A New Year + New Ways to Build Community

  • December 17, 2025
  • Share Facebook
Blog

Wednesday, Dec. 17: Instead of looking back, let's look ahead at ways to build community in the new year. Tonight, RadioACTive with Nick @ 6 brings you more third spaces to build community, like League of Utah Writers, Tell Yer Tale, and BookishSLC. New deal preserves farmland and water to help protect Great Salt Lake. And Salt Lake Harm Reduction brings receipts for 2025.

Get More Local, More Vocal with Tonight's Guests, Organizations & Community Events

Rallies & Resources Spotlight (full list here):

Harm Reduction vs Weapon of Mass Destruction

Mackenzie Bray of Salt Lake Harm Reduction Project returns to share receipts from 2025, as well as forecast into the new year with a president who reviles harm reduction but declares fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction."

Saving the Great Salt Lake, Farmland One Deal at a Time

Organizations dedicated to the conservation of land and water have come together with a farm in Huntsville, Utah, to deliver water to Great Salt Lake. National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy, as co-leaders of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, Summit Land Conservancy, and the historic Huntsville Abbey Farm, have collaborated to lease approximately 635 acre-feet of water annually for Great Salt Lake, pending approval from resource managers. RadioACTive talks with Marcelle Shoop, Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, and Cheryl Fox, CEO, Summit Land Conservancy.

  • This story was broadcast in partnership with The Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a group of news, education and media organizations that have come together to better inform and engage the public about the crisis facing the Great Salt Lake — and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. To read the collaborative's latest stories, click here. 

A New Year + New Ways to Build Community

As we face the start of a new year, RadioACTive wants to highlight ways — other than bars and churches — to engage with one another and build community. If you have ideas, email radioactive@krcl.org. Tonight, we talk with folks building something unique and inviting you to check them out.

  • Brian Higgins of Mental Healthy F.I.T. has long used film as a way to talk about and work through mental health challenges with individuals and communities. Just last week, he launched a new idea, Tell Yer Tale, a live, themed storytelling show where people from all walks of life take to the mic to share true, unfiltered stories that are "raw, real and wildly human."

    • Jan. 15: Next Tell Yer Tale Event. Theme: Refresh. To get updates, be sure to follow Higgins on IG: @mentalheathen.

  • Bryan Young is an award-winning podcaster, journalist, filmmaker, and author. As a journalist, he’s written regularly for StarWars.Com, Syfy, /Film, and HowStuffWorks, and many more. He is a past-president of the League of Utah Writers, 2021-23, which has more than two dozen chapters across the state. Follow him across social media @swankmotron or visit swankmotron.com.

    • April 18: The Pre-Quill Conference | 9:30A-6P @ Utah Cultural Celebration Center, WVC. A one-day version of the larger conference in August. Registration now open.

    • Aug. 6-9: The Quills Conference in SLC. Event by League of Utah Writers: "Come learn from industry professionals what you need to be successful in writing and publishing. Whether you're looking for traditional publishing or exploring indie publishing, find insider tips from top professionals." Registration now open.

  • Sisters Whitney and Amanda Warren started Bookish SLC in 2024 to answer the question: "What if reading could be social? "Not quite a book club, but definitely not just another night out." 

    • Jan. 8: Study Hall @ The Shop | 9a-5p @ The Shop, 350 E 400 S, SLC. "Come hang with us for Study Hall, Bookish’s co-working day for those who like their productivity with a side of community. We've teamed up with The Shop to offer $20 day passes (normally $34) every Thursday, because getting things done just feels better when you’re not doing it alone. For more details and to register, click here.

    • Jan. 13: Bookish x Norkova: Dear Future Me | 7-9 PM @ Kiln Holladay, 1895 E Rodeo Walk Dr Suite B200, Holladay. "nstead of bringing whatever book is next on your TBR, arrive with the personal development title that’s been nudging you — the one you’ve been meaning to start, return to, or finally take seriously. We’ll begin with 30 quiet, focused minutes of reading. No pressure. No performance. Just you, your book, and a room full of people doing the same. Then comes the good part. You’ll write yourself a letter—part reflection, part manifesto—hyping up the year you’re about to have. The risks you took. The boundaries you set. The wins you refused to downplay. The version of you who showed up anyway. We’ll wax-seal your letter, keep it safe, and mail it back to you in December 2026—twelve months later — as a reminder of exactly who you decided to be at the start of the year." For details and tickets, click here.

How You Like Us Now?

  • Share your thoughts, suggestions and observations by calling the RadioACTive hotline: ‪(385) 800-1889. Or, send a voice memo to radioactive@krcl.org. Tell us your name and neighborhood, and leave a short message that we may air on the show. 

  • The views, opinions and statements expressed on RadioACTive are solely those of the respective speakers and do not represent or reflect the views, opinions or positions of Listeners' Community Radio of Utah, nor its hosts, sponsors, or partners.

Tonight's RadioACTive Team:


CATEGORIES

BROWSE BY TAG

ARCHIVES