The Modern West

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Documentary
**The Modern West**

Exploring the evolving identity of the American West. Produced by Wyoming Public Media and PRX, The Modern West takes you on a sound-rich journey into some of America’s most iconic landscapes. Guided by host Melodie Edwards’ personal connection to the region, it’s 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.

Latest Episodes:

Reviving Rural America -- A Modern West Bonus Jul 30, 2025

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Reviving Rural America -- A Modern West Bonus

I Am What I Choose To Become Jul 16, 2025

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Five years ago, a Northern Arapaho judge was sent to prison. Now, she helps keep Wind River residents from going back into custody through a unique justice program. Her clients say, "She can relate to everything: the prison system, the probation system, being an addict, everything. Her story inspires me so much."

The Modern West presents Those Who Can't Teach Anymore Season 2 Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

This time, an episode from another podcast we care a lot about. It’s called Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore, produced by Charles Fournier, the former sound designer of the Modern West. (To illustrate just what a back scratching industry podcasting is, Melodie happens to be the editor of this podcast as well.) Charles dives into what’s causing public school teachers to leave the profession. We'll hear episode one of his second season in which he collected audio journals through one full school year from teachers across the country. He starts at the beginning, in August.

Wasting Away Jun 18, 2025

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Hop in a pickup as we head out into the National Elk Refuge outside Jackson, WY to hear all about the debate over whether to wean elk off winter feeding before chronic wasting disease strikes.

Home Again Jun 04, 2025

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Back in the 1930’s, a trading post swapped Northern Arapaho artifacts for food and other basic necessities. Decades later, a descendent opened boxes in a storage room of the Episcopal Church in Laramie, Wyoming. There, she found a photo of her grandfather, Chief Yellow Calf.“And so I talked to my grandfather, and I said, 'Grandfather, is there something that I'm supposed to do here? Show me. Guide me.'”80 years later, the church has finally returned the artifacts to the tribe. We attend the ceremony.

Ghost Paper(ing) May 21, 2025

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The local newspaper, the Pinedale Roundup, didn't break the wolf torture story. Why not? Because last winter, News Media Corporation that now owns the paper laid off everyone at the paper except the editor, Cali O'Hare, to run the entire show by herself. It’s part of the corporate consolidation of local news. There’s now a national effort to stop these legacy papers from becoming “ghost papers." One woman's story of running a paper in the middle of breaking international news.

Boys, Booze & Wolves May 07, 2025

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It’s been a year since a man brought an injured wolf into a bar in Sublette County, Wyoming. What does it tell us about how small-town life is changing? A very personal story from the perspective of someone who grew up there.

The Pretty Good House Apr 23, 2025

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People are solving the affordable housing shortage in the American West by building unusual homes like straw bale or modular.

A Pluralistic Mindset (with author Samuel Western) Apr 09, 2025

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Wyoming author and economist Samuel Western is a master at tracing back the beginnings of issues in the American West. He’s an economist with a deep fascination for history and culture that get at “the gray in between” in truly revelatory ways. He talks with host Melodie Edwards about his new book The Spirit of 1889.

Gray In Between Trailer Mar 26, 2025

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Join us for a brand new season full of nuance, where we move closer to the heart of matters and hear the voices of those who understand them the best. Catch episode one of The Gray In Between coming to you every other Wednesday starting April 9th.

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