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The Abiquiu News is brought to you by Carol and Brian Bondy
Image Courtesy of Greg Lewandowski
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Image Courtesy of Greg Lewandowski
See more of Greg's work
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April 18, 2025
In Gratitude
This week we thank Casa Urraca Press and Zach for renewing their sponsorship.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor either at a basic or platinum level get in touch and find out how we can support your business. Email
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor either at a basic or platinum level get in touch and find out how we can support your business. Email
Casa Urraca Press
Casa Urraca Press has been publishing some of New Mexico’s best new writing since 2020, right here from its home near Abiquiú.
- New and upcoming - Jonatha Kottler far in 2025 include Poetry in Dangerous Times (Demetria Martínez & Susan Sherman), What Solitude Sees in Me (Miriam Sagan), Mari Meets Old Man Gloom (Jacqueline Aragón & Natalia Lopez), Orpheus the Healer (V. B. Price), and Wild Card (Margaret Randall). More new books to be announced soon!
- Some of our recent bestsellers include Breathing Stone: Living Small in a Southwest Village (Betsy James) and The Horse on the Sidewalk (stories by Baker H. Morrow).
- Casa Urraca Press and founder Zach Hively are also upping their involvement in workshops. Zach and author Jonatha Kottler are hosting the Taos Writers Retreat over Labor Day Weekend. (Early bird pricing still available, only through April 30!) Zach will also be an instructor at Jimmy Santiago Baca’s Writers Retreat in June.
- Do you want Casa Urraca Press books for your book group, classroom, or other organization? Get in touch with us!
Casa Urraca Press publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and other creative works, emphasizing those with strong connection to New Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. Our part of the world is rich in literary talent, and the rest of the world deserves to experience our perspectives. So we champion books that belong in the conversation—books with the power, compassion, and variety to bring very different people closer together.
You can always find us online. We want to thank Nest, the Abiquiú Inn, the El Rito Library, and the Abiquiú Studio Tour for hosting readings, stocking books, and helping us showcase the literary gifts of New Mexico. We all do better when we all do better.
- New and upcoming - Jonatha Kottler far in 2025 include Poetry in Dangerous Times (Demetria Martínez & Susan Sherman), What Solitude Sees in Me (Miriam Sagan), Mari Meets Old Man Gloom (Jacqueline Aragón & Natalia Lopez), Orpheus the Healer (V. B. Price), and Wild Card (Margaret Randall). More new books to be announced soon!
- Some of our recent bestsellers include Breathing Stone: Living Small in a Southwest Village (Betsy James) and The Horse on the Sidewalk (stories by Baker H. Morrow).
- Casa Urraca Press and founder Zach Hively are also upping their involvement in workshops. Zach and author Jonatha Kottler are hosting the Taos Writers Retreat over Labor Day Weekend. (Early bird pricing still available, only through April 30!) Zach will also be an instructor at Jimmy Santiago Baca’s Writers Retreat in June.
- Do you want Casa Urraca Press books for your book group, classroom, or other organization? Get in touch with us!
Casa Urraca Press publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and other creative works, emphasizing those with strong connection to New Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. Our part of the world is rich in literary talent, and the rest of the world deserves to experience our perspectives. So we champion books that belong in the conversation—books with the power, compassion, and variety to bring very different people closer together.
You can always find us online. We want to thank Nest, the Abiquiú Inn, the El Rito Library, and the Abiquiú Studio Tour for hosting readings, stocking books, and helping us showcase the literary gifts of New Mexico. We all do better when we all do better.
Thank you Contributors and Paid SubscribersJack and Vickie E
Miriam R Peggy T Gail R Birgitte G Adriene J Alea J Lynn D Submitting to the Abiquiu News. Only submissions to our primary email info@abiquiunews.com or abiquiunewsimages@gmail.com (for larger images) will be included.
DEADLINE WEDNESDAY NOON Do not submit through messages or messenger Please follow the criteria.
Burn Ban Still in EffectNews and Features
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s veto of a bill creating state funds for post-fire recovery and current wildfire suppression “deeply disappointed” House Bill 191 sponsor Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), who is also one of the state budget’s main architects.
Federal lands near Española and Santa Fe could be sold off as part of an effort to increase affordable housing, according to the advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity.
Crews monitoring New Mexico’s Middle Rio Grande reported yesterday (April 14, 2025) that the river’s still flowing past the San Marcial railroad bridge. Just downstream of the bridge, the USGS gage dropped to zero flow yesterday morning.
Washington, DC — Today, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States, issued the following statement in response to the passage of the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act in the US House of Representatives:
“Today is a dark day in politics. The passage of the SAVE Act in the US House is a direct attack on the fundamental right to vote and a dangerous step backward for our democracy.
My last article, Laying a Foundation for the Future, recounted the hard, but enthusiastic, efforts of the early construction crew as they dug the Dar al Islam foundation by hand during Ramadan and built temporary structures such as an outdoor kitchen, and make-shift showers with solar heat.
The Franklin Macfie House (Hobbit Hut) was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 2024.
The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Listen up: under any of the available definitions of the term, I am the only man of the male gender in this vehicle. It’s a wonder I checked the weather at all before we left, considering I knew that two non-men of a non-male gender would be escorting me.
In Ecological Garden Design - Part One, I introduced Douglas Tallamy’s proposed Four Universal Landscape Ecological Goals. Dr. Tallamy, a conservation entomologist at University of Delaware, has spearheaded initiatives to promote ecologically oriented home landscape and garden practices which, he says, “… must now take a leading role in the future of conservation.”
Found in dry, open, gravelly areas
Seen blooming in April in Poshuouinge, Santa Fe NF
Normally, my tips are more techy, but if you ever use super glue, then you probably have a story similar to these.
Previous News and Features
Colcheras de Abiquiú will meet Sunday, April 27, at the Abiquiu Library. This group is dedicated to learning and doing the Spanish Colonial embroidery art of COLCHA. All are welcome to attend and learn.
Community Cafe and Community Pot LuckMeetings will always be on the second Thursday of the month 4PM at the Rural Event Center. Next meeting May 8th
Community Pot Luck at Dar al Islam Sunday April 27th at 10 AM - 2 PM All ages soccur 10 AM, archery, fun and meeting your neighbors. Please bring a dish to share and a beverage. This is an alcohol and pork free zone. RSVP maggon007@gmail.com with number of people coming and what your are bringing. We get letters
Do you have a story to tell, a history to share?Whether you have been here ten years or your family hundreds of years, you have a story to tell about your connection to Abiquiu. Email us
Abiquiu News needs you. If you are interested in providing local news for the Abiquiu News on a regular basis, drop us a line. Let's talk! If you have a story to tell, send it in. If you want, interview your friend, relative, teacher, co-worker. If you think it would be interesting, I bet other people would too. Give it a try and send something in to us. Carol Bondy Art, Music, Film and Books
Click here for event details & application. Deadline to apply is May 2nd.
Learn more about Abiquiú Dome Gallery & Shop or follow @abiquiudome on FB & IG
The Locals’ Picks Book List
Zach Hively Casa Urraca Press has created a place for locals in our area to recommend books to each other, and a place to find book suggestions with a personal touch.
Have a book to recommend? Send it to Zach at casaurracaltd@gmail.com – title, author, and the reason you suggest it.
The full Locals’ Picks list is available to view here on Bookshop. A purchase from Casa Urraca's link helps support independent bookstores. Abiquiu’s Casa Urraca Press earns a commission from every shopping trip that starts with the above Bookshop link—you can shop the entire Bookshop site in addition to the locals' picks. Plus, a percentage of every book (at least 10%) goes straight to independent bookstores. This is an opportunity to support small businesses with the same convenience as large online retailers. Abiquiu Book Club
The group has compiled the list of books they plan to read for 2025. Check this out and mark your calendar if you wish to join in the discussions.
May - Whiskey Tender: A Memoir by Deborah Jackson Taffa, (5) June - The Women, by Kristen Hannah (5) July - Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (5) August - The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin (5) September - Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney (4) October - James: by Percival Everett (4) November - All Fours by Miranda July (4) December - Anthropology of Turquoise by Ellen Meloy (4) January '26 - Eventide by Kent Haruf The group meets the last Tuesday of each month at the Abiquiu Library. Books are recommended by the members. All are welcome to join. Please call Analinda 927-6220 if you have questions EventsPlease remember, events will go in for a maximum of three Fridays before the event. Send text, word or publisher file and a separate image, please keep images below 1 mb and send to info@abiquiunews.com. Vertical PDFs or JPGs will be edited for space. Send by Wednesday Noon for inclusion in that Friday's News.
The team: Dave, Rae, Caro, Amber & Andrew
Announcements and Classes
Drawing From Nature: Bones and Blooms with Helen Byers at Ghost Ranch, May 4th-9thAt Ghost Ranch, Georgia O’Keeffe found inspiration in the desert around her. Flowers and animal bones were among her favorite subjects—often in combination. Here is your chance to explore how the same subjects inspire YOU. Refine your realistic drawing skills with a week in residence at historic Casa del Sol, amid the spectacular landscape where O’Keeffe lived and painted. We will draw desert bones and blooms from life. Instruction with daily demos will cover drawing techniques in charcoal (for the bones) and colored pencil with watercolor (for the flowers). Afternoons will offer free time to rest, explore the Ranch or sites nearby, or take a horseback ride or tour. Evenings will include guided nature walks, stargazing, and camaraderie around the courtyard fire. Space will be limited to 9. Some drawing experience required. Join us! Please call 505.685.4881 or 505.685.1019 to register for this workshop. Program details here.
Join us in immersive workshops and or plan to visit us this end of April for Photo Week
April 21 Wilderness First Aid with Laura Hand and Isabel Chavez Photo Week* April 27 - May 4 Portrait Photography Amid Nature’s Beauty with David Rider Photo Fundamentals with Sandy Kaplan Cyanotypes: Photography with the Sun with Carol Schrader Immersive Photography and Darkroom Workshop with Kent Bowser Ghost Ranch Astronomy Experience with Wayne Hicks, Wayne Brasure and Philip Mahon *Annie Leibovitz was previously scheduled to present a keynote presentation at the culmination of Photo Week. This has been rescheduled for December 2025. Please visit GhostRanch.org for updates. May 2-4 Introduction to Social Media and Photography with Alex Ignacio May 3-8 Environmental Storytelling with Katie Orlinsky May 4-9 Drawing from Nature: Bones and Blooms with Helen Byers May 4-10 Eco-Poetry: Hike + Connect = Write with Carrie Nassif Hike the ‘Ologies with Connie B. Burkhart Intermediate Landscape Watercolor with Patsy Welch May 9-11 Hoo Are You? (Owling) with Raymond VanBuskirk High Desert Watercolor with Sean Hudson Day of Geologic Exploration with Albert Schultz and Peter Barkmann May 11-17 Drawing from Nature: Bones and Blossoms with Helen Byers May 18-24 Birding at Ghost Ranch with Raymond VanBuskirk May 26-June 1 Plein Air with Natasha Isenhour June 16-19 Community Camp 1 June 22-27 Church Youth Week with Loye Troxler and Connie B. Burkhart June 22-28 Painting the Ghost Ranch Desert at Casa del Sol with Michelle Chrisman June 23-28 Be Still, My Soul: Sabbath Rest and Wonder with Larry Goleman and Carol Bechtel June 27-29 Mindful Birding with Holly Thomas Contemplative Astronomy with Wayne Hicks “Look Closer” Watercolor Cloudscapes and Botanical with Jean Cate June 29-July 4 Family Week 
Soulfire was created as a sacred space to receive—whether that means rest, renewal, well-being, or simply a moment to reconnect with yourself. It is a place to explore movement, energy, and the deeper rhythms of life, all while being held in a field of presence and possibility.
See more of Joy's offerings here. ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ Contact Joy for details or to reserve your spot at 802-855-3003 or joyousOM@gmail.com Soulfire Studio is located at 247 NM 554 in Abiquiu |
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LondonLondon is a dreamy 5-month-old dilute tortie, with the moon in her eyes and fur kissed by stardust sparkled greys and creams. A little shy at first, she’s a galaxy of love waiting to unfold. With a calm, confident kitty guide and a few cosmic treats, she’ll learn to orbit closer—offering quiet snuggles and deep, lasting trust. All she needs is a gentle home and a kind soul ready to meet her in the stars. London is ready to be your comet-tailed companion; she’s available to walk-in adopters Monday-Saturday 11am-4:30pm Monday-Saturday and she goes home spayed, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped!
www.espanolahumane.org 505-753-8662 
LeelooHop into spring with Leeloo—a 3-year-old, 43lb brindle beauty with bunny ears, big brains, and a bigger heart! A recent grad of Española Humane’s 8-week 24/7 Paws in the Pen training program at the Penitentiary of New Mexico, Leeloo’s a star student who’s crate, leash, and housetrained, and picks up new tricks like magic. Now in foster, she’s made fast friends with her foster dog brother and is loving home life. Smart, snuggly, and ready to love—Leeloo’s the total package. Apply on our website to meet her in Santa Fe!
We are open to walk-in adopters Monday-Saturday 11am-4:30pm. www.espanolahumane.org 505-753-8662 
Puppy in search of a young family to play with and be a part of! Australian Cattle Dog, male, 11 weeks old, blue merle coloring. Call or Text
505-901-6208 
Looking for someone to take my dog on a short walk in Santa California 2-3 days a week. Fee negotiable. 505-603-0820
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