The Magic City of the Southwest

Along the Wagon Road

Rhubarb is all over the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado. Where did it come from? And what does an abandoned road in producer Jamie Wanzek's backyard have to do with it? Content warning: This story mentions suicide ideation. Reported, written, and produced by Jamie Wanzek Edited by Kirbie Bennett Music:  You'll Never Catch Me Crawling Back to You  Roy Williams [https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/b8703f21-0e36-4855-8881-23afd3710d7c/] The Poppy Red Garden [https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e31b6949-4686-45ff-a516-6544d3da761f/] Loner on a Cliff [https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/102f833f-c1ab-4ebb-aa52-d4a55ca11649/] The High Lonesome [https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/4a1c5ddb-c771-4982-91fa-e3ab5347f801/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_campaign=23369279468&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23369279468&gbraid=0AAAAADk_3KlsLBG0buUXQ1LYTq4TQlWmq&gclid=CjwKCAjwwpDQBhAuEiwAa-4Wo5TRaKiD7zgRRcgeLf1QO-EgS9hcTdERzC0kjTlEe3p4l7f0gMsL4xoCHBEQAvD_BwE] Hearth  [https://www.epidemicsound.com/release/hearth/] The Magic Southwest LLC

News: Fort Lewis College formally welcomes its first Indigenous president

Fort Lewis is a former federal Indian boarding school, making the appointment of President Heather Shotton significant because she is a descendant of boarding school survivors. This story was originally produced for KDUR Durango [https://www.kdur.org/] and Rocky Mountain Community Radio [https://rockymountaincommunityradio.org/].  Jamie Wanzek is an employee of Fort Lewis College

A Conversation on Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms (feat. Kinsale Drake and Darcie Little Badger)

"This anthology is a portal," says Kinsale Drake. "Art, poetry, songs, stories - those things are both ancient and alive right now, and those are our superpowers." In this episode of The Magic City, co-host Kirbie Bennett speaks with Kinsale Drake and Darcie Little Badger, co-editors of a book titled Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms. Throughout the interview, they discuss the importance of highlighting underrepresented Indigenous voices, as well as anti-DEI backlash they've encountered while promoting the collection.  Written and produced by Kirbie Bennett.  Music provided by Alex Kehm [https://www.epidemicsound.com/artists/alex-kehm/].  © Magic Southwest LLC

Camping Out at the Spanish Trails Fiesta

Today, Durango Fiesta Days is popular for its late-summer rodeos. When the event started in 1935, it was called the Spanish Trails Fiesta.  On this episode of the Magic City, Kirbie travels back to the 1950s and explores what the fiesta looked like, including stories about Indigenous people camping along the Animas River. What was the Spanish Trails Fiesta like for them?  Written and produced by Kirbie Bennett.  Music provided by River Foxcroft  [https://www.epidemicsound.com/artists/river-foxcroft/]

A People's Press

Print newspapers are becoming increasingly hard to keep alive. But for Maggie McGurie, print media isn't going anywhere in Southeastern Utah.  This story was produced for the Transom Traveling Workshop in Moab. Special thanks to KZMU Moab Community Radio [https://www.kzmu.org/], KDUR Durango [https://www.kdur.org/], KikiBouba Press, [https://kikibouba.press/] The Moab Sun News [https://moabsunnews.com/], and Transom [https://transom.org/].  Music: Martin Landström [https://www.epidemicsound.com/artists/martin-landstrom/]Anna Ash [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1QyjHJQb3WeWFxXaNLpLOw?si=YenGI3qvSuq_p7AryWUY1w]