Big Ol’ Birthday
Poet Natachee Momaday Gray celebrates her 30th with artists’ gathering at El Rey Court
When writer and Renaissance woman Natachee Momaday Gray (Kiowa Apache) released her poetry chapbook Silver Box in 2023, the launch reading at Collected Works Bookstore was reportedly so packed that fans stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Since then, Momaday Gray has kept the writing alive, kicked off music collaborations with her husband Kyle Thomas Perkins and become a mom—all while embracing a homesteader lifestyle in the community of Coyote outside Santa Fe.
“In the last year and a half, so much has changed for me,” she says. “My husband built our home, we’re working on a greenhouse and sustainable farming and I java all this space and time and really feel like I’ve manifested a beautiful new chapter in my life.”
That new chapter has proven artistically fruitful. Now, as she hits 30, Momoaday Gray wants to share those good vibes with the broader community at the upcoming event Tatja Lucía’s 30 for 30.
“I’m going to give a poetry reading, and there will be music and my husband will play guitar for me,” she explains. “I’ll be 30 on the 30th, and that’s a golden birthday, so I wanted to do something special—share some unreleased work; though I’ll read from Silver Box, but it’ll mostly be new work.”
Momaday Gray also says we might expect various friends and well-wishers to take the stage, though the name of the game is low-pressure and low-stakes. With everything in the world just now feeling as it does, Momaday Gray says, it’s more important than ever to look to artists and creators for solace.
“I’m in this position where I’m looking to people who inspire me and turning to pieces of writing and pieces of music and the arts to make sense of what’s going on,” she says. “It feels good to have my own life and work melding together, too, and while it’s by no means easy and we’ve had to sacrifice a lot…this reading, this performance is sort of a showcase of where I’m putting my time and energy.”
Tatja Lucía’s 30 for 30: 7 pm Sunday, March 23. Free. El Rey Court, 1862 Cerrillos Road, (505) 982-931
A New Beat on Canyon
Courtesy Santa Fe Teahouse & Bistro
Santa Fe Teahouse & Bistro owners Cole and Brittani Campbell are on a mission to revitalize Canyon Road culture by upping live music opportunities on our city’s artsiest street. Starting this week, the Teahouse begins the Après Music Series of concert events, with plans for music three days a week—including a dedicated open jam for afternoon improv jam sessions. “We want to use our restaurant as an instrument to bring new and great bands together and to bring locals and younger people back to Canyon Road.” Cole tells SFR. The series kicks off with reggae act Dozey Dubs on Thursday night, followed by local country star Bill Hearne on Friday. (Adam Ferguson)
Après Music Series: Dozey Dubs 3-5 pm. Thursday, Mar. 20. Free. The Santa Fe Teahouse & Bistro, 821 Canyon Road, (505) 992-0972
In a Not-So-Far-Away Galaxy
Wherever you land on the Star Wars fandom spectrum, chances are you enjoy at least some forms of the enduring franchise’s multimedia offerings. So what if a local podcast host got it together to not only screen Episode IV: A New Hope, but also to conduct a live recording of said podcast beforehand? That’s exactly what Dork Side Cantina podcast founder Bud Wizzo’s gonna do this Friday at the Jean Cocteau Cinema. Not only can you catch the podcast and the movie that started it all, but there’s an afterparty, too, plus half-off popcorn for anyone in cosplay. The screening and such are free, though, so go in and be like, “Way to go, you scruffy-looking nerf herders!” (ADV)
Dork Side Cantina Film Screening/Podcast Recording/Afterparty: 7 pm Friday, March 21. Free. Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma Ave., (505) 466-5528
Magic Medicine
Courtesy Simon Yugler
Psychedelic therapist and author Simon Yugler’s upcoming talk on his new book Psychedelics & The Soul, offers a look into the world of psychedelics and the unconscious aspects of the human experience. Psychedelics have been revered for thousands of years in numerous cultures for their healing and medicinal qualities, from the use of peyote in Native American ceremonies, the Maya consuming mushrooms during rituals, and the use of Ayahuasca by Amazonian tribes. Yugler delves into our current understanding of these mysterious plants and fungi and looks at how psychedelics have the potential to heal the external and internal crisis we’ve driven ourselves into. (AF)
Psychedelics & The Soul: Simon Yugler: 6-7 pm. Saturday. Mar. 22. Free. Ark Books, 133 Romero St., (505) 988-3709
