Penelope Oliver's parents began exposing her, at a very young age, to 'what our collective humanity looks like,' taking her to rallies, showing her impactful documentaries, opening her young eyes to the challenges facing human beings across the world. Now, as a college student set to graduate this fall, Penelope is already a seasoned & engaged advocate, the founder of a community arts project, partnering with influential leaders to speak out on behalf of children in Gaza and immigrants...all the while journaling and writing poetry, using her pen as part of her power.

Science Fiction Novelist Kim Stanley Robinson, who lives in Davis, CA, has been writing Science Fiction for decades but his acclaimed 2020 book "The Ministry for the Future" brought him additional recognition worldwide for its prescient, sobering and yet hopeful description of the harrowing impacts of climate change across the globe, even in California, prompting TIME Magazine to call Robinson 'a hero of the environment.' Kim Stanley Robinson talks about his literary work, the art of writing science fiction...and the future.

March is Women's History Month! In recognition and celebration, here's a spcial conversation with Darcy Totten, who has been leading the CA Commission on the Status of Women & Girls since 2024. The Commission marked its 60th anniversary last fall, and begins the new year continuing its work prioritizing access to leadership, equality, freedom and safety, for half of the world's population. Darcy shares her own personal story of coming out, rising up, and guiding the Commission towards a not-too-distant future when "it's the women who are in charge."