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Poetry Break


A guest on Susan Taylor’s The Electric Picnic, a program about poetry, spoken word, prose and other creative arts, Olivia shares two of her poems with KNSJ.

–By Permission from Olivia Mercedes

Olivia Mercedes is a perpetually overwhelmed human who relies on creative mediums to process the intense spectrum of her conscious experience. Her poetry has been published, her artwork has been exhibited, her voice has been featured, but her most beloved accolades are the moments of real-life connection in response to her authenticity. She finds hope and gratitude in inspiring someone to feel, to question, to learn, to heal, to express, and ultimately to be more fully human. 

instagram: @oliviamercedesart

how to write a poem

first, gather your materials:

you’ll need something to write with,

something to feel with,

something to think with,

and enough vulnerability to actually use these.

you’ll need a language

adequate enough to transpose the sparks of synapses

setting fire to your imagination–

oh yes, you’ll need an imagination.

if capitalism has taken yours hostage,

you might be able to bargain with your inner child.

just make sure you use an encrypted messaging app,

the oppressor doesn’t like us to think

let alone imagine,

what this world might be like

if we all listened to poetry

instead of those in self-appointed power.

you’ll also need power,

but not the kind that’s harnessed inside an ego

the kind that’s harnessed inside every atom of the universe.

the universe that made everything before you

everything after you

and everything

you

are.

and chances are,

once you realize that,

once you realize that what qualifies you to write

is that which qualifies you to be human,

your pen will no longer feel foreign or like a burden,

rather it will appear as the instrument you’ve known how to play all along.

you will realize that a poem is not something you write

it’s something you witness.

and the words you use to capture it

are merely a photograph

documenting the reason we exist at all.

the hardest part of writing a poem

is noticing it.

noticing not only that it exists,

but that you exist inside of it.

the fact that you are asking how to write a poem

proves that you are one,

and the part of you that knows this

is simply asking for your attention

in the language of curiosity.

it’s existence itself

begging you

to experience it so fully, you can’t help but write it down.

like a message you know must be delivered, must be heard.

and in this way

you don’t write a poem, the poem writes you.

and if you so choose to surrender to its demands,

to allow your blood to dance like ink,

let your authenticity spill across the page,

your soul scream its unfiltered truths,

you will find yourself doing more

than writing poems

you will find yourself living them.

and what better way to exist,

than to live.

what better way to write,

than to be.

what better way to be,

than poetry.

What goes in a backpack? (From a conversation Olivia had with Susan during her interview on The Electric Picnic poetry show)
Olivia: okay Sue, I’ve written the second half of this poem, but not the first half, so I need your help with
the beginning. Can you help me brainstorm things that go in a backpack?
Sue: chapstick?
Olivia: that’s a great one, but the owner of this backpack doesn’t have any of their toiletries around.
What’s something else?
Sue: a pen?
Olivia: oh I wish, but their school actually isn’t in session, they don’t have their pens or notebooks right
now. What else?
Sue: a cell phone?
Olivia: ah unfortunately they lost their cell phone and all their electronics already. Anything else?
Sue: dog treats?
Olivia: oh sadly their dog has passed away…
Sue: a water bottle?
Olivia: I wish, but there’s no access to clean water or food where this person is right now. Ugh, I know
this is hard, this is why I needed your help! Thank you for helping me brainstorm, Sue. And before I
finish this poem, I’d like to preface this by saying I wish I didn’t have to do this.
I wish this were simply an exercise for us to stretch our imaginations,
but this is actually me using my imagination
to communicate to you
what is happening to our humanity.
because the owner of this backpack
is a little boy in Palestine named Ismael,
who was wearing his backpack on his chest
as he stepped out of an ambulance
and a journalist asked him what he had in his backpack.
and as blood dripped heavily
from the bottom of his blue bag
ismael answers,
“in my backpack i have Ahmed,
my dead baby brother.”
my dead
baby
brother.
when i asked you a moment ago
to brainstorm things that belong in a backpack,
there is a reason
you did not suggested that as an answer,
and that’s because
it’s not supposed to be one.

instagram: @oliviamercedesart

The Electric Picnic

THE ELECTRIC PICNIC with Susan Taylor Mon 8am

Guest Poet: Leah Meihaus

Leah is an educator and poet who believes that teaching is possible, and that eventually she’ll figure out how to do it. She enjoys baking. She sings when content. She wonders where along the road it all went right and how to get there from here. She holds a master’s degree because something spilled on the certificate and stuck to her hand and won’t come off. She has a bedtime and she does not follow it. She hopes more poets realize they’re everyone. She knows the future is uncertain and dangerous and she invites herself to be there to see it

Sunday Daytime Music

CUSTOM TAYLORED with Tim Taylor Sunday 11am

Custom Taylored is a chronological journey of the popular music that influenced rock and roll.

SOLITUDE CITY with Carson Young, Sunday 3pm

The best in jazz for your Sunday afternoon.

Talk of the Town

TALK OF THE TOWN with Mike Aguirre Sat 11am

Mike is in conversation with Marjorie Cohn on consitutional law nationally and internationally focusing on Iran during the first half of his show.

Duncan McFetridge, ex officio member of The Cleveland National Forest Foundation, then joins Mike to talk about the sale of public lands, land that belongs to the people, under the current federal administration. They discuss how that will affect us in East County reaching into the Anza Borrego Desert.

Women of Color Roar

WOMEN OF COLOR ROAR with Angela de Joseph Sat 10am

Insightful conversation on today’s issues

News Moyers

Journalist and former White House Press Secretary Bill Moyers dies at 91

An advocate for public community radio, radio from the grassroots, in touch with the people, like KNSJ, his conversations and demand for journalistic integrity and honesty must be carried forward BY ALL OF US–WE, THE PEOPLE.

Women’s Radio Hour

WOMEN’S RADIO HOUR with Patricia Law Wed 5pm, Sat Noon

BEVELYNN BRAVO–Mother’s with a Messsage

Bevelynn tells her story of losing a child to murder, then she and Patricia are in conversation about Mother’s with a Message, a support group helping other mothers whose children have been murdered. Their conversation goes in depth not only about the pain of having a child suddenly taken away from you, but to ways of healing as much as is possible. Her story is also about forgiveness and working with at-risk and gang-involved youth.

Bevelynn Bravo has been a community organizer for over 20 years. The past 15 years she was employed at the Jacobs Center where she traveled around the world sharing the model of community engagement with others agencies and organizations who were working in diverse communities tackling issues concerning  gangs , housing & immigration . 

She currently works at UPAC – ACE and is the supervisor for the Mobile Response Team. She has a staff of 7 who respond to homicides and assist families providing services and counseling throughout their difficult journey.  She is the supervisor for the Mentoring program matching mentors for at risk and gang involved youth . She is also a Certified Grief Recovery Counselor one of the things she loves doing the most is helping families live again after a tragic loss 

On May 18, 2012, Bevelynn became one of the families affected by violence, Her life came to a standstill when her own son her pride and Joy “Jaime Bravo, Jr.” was murdered.   After his death in 2012, Bevelynn Founded Mother’s with a Message. She dedicates her life to keeping youth alive and shares her story in hopes it will spare another mother from crying her tears. She, along with the mother’s, lead a 16-week victim’s impact class in various prisons which gives insight to those causing harm and the destruction it causes, but that also change and forgiveness is possible 

You can reach her on her Facebook page – Mothers with a message or email motherswithamessage@gmail.com

News

CANS Story–Study: CA Families Shoulder Sky-high Costs of Dementia Care

June 25, 2025 – Suzanne Potter, Public News Service (CA)

Study: CA families shoulder sky-high costs of dementia care In California, families shoulder most of the burden of dementia care, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Washington found patients in the Golden State require about $55,000 a year in care, but only about $10,000 of it is paid through private or government insurance.

Amy Lastuka, lead research scientist in the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said the direct costs of doctor visits, prescriptions, home health aides and nursing homes are just the beginning.

“It’s particularly important to look at those indirect costs,” Lastuka explained. “Because people with dementia tend to need a lot of care, especially as they get into the later stages, they can need round-the-clock care.”

Researchers calculated the indirect costs, how much you would have to pay to hire someone to cover all the hours family and friends put in. Data show Americans spend $53 billion a year on direct medical care for the country’s 5.5 million dementia patients but the real cost is five times higher, at $277 billion.

Lastuka argued states should do more to support caregivers.

“I would say, invest in adult day centers, because that way you have a place where someone can go during the day and get some cognitive stimulation and get cared for,” Lastuka recommended. “Then, if your child is taking care of you, they could still work.”

The California Department of Aging’s website lists programs designed to lighten the load and help pay family caregivers.

Meanwhile, the reconciliation bill currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” could have profound effects on services helping older Americans age in place. The bill seeks to eliminate the federal Administration for Community Living, the agency overseeing regional Councils on Aging, which run programs like “Meals on Wheels.”

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/

Alternative Radio

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One of America’s most tireless and wide-ranging investigative journalists, David Barsamian has altered the independent media landscape, both with his weekly radio program, Alternative Radio—39 years and running— and his books with Noam Chomsky, Eqbal Ahmad, Howard Zinn, Tariq Ali, Richard Wolff, Arundhati Roy and Edward Said. His recent books are Culture and Resistance, Retargeting Iran, Chronicles of Dissent and Notes on Resistance. His latest book is with Arundhati Roy, The Architecture of Modern Empire. David lectures on world affairs, imperialism, capitalism, propaganda, the media and global rebellions.

Code Pink

CODE PINK with Medea Benjamin Tues 4pm, Sat 3pm

Bases Off Cyprus – Cyprus as a key node in the Anglo-American Empire

This week on CODEPINK Radio, CODEPINK’s Digital Content Producer & Bases Off Cyprus Coordinator, Nuvpreet Kalra, speaks with Matthew from Genocide-Free Cyprus. They discuss the role of Cyprus and British bases in facilitating US-Israeli attacks on Iran, genocide against the Palestinian people, and US imperialism writ large.

Tune in each week for robust conversations with global grassroots peacemakers, from Yemen to Venezuela to Iran to right here in the U.S. Join us for weekly updates on the global antiwar movement and learn how you can help end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights, nurture a peace economy in your local community, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs, and other life-affirming programs.

Radio Review: Led by a team of courageous women who bring attention to what others are often afraid to say out loud, Codepink Radio is an important voice for peace and sensible US policies.– Assal Rad

Friendly Fire

FRIENDLY FIRE with Don Kimball TODAY 4PM

A show for and About Veterans

FRIENDLY FIRE traveled to Washington D.C. last week to cover a press conference and demonstration by Veterans for Peace and About Face who were there to oppose fascism, the military’s presence in our cities and budget cuts to the Veterans Administration. Over 60 peaceful activists were arrested, some violently.