Colorado Soul Stories

Cynthia Swanson, Colorado Best-Selling Author

Mama Jill sat down with New York Times bestselling author and longtime Colorado resident, Cynthia Swanson, whose novels are known for their thought-provoking storytelling. Readers may already know Cynthia from her acclaimed debut, The Bookseller, her follow-up suspense novel, Anyone But Her and now her latest work, debuting May 21st, a collection of short stories showcasing the struggles of women through history, This Isn’t New. Cynthia is launching this new book at the Northwest Denver bookstore and podcast partner, West Side Books on the evening of May 28th at 7pm. During this discussion, Cynthia recognizes that her previous novels have featured complex female characters navigating challenges and "containment" that, may be slightly disguised through different time periods, but are indeed, nothing new. This realization and the results of the last election urged Cynthia to explore this subject further, resulting in a collection of stories that showcase women acting within the challenges of job discrimination, sexism, body image and overall misogyny. A read that any woman might find validating and that every person should read to gain perspective. Cynthia shares her origins in the writing profession and how she got the idea for her first novel while navigating motherhood with three young children. She advises on the publishing process as well, having worked with both the big national publishing houses and, more recently, forging her own path with self-publishing. After discussing her tendency to include Denver as the backdrop for many of her books, she shares her journey of arriving in Colorado from Boston after college, commenting that there is no other place where she has felt more grounded. Enjoy this insightful conversation with this soulful, Colorado writer!

Photographer Tim Brown: Salida has his Heart

If you have lived in Colorado for a long time it’s not a new story; a handful of starving artists discover an untapped, affordable and lovely place to set down roots. But as they settle and create, they attract people and suddenly it’s not an undiscovered place anymore and it’s also no longer affordable – this has been our cycle of gentrification. Salida, Colorado is still a pretty small town. A few decades ago, it was much more isolated due to state-wide economic challenges. In this episode of Colorado Soul Stories, you will hear photographer Tim Brown describe his humble arrival to this secluded mountain town in 1982 and how it captured his heart. Tim drove out West back then in search of his photography career. An avid photographer since a kid, he was hired to capture the open-mouthed expressions of the tourists rafting the white waters of the Arkansas River. We touch on the fact that the digital revolution began to squeeze him out of his career, but that he was reborn in his art by discovering the 19th century method of tin type photography, which now is his legacy in the area and in the world. Tim reminisces about the simpler days of Salida, cherishing the sense of community in a place located near so much natural beauty. We talk about how the original affordability welcomed the artist type to inhabit the forgotten buildings. Tim and his friends were making something out of virtually nothing, that hardship cultivating the unique Colorado grit. We hear how his evolution and style as a photographer has been synonymous with his life growing up in this wonderful Western space. You can learn more about Tim Brown at https://www.timbrownphotography.com/ [https://www.timbrownphotography.com/] and you can hear more about his original arrival to Salida and his 2024 exhibit “Broken” here: https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/19a834a5-a486-499b-b991-1ca8d063e2ff/we-are-chaffee-podcast [https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/19a834a5-a486-499b-b991-1ca8d063e2ff/we-are-chaffee-podcast] Please share, rate, subscribe and review the Colorado Soul Stories Podcast, it helps!

Joe Firstman, Cordovas, Baja Wondergrass

RAW, UNEDITED, INTENSE conversation with the both rough and refined, Joe Firstman. Mama Jill is in Baja Mexico for the Baja Wondergrass music festival organized by COLORADO-based Bonfire Entertainment. She and her tribe enjoyed listening to the powerful and  eclectic band, Cordovas at opening night at Polvora, surrounded by dark skies, sparkly stars and immense cacti. The next morning Mama Jill ran into Joe Firstman, frontman of Cordovas at a serene coffee house in town.  She asked Joe if he would like to continue their conversation through the podcast. They met up later that night with Mama Jill's buddy Mark Schoenecker of KHEN, Salida, Colorado next to the beach stage during sound check for the band.  Mama Jill chose to offer up this interview within the energy of the moment while still down in Mexico where the energy and the vibe has its own way of guiding you. Thus there's pauses and a little goofiness on her part, a little starstruck! but it's the real deal, complete with a falling star...cherish it!

John King: Traversing the Colorado Rockies on Nordic Skis, 1978

John King is Colorado anthropomorphized. He’s got grit. He relishes nature; from its deep blue skies to its blinding blizzards and all the various contours of its terrain. This is reflected in his spectacular kinetic sculptures that tell the story of his outdoor experiences. He arrived here fresh out of college from the Midwest, the Colorado Rockies calling loudly to his soul. In 1978, he and his outdoor-loving pals planned the first ever and never-since-duplicated trek across the Colorado Rockies on Nordic skis. This event was recently documented in the film, “Moving Line,” (https://www.movinglinefilm.com/). In it we listen to John and his friends, Alex and Peter, no strangers to long-term ski trips, describe this experience; mapping the routes with compass and map (no GPS then), executing food drops, preparing and sometimes creating their own gear. They covered almost 500 miles during their six week trek from Durango to the Medicine Bow range north of Fort Collins and returned home, forever changed by the experience. Mama Jill met John serendipitously at an art show after watching Moving Line and later met up with him and his wife, Sally on their bucolic patch of land on the St. Vrain River in Lyons, CO where she had a deeper conversation about John’s background, experiences leading up to the historic 1978 trek and how he and Sally weathered the 2013 500 year flood with amazing positivity. This is not only a conversation about a journey across the Colorado Rockies, it is a lesson in choosing a life philosophy, influenced substantially by a relationship with nature and awareness of the connectivity among living things. Listen. You will be a better person for it…

The Brown Palace Hotel: History and Mystery

Napoleonic treasures, Masonic symbolism, famous guests, including the prize steers from the annual National Western Stock Show and evidence of visitors from the beyond...this and more are held as dear historic and ongoing stories at this triangular and legendary structure, situated at 17th and Tremont in downtown Denver. As a kid, I thought The Brown Palace got its name from the color of the reddish-brown sandstone it was constructed with. But I was wrong. Join me as I discuss this important landmark with Debra Faulkner, the archivist at the Brown Palace Hotel.  The Brown Palace is virtual time capsule of history, and not just of Denver. Each owner put their own mark on the place with their love of European history and personal collections from travels. We particularly witness within the walls, the journey of women and how they went from being confined to "special rooms," to becoming integral parts of society.  Debra, a Colorado native, conveys the history with the care one would take with their own ancestry. During the 17 years she has held this position, she has seen many changes, just as the city of Denver has changed over those same years. She is vehement about preserving and sharing the precious past of this landmark. As the Brown Palace looks for another new owner, it is important for Coloradans to understand how deep these roots go and to place value on this landmark that we are so fortunate to have.