It's World Contraception Day and acclaimed Director/Producer Vaishali Sinha (Made in India and Ask the Sexpert) joins Big Blend Radio to talk about her documentary "Give It A Shot," which follows the decades-long global race to develop the first reversible male contraceptive since the modern condom.

At the center of the story is 83-year-old Indian researcher Dr. Sujoy Guha, who has spent nearly 50 years on the technology, alongside a US-based team working toward the same goal.

Vaishali shares the personal story behind the film, why men currently have only three contraception options compared to more than fifteen for women, and why she believes this conversation matters now more than ever — including for reproductive rights in the US.

Watch the trailer and find screenings near you: https://www.giveitashotfilm.com/

This shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Historic Jefferson Highway" Show is packed with news from the road. As always, the show features Roger Bell, Co-Host and President of the Jefferson Highway Association, along with host and producer Lisa D. Smith.

Fresh home from the Crossroads of America Centennial Conference in Joplin, Missouri, Roger shares the highlights. The conference marked 100 years since Joplin was promoted as the crossroads of the Jefferson Highway and Route 66, and brought together Route 66 Association members, tourism bureaus, travel writers, classic car clubs, and vintage trailer owners from every state and province on the route.

Hear about CeCe Otto's highway songs, Daniel Hershberger's 1920s tourist camp, 20-year-old Model T enthusiast Ian Borges camping in full period style, a trivia championship, and the pre-conference tour's surprise stop at the tiny post office in Opolis, Kansas. Plus, meet Flat Stinky, the conference's new travel companion.

Roger also announces the 2027 Jefferson Highway Association conference, the association's 14th, coming to St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 19–21, 2027, with a possible post-conference run north toward Itasca State Park, Bemidji, and beyond.

Lisa then announces the launch of the Jefferson Highway Travel Guide, a new monthly digital guide debuting October 1 and publishing the first of every month. The first issue is ad-free and celebrates the members and partners who helped make it happen, with haunted history along the highway, a directory, events, a Google Map for everything featured, and a new column called "The Notables." spotlighting a notable person born that month from each region of the route.

Learn more about the Jefferson Highway Association: https://jeffersonhighway.org/

Plan your journey with the Jefferson Highway Travel Guide: https://www.jeffersonhighwaytravelguide.com/

Subscribe to the Jefferson Highway Dispatch: https://jeffersonhighwaydispatch.substack.com/

The Big Blend Radio "Historic Jefferson Highway" Podcast airs every 4th Thursday. Follow the show at https://jefferson-highway.podbean.com/

On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Food, Wine & Travel" Show with the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), travel writer Robin O'Neal Smith shares her unforgettable journey along the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, exploring legendary Old West towns, fascinating museums, historic landmarks, and the stories that helped shape the American frontier.

Travel through iconic destinations including Dodge City, Abilene, Wichita, and Hays, where you'll discover attractions like Boot Hill Museum, Old Cowtown Museum, the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Keeper of the Plains, Fort Hays, and more. Robin also discusses how television classics like Gunsmoke helped preserve interest in America's western heritage while highlighting the real history behind these remarkable communities.

Perfect for history lovers, road trippers, and anyone planning an unforgettable Kansas adventure, this episode celebrates the people, places, and stories that continue to define the American West—making it a fitting listen as America commemorates its 250th anniversary.

Read Robin O'Neal Smith's article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/kansas-gunsmoke-trail

Plan your own Kansas Gunsmoke Trail adventure: https://www.kansasgunsmoketrail.com/ Learn more about Robin O'Neal Smith: https://robinonealsmith.com/

Learn more about IFWTWA: https://www.ifwtwa.org/

Follow this podcast: https://food-wine-travel.podbean.com/

Check out the Big Blend Radio Travel Food & Wine Digital Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/ekxy/#p=1

Victoria, British Columbia, offers a wonderful mix of gardens, castles, history, culture, waterfront scenery and easygoing family adventure.

Celebrate Family Fun Month with this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wanderer's Compass" Travel Podcast, travel writers Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough continue their adventures with Ryan’s son—this time crossing the border from the Pacific Northwest to Vancouver Island.

From taking the Victoria Clipper from Seattle and exploring the Inner Harbour to discovering the world-famous Butchart Gardens, enjoying afternoon tea, visiting the Royal BC Museum and exploring Victoria’s fascinating castles, this episode shows just how much can be packed into a short getaway.

They talk about Victoria’s British and European influences, First Nations history and cultural heritage, Chinatown, the city’s walkability, family-friendly attractions, waterfront neighborhoods and the relaxed pace that makes Victoria such a memorable destination. They also share the stories behind Hatley Castle and Craigdarroch Castle—and why castle hunting doesn't have to end when you leave Europe.

For Ryan’s son, the trip offered another opportunity to learn through travel, explore history and culture, and add another country to his growing list of adventures.

- Read their companion article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/victoria-british-columbia

- And if you missed their previous adventure, listen to "Traveling Europe Across Generations: Castles, Culture & Curiosity," featuring Ryan, his son and Joelle: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/traveling-europe-with-a-child - Follow Wanderer's Compass: https://wandererscompass.com

- Listen to More Wanderers Compass Podcast Episodes: https://wandererscompass.podbean.com/

- Check out the Wanderers Compass Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/WANDERERS-COMPASS-MAG-2026/

Sasha Waters, director and producer of the new American Masters documentary "Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World," joins Big Blend Radio to talk about bringing the life of one of America's most beloved and most private poets to the screen.

Mary Oliver was a bestselling poet and Pulitzer Prize winner whose work — including "Wild Geese" and "The Journey" — has reached readers far beyond the usual poetry audience. Waters discusses how Oliver's decades in Provincetown, Massachusetts shaped her writing, the restorative power of nature and dogs in Oliver's life, and her four-decade love story with photographer Molly Malone Cook.

The conversation also explores how the film balances intimacy with the privacy Oliver so fiercely protected, the process of bringing in voices like John Waters, Steve Buscemi, Helena Bonham Carter, and Stephen Colbert to read her work, and why Oliver's message about paying attention to the natural world feels more urgent than ever.

This episode also lands right in the middle of American Artists Appreciation Month — a fitting time to celebrate a filmmaker telling the story of one of America's great literary artists.

The film premiered as the opening selection at True/False Film Festival this year, and has since screened at the Berkshire International Film Festival and Provincetown Film Festival. It's out now in theaters — including IFC Center in New York and Laemmle theaters in LA — and expanding nationwide, with a digital and home video release coming August 25th. "Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World" also premieres nationwide on PBS Tuesday, August 25 as part of American Masters.

🎬 Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/B7bfYkgotBM 📺 More on PBS/American Masters: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/mary-oliver-documentary/37967/ 🎟️ Theaters, showtimes & booking: https://kinolorber.com/film/mary-oliver-saved-by-the-beauty-of-the-world

As America celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson has been claimed, reshaped, and rejected by every side of the political divide. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Way Back When" History Show, Lisa D. Smith talks with historian Francis D. Cogliano, professor of American history at the University of Edinburgh. He is co-author with Peter S. Onuf of "Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours" (Liveright, 2026).

This isn't a typical biography. Built from years of teaching seminars for American school teachers, the book's three essays, "Generations," "My Country," and "The People," look at Jefferson in his real historical context. Frank explains how Franklin Roosevelt and Donald Trump each invoked Jefferson toward very different ends. He talks about why the political left has largely stepped away from him this century, and how Jefferson's "Empire of Liberty" came at the expense of enslaved people and Indigenous nations.

The conversation also goes to the heart of the book. Jefferson believed that "the earth belongs to the living." He thought the Constitution should grow with the country, and that every generation must confront its own challenges instead of being held back by the past. Frank shares the story of Jefferson's lukewarm reaction to Madison's Constitution. He also discusses the powerful slave trade clause Congress deleted from Jefferson's draft of the Declaration, and why Jefferson is "America writ small." Lisa brings in the kitchen table conversations the book sparked, including Jefferson's failings on women and the questions that still surround Sally Hemings.

For Big Blend, the conversation hits close to home. The historic Jefferson Highway, the 1915 auto trail from Winnipeg to New Orleans, was named for Jefferson because it runs through the Louisiana Purchase.

Frank also talks about teaching American history from Scotland and the Whiskey Rebellion podcast he co-hosts with fellow historian David Silkenat.

RESOURCE LINKS: - Thomas Jefferson Survives: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324098072 - Francis D. Cogliano: https://franciscogliano.com - Check out more history and culture interviews in the Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/history-and-culture