In The NOCO
KUNC
KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.
Radio: KUNC 91.5 FM
Categories: News & Politics
Listen to the last episode:
The Force is strong with Colorado. For starters, there's Gov. Jared Polis, who regularly invokes Star Wars and other sci-fi stories in press conferences and state of the state addresses. Then there's the fact that the first-ever Star Wars Celebration - the largest gathering for fans of the franchise - was held in Denver in 1999. And a recent survey shows that Colorado is the fourth-most passionate state when it comes to Star Wars.
Fans of the movies and books celebrate Star Wars Day this Saturday, May the Fourth. But George Lucas and his characters already get plenty of publicity. So today we’re celebrating a local sci-fi celebrity you may not have heard about. Connie Willis is one of the most prolific and highly awarded science fiction writers in the world – and she lives right here in Northern Colorado.
She spoke with In The NoCo's Erin O'Toole after the release of her most recent book, The Road to Roswell.
Note: This is an encore of our episode from Jan. 2, 2024.
Previous episodes
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867 - With May the Fourth approaching, this Colorado science fiction author is a Force in her own rightFri, 03 May 2024
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866 - Colorado’s first incarcerated professor is now a free man. He still plans to teach students in prisonThu, 02 May 2024
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865 - What's on the minds of younger voters ahead of the 2024 election?Wed, 01 May 2024
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864 - First came the wolves. Is wolf tourism next for Colorado?Tue, 30 Apr 2024
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863 - "Something people are innately drawn to:" Celebrating National Poetry Month with Wolverine FarmFri, 26 Apr 2024
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862 - “Knowledge alone is really not enough:” Fostering ‘climate hope’ as a way toward climate actionThu, 25 Apr 2024
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861 - ‘My life, my future, my community:’ Boulder Valley students on taking climate actionWed, 24 Apr 2024
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860 - Climate adaptation is essential for our future - but we can't ignore lessons from the pastTue, 23 Apr 2024
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859 - Fancy drinks in fun spaces: How mocktails are changing NoCo’s nightlifeFri, 19 Apr 2024
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858 - The ‘paradise paradox’ affecting Colorado’s mountain residentsThu, 18 Apr 2024
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857 - 'Chicken pimping' helps at-risk youth grow sustainable career prospectsWed, 17 Apr 2024
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856 - 'The stories are there, and they're worth telling:' NPR's Lori Lizarraga on her journalism journeyTue, 16 Apr 2024
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855 - 'Colorado Proud' isn't just a food label. It's a way of lifeFri, 12 Apr 2024
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854 - Wildfire risk part of new reality for Northern Colorado homeownersThu, 11 Apr 2024
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853 - From 'ramshackle' beginnings to true community journalism: CU professor traces NPR's roots in new bookWed, 10 Apr 2024
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852 - Science says these are the best tomatoes to grow in Northern ColoradoTue, 09 Apr 2024
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851 - How an 1878 eclipse over the Rockies set the stage for modern-day celestial tourismFri, 05 Apr 2024
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850 - ‘Mountain Dreamers’ gives immigrants a voice in Summit CountyThu, 04 Apr 2024
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849 - From AI to fading sunshine laws: "A difficult year" for Colorado's local mediaWed, 03 Apr 2024
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848 - “If I Could Stay” tells two mothers’ stories from inside a broken immigration systemTue, 02 Apr 2024
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847 - 'We need all kinds of minds:' Temple Grandin on why neurodivergent thinkers are essentialFri, 29 Mar 2024
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846 - High cost of childcare in Northern Colorado comes with major tolls for families, communitiesThu, 28 Mar 2024
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845 - At ACT Human Rights Film Fest, ‘How We Get Free’ pushes Coloradans to examine flawed criminal justice systemWed, 27 Mar 2024
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844 - In Colorado schools, concerns grow about learning disabilities going undetectedTue, 26 Mar 2024
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843 - A gift from the tap: Appreciating Colorado water on this World Water DayFri, 22 Mar 2024
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842 - Twenty-somethings in Colorado and beyond are struggling. This psychologist explains whyThu, 21 Mar 2024
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841 - Staffing shortages in Colorado prisons creating dire conditions for incarcerated peopleWed, 20 Mar 2024
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840 - In Summit County, teens want more safe indoor spaces. Here’s why those spots are essentialTue, 19 Mar 2024
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839 - All aboard? Plans for Front Range passenger rail inch forwardFri, 15 Mar 2024
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838 - Amid Colorado’s childcare crisis, a nonprofit provider pushes forward for low- and middle-income familiesThu, 14 Mar 2024
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837 - The compassion of first-person narratives with author and activist St. Clair Detrick-JulesWed, 13 Mar 2024
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836 - Alpine equity: How a Latino snowboarder is improving access to snow sports in Summit CountyTue, 12 Mar 2024
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835 - Spring anticipation: a stroll through CSU’s Annual Flower Trial GardenFri, 08 Mar 2024
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834 - A ‘cyclical, community issue.’ How the childcare shortage is touching life in Northern ColoradoThu, 07 Mar 2024
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833 - Residuals of redlining: Denver’s residents of color breathe dirtier air due to racist practice of the pastWed, 06 Mar 2024
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832 - On this Super Tuesday, we check the pulse of young voters in ColoradoTue, 05 Mar 2024
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831 - Song of fire and ice: The complex relationship between wildfire and snowpackFri, 01 Mar 2024
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830 - Colorado’s historic Dearfield community exemplifies ‘what Black people have done - and could do’Thu, 29 Feb 2024
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829 - Could reintroducing wolves restore an ecosystem? Research says it's complicatedWed, 28 Feb 2024
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828 - Honoring history: How Colorado’s first Latina state historian uses the past to inform her presentTue, 27 Feb 2024
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827 - Northern Colorado students increasingly face housing insecurity. A KUNC series investigates whyFri, 23 Feb 2024
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826 - Uncovering legacy of Black life in the West impels Acoma Gaither in her work for History ColoradoThu, 22 Feb 2024
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825 - Higher ed becomes higher priority in Colorado with new bipartisan effort, state investmentsWed, 21 Feb 2024
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824 - Fort Collins singer-songwriter Cary Morin's new album brings the Old West to lifeTue, 20 Feb 2024
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823 - Repairing trauma, revering family: Indigenous author Oscar Hokeah headlines Fort Collins Book Fest with debut novelFri, 16 Feb 2024
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822 - Forced prison labor persists in Colorado despite a measure meant to outlaw it. CSU researchers explain whyThu, 15 Feb 2024
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821 - What a multi-million dollar price tag for Colorado River water says about the West’s unquenchable thirstWed, 14 Feb 2024
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820 - Colorado’s Green Book sites are powerful emblems of racism – and resilienceTue, 13 Feb 2024
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819 - The Perils of Extremism: Coloradan Jason Van Tatenhove on his former life with the Oath KeepersFri, 09 Feb 2024
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818 - Greeley farmer strengthens community roots through youth outreach, sustainable farmingThu, 08 Feb 2024
