Welcome friends, to The Art Box Podcast and our Harvest of Thought 2026.

Last year, our Harvest of Thought grew into something much bigger than we ever imagined. We gathered so many wonderful voices, poems, stories, and reflections that it took five full episodes to share them all.

Well, this year, we’re doing things a little differently.

We’re packing the entire Harvest into one very special episode.

Now, I’ll warn you it may be a little longer than your typical Art Box episode. But we think you’ll want to stay with us, because the next little while is going to be packed with some truly amazing poetry and essays from voices around the world.

Some will make you think.

Some may make you smile.

Some might tug at your heart.

And perhaps a few will cause you to stop whatever you’re doing and simply listen.

That, after all, is the wonderful thing about the spoken word. A few carefully chosen words, spoken in someone’s own voice, can travel thousands of miles and somehow feel as though they were meant just for you.

So wherever you happen to be listening today, get comfortable.

Settle in.

And join us as we celebrate writers, thinkers, poets, storytellers, and the simple power of sharing our thoughts with one another.

Sit back, open your mind and your heart, and enjoy the spoken word.

Welcome to Harvest of Thought 2026.

Our line up

1:45 - Lauren Camp – New Mexico Poet Laureate

3:53 - Ben Larson – Montana

8:56 - Monique Long – Mesquite, Nevada

9:48 - Tammy Bendetti – Grand Junction, Colorado

12:20 - Mike Cullinane – New Jersey

14:06 - Dawn Amundson Reading an Excerpt from Amy Irvine – Desert Cabal – Mesquite, Nevada

15:00 - Jessica Schley – Santa Ynez, California

19:50 - Larry Hilberg – California

20:37 - Kathy Smith – Ivans, Utah

23:29 - Steve Dudrow – Mesquite, Nevada

25:16 - Monique Long – Mesquite, Nevada

26:55 - Edie Dotan – Las Vegas, Nevada

34:45 - Steve Dudrow – Mesquite, Nevada

35:38 - Kathy Smith – Ivans, Utah

40:18 - Mike Cullinane, New Jersey

48:22 - Larry Hilberg, California

60: 24 - Kindall Fredricks – Houston, Texas

62:03 - Alex Harper – Alaska

63:08 - Leigh Ratterman – Arlee, Montana

67:52 - Sarah Kilgallon – Portugal

71:13 - Summer L. Wilson – Mesquite, Nevada

72:54 - Mike Walker – New Carrolton, Maryland

73:57 - Claire McQuerry – Peoria, Illinois

76:15 - Andrey Aleshintsev – New York

78:20 - Bob Dewhurst – Goldfield, Nevada

80:42 - Rayann Hijazzi – Reno, Nevada

82:13 - Kathy Smith – Ivans, Utah

85:41 - Ben Crenshaw – Mesquite, Nevada

90:29 – Daniel Brady – San Francisco, California

93:52 - Allison Bell – Moapa Valley, Nevada

94:14 - Roslyn Ellis – Mesquite, Nevada

94:34 - Allison, Delanie, Axel, Roslyn – UNR-4H Mesquite, Nevada

99:55 - Christine DeJuliis – Baltimore, Maryland

102:04 - Elizabeth Kuelbs - Lives at the edge of a Los Angeles canyon in California

103:41 - Jessica Schley – Santa Ynez, California

123:08 - Kaylea'Layah Whitefeather - St. George, Utah

132:55 - Sean Griffin – Reno Nevada – Nevada Poet Laurearte

What happens when one teacher sees something in a shy young student that she hasn't yet discovered in herself?

Our guest is Wende Killinger, drama teacher at Virgin Valley High School and one of the founders of Cactus Youth Theatre. Wende takes us back to junior high, where she was painfully shy until a teacher, Mrs. Lloyd, became the catalyst who encouraged her to step beyond small roles and discover the confidence of the stage.

We follow Wende's journey through a teaching career in Wyoming and eventually to Virgin Valley High School, where her greatest reward is watching her students grow—not just as performers, but as people. We also celebrate an extraordinary year for her students: winning Nevada's one-act title and traveling to Indianapolis for the national competition.

It's a conversation about theatre, great teachers, young people finding their voices, and how one person who believes in you can change the direction of a life.

What happens when a family legend turns out to be true? Author Kimberly Nixon grew up hearing that her grandmother had “robbed a train.” Years later, she discovered her grandmother’s 1925 felony conviction papers, stayed up all night reading them, and immediately began writing the novel Rock Bottom, Tennessee.

Kimberly joins us for a wonderful conversation about turning family history into historical fiction, the “ache and the triumph” of writing resilient women, and why preserving names and dates isn’t enough, we need to preserve the stories that tell us who we are.

We also talk about her newest novel, Cutie Pies by the Slice, set during Prohibition and the Great Depression, the idea of chosen family, her unforgettable mother “Look It Up Mary,” and the remarkable real people who continue to find their way into Kimberly’s fiction.

And yes—we even find time for pineapple pie.

Visit Kimberly's web site: https://kimberlynixon.com/