The Modern West

The Modern West Exploring the evolving identity of the American West. Produced by Wyoming Public Media and PRX.

An unflinching look at the American West--its problematic history, its modern-day struggles and resilience, and how its present and future are being shaped.

On December 14, just two weeks before the two year anniversary of the Marshall Fire, The Modern West hosted a panel over...
02/08/2024

On December 14, just two weeks before the two year anniversary of the Marshall Fire, The Modern West hosted a panel over Facebook Live. We featured Ariel’s family and friends, who you’ll recognize from The Burn Scar, along with someone from Paradise, California, who survived the fire that raged through that community.

The panel offered our guests an opportunity to share their experience of living through climate disaster, and presented a look toward the future. In this special bonus episode, we share an edited version of this panel discussion and give you a unique perspective on living in a climate crisis.

Listen: apple.co/4bteBwU

Ariel makes the trip out to see the new construction of her family home. But it's nothing like the one that burned down ...
01/25/2024

Ariel makes the trip out to see the new construction of her family home. But it's nothing like the one that burned down in the Marshall Fire. Her feeling of solastalgia is long gone.

"It's clear to me that this place doesn't resemble my childhood home at all," says Ariel. "The feeling I had of familiarity isn't really here anymore."

It's the final episode of . Listen now: apple.co/48OPUcG

01/23/2024

What happens when green building codes – designed to help fight climate change by lowering emissions – make rebuilding after a climate disaster prohibitively pricy?

Listen to Part 4 of now: apple.co/48vyDF6

Ariel's family and neighbors are starting to rebuild after the Marshall Fire destroyed their homes. But now new green bu...
01/11/2024

Ariel's family and neighbors are starting to rebuild after the Marshall Fire destroyed their homes. But now new green building codes are making it super expensive.

Ariel's brother is dubious. "It's really elitist," he says. "It's saying if you can't afford any of this, you're not going to live here."

Listen to Part 4 of : apple.co/48vyDF6

01/02/2024

In Part 3 of , Ariel, her family, and neighbors try to figure out the science behind what caused the Marshall Fire.

"Mom doesn't think any of this is a test," she says. "My parents are scientists, researchers, and they raised me to evaluate the evidence."

Listen to the full episode: apple.co/3RFA7qc

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What happens when green building codes – designed to help fight climate change by lowering emissions – make rebuilding after a climate disaster prohibitively pricy? Listen to Part 4 of #TheBurnScar now: apple.co/48vyDF6

In Part 3 of #TheBurnScar, Ariel, her family, and neighbors try to figure out the science behind what caused the Marshall Fire. "Mom doesn't think any of this is a test," she says. "My parents are scientists, researchers, and they raised me to evaluate the evidence." Listen to the full episode: apple.co/3RFA7qc

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The Modern West Podcast

Winner of a 2020 Edward R. Murrow award for Best Documentary, The Modern West story takes listeners on a sound-rich journey into some of America’s most iconic landscapes to discover the people and places shaping the American West’s present and future.

Writer Wallace Stegner called the West “the native home of hope” because it’s here we’re striving to create a society to match our scenery. In the shadows of that scenery, our cities grow, our small towns shrink, our ranches are consolidated, our National Parks overflow.

Yet, as Westerners, we continue to feel deeply connected to our mountains, prairies, forests, and deserts. It’s what we came for (or our great-great grandparents came for) and it’s why we don’t plan to leave, no matter the boom or bust.

Guided by host Melodie Edwards’ personal connection to the region, The Modern West seeks out the people who still believe that the West is the native home of hope.