This week’s guest is Trevor Brown, post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Economy and Society at Johns Hopkins University. Trevor is the co-author of an important new book, Rural Versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy. Many of the dynamics reported in this book are unfolding here in Montana.

In this conversation, Trevor talks about how rural and urban areas have become increasingly polarized, and discusses the economic factors and messaging strategies that have led to that divide. Trevor talks about the dangers of this divide, but also brings up some solutions.

This week’s guests are Marcus Welnel and Parker Fleming. Marcus played football for the Griz and now serves as chief revenue officer for Grizzly Athletics. Parker has a PhD in economics and works with the universities on how to set player salaries.

In this conversation, the three talk about the changing landscape of collegiate athletics, particularly the impact of name, image and likeness on the ability for student-athletes to earn income. They also discuss the changing landscape of playing sports for the value of camaraderie and institutional pride or for more lucrative offers.

This week’s guest is Dr. Alex Metcalf, associate professor at the University of Montana’s Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. Alex is a social scientist who studies how people make decisions in a wide variety of conservation domains. Alex and Justin collaborate on a variety of projects, including a just released study on the interaction between politics and our attitudes towards wolves.

In this conversation, Alex and Justin talk about how political identity can contribute to the polarization around people’s attitudes towards wolves and discuss how identity-based assumptions can drive division, but also how that can be corrected to bring people back together.

This week we're bringing you a recording of a live discussion hosted by Climate Smart Missoula called Not the Dark Ages: Climate Science Continues Despite the Attacks. Justin hosts a conversation between Amy Martin, a journalist and creator of the award-winning podcast Threshold, and Dr. Christopher Preston, a philosophy professor at the University of Montana and author of several books, including his latest Tenacious Beasts.

In this conversation, Amy and Christopher talk about some of their favorite scientists, consider new technologies like AI and carbon capture to address environmental challenges and talk about how animals communicate with each other.

This week’s guests are Andy Kemmis and Chris Bacon. Together, these two made a beautiful new book about skateboarding in Montana titled Grit to Grind. The book is an amazing visual and narrative history of how skateboarding shaped Montana communities in ways that might surprise you.

In this episode, Andy and Chris talk about their skateboarding origins and how they came to be the writers of this book about Montana’s skateboarding scene. They talk about some of the skate parks they helped create, the inclusivity of skateboarding and remind us of the life lessons that can be found in one’s passions.

This week’s guest is Caroline Joan Peixoto, co-founder and director of River Arts and Books in Roscoe, Montana. This little spot along East Rosebud Creek is all about building community. Founded in 2023, River Arts and Books has already produced a series of amazing events and created a space for folks to gather.

In this conversation, Caroline gives the origin story of her project and how she wanted to create a space for community and connection in the 16-person town of Roscoe. She explains the process of securing a historic cabin for the building location and landing on the bookstore’s guiding principles: land, literature and community.

Find River Arts and Books on Instagram or online.

In this special episode we pay tribute to Jeff Meese, master of all things sound at A New Angle, who is retiring after 26 years of service to the University of Montana College of Business. Thanks Jeff…you were the first to say, “how can I help” and you made us better in myriad ways.

This week’s guest is Stoney Samsoe, executive director and co-founder of Open AIR. Founded in 2019, Open AIR is dedicated to bringing creativity to diverse communities across Montana. Open AIR is perhaps best known for its amazing artist-in-residence program.

In this episode, Stoney describes Open AIR’s purpose as focused on making artists keystone species in communities. And to continue the metaphor, Stoney talks about how she sees artists as crucial in the human ecology of a community.