Lamar Valley, a surprise cinnamon bear, and the bighorn sheep on the way out of the park.From there we walk through the icons — Old Faithful (which kept everyone waiting an extra thirty minutes), the otherworldly colors of Grand Prismatic Spring and the Midway Geyser Basin, the bubbling mud volcanoes, and dinner at the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel with a general manager who's spent 40 years working his way up through the park's lodging operation.We also get honest about the less charming side of visiting a place like Yellowstone: tourists stepping over barriers at Mammoth Hot Springs, walking up to bison for a closer photo, and — in one widely reported case — Pierce Brosnan's own $1,500 fine for wandering off a boardwalk into a restricted thermal area. With national parks already stretched thin on funding and staffing, we talk about why this isn't just about rule-following — it's about keeping the wildlife wild and the parks safe for everyone who visits them.Along the way, Lisa also looks ahead to her next stops — Clarksville, TN, and a trip up to Anacortes, WA — and shares more of the multi-generational travel trends she's seeing on the road.🗺️ Plan your own trip: -Full Yellowstone travel guide, park links, and resources: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/yellowstone-still-wild-at-110 - Missed her last stop? Catch Lisa's Cody, Wyoming episode & article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/cody-wyoming-western-culture 🎵 Journey Jukebox Music Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7humUf03LIW04t8LiJSSN9?si=71c11c52c77c4596 🎧 More about the Journey Jukebox Podcast:- New episodes air every 3rd Tuesday at 6pm CST: https://journeyjukebox.podbean.com/ - Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/JOURNEY-JUKEBOX---2026/#p=1 Follow Lisa Evans: - https://substack.com/@allabouttravelwithlisa  - https://writerlisa.com/