64 episodes
Writing Westward Podcast BYU Redd Center
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- Society & Culture
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4.8 • 20 Ratings
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Writing Westward features conversations with writers and scholars of the North American West. Hosted by Brenden W. Rensink, it is a production of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University.
The Redd Center is an interdisciplinary research center committed to increasing knowledge and understanding of the American West. Dr. Brenden W. Rensink is Associate Director of the Redd Center, an Associate Professor of History at BYU, General Editor of the Intermountain Histories project, and author of the award-winning 2018 book Native but Foreign: Indigenous Immigrants and Refugees in the North American Borderlands
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064 - Lyndsie Bourgon - Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America's Woods
A conversation with journalist Lyndsie Bourgon about her book, "Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America's Woods" (Little, Brown Spark, 2022). The Writing Westward Podcast is produced and hosted by Prof. Brenden W. Rensink (www.bwrensink.org) for the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University (reddcenter.byu.edu). Subscribe to the Writing Westward Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and other podcast distribution apps and platforms. Follow the BYU Redd Center and the Writing Westward Podcast on Facebook or Twitter or get more information @ https://www.writingwestward.org. Theme music by Micah Dahl Anderson @ www.micahdahlanderson.com
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063 - Andrew Curley - Carbon Sovereignty - Coal, Development, and Energy Transition in the Navajo Reservation
A conversation with geographer Andrew Curley about his book, "Carbon Sovereignty - Coal, Development, and Energy Transition in the Navajo Reservation" (University of Arizona Press, 2023). The Writing Westward Podcast is produced and hosted by Prof. Brenden W. Rensink (www.bwrensink.org) for the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University (reddcenter.byu.edu). Subscribe to the Writing Westward Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and other podcast distribution apps and platforms. Follow the BYU Redd Center and the Writing Westward Podcast on Facebook or Twitter or get more information @ https://www.writingwestward.org. Theme music by Micah Dahl Anderson @ www.micahdahlanderson.com
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062 - Peter Boag - Pioneering Death - The Violence of Boyhood in Turn-of-the-Century Oregon
A conversation with historian Peter Boag about their book "Pioneering Death: The Violence of Boyhood in Turn-of-the-Century Oregon" (University of Washington Press, 2022). The Writing Westward Podcast is produced and hosted by Prof. Brenden W. Rensink (www.bwrensink.org) for the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University (reddcenter.byu.edu). Subscribe to the Writing Westward Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and other podcast distribution apps and platforms. Follow the BYU Redd Center and the Writing Westward Podcast on Facebook or Twitter or get more information @ https://www.writingwestward.org. Theme music by Micah Dahl Anderson @ www.micahdahlanderson.com
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061 - Navied Mahdavian - This Country: Searching for Home in Very Rural America
A conversation with cartoonist Navied Mahdavian about his graphic novel memoir, "This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America" (Princeton Architectural Press, 2023). The Writing Westward Podcast is produced and hosted by Prof. Brenden W. Rensink (www.bwrensink.org) for the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University (reddcenter.byu.edu). Subscribe to the Writing Westward Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and other podcast distribution apps and platforms. Follow the BYU Redd Center and the Writing Westward Podcast on Facebook or Twitter or get more information @ https://www.writingwestward.org. Theme music by Micah Dahl Anderson @ www.micahdahlanderson.com
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060 - Natalia Molina - A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community
A conversation with historian Natalia Molina about their book "A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community" (University of California Press, 2022). The Writing Westward Podcast is produced and hosted by Prof. Brenden W. Rensink (www.bwrensink.org) for the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University (reddcenter.byu.edu). Subscribe to the Writing Westward Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and other podcast distribution apps and platforms. Follow the BYU Redd Center and the Writing Westward Podcast on Facebook or Twitter or get more information @ https://www.writingwestward.org. Theme music by Micah Dahl Anderson @ www.micahdahlanderson.com
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059 - Sarah Keyes - American Burial Ground: A New History of the Overland Trail
A conversation with Sarah Keyes about their book "American Burial Ground: A New History of the Overland Trail" (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023). The Writing Westward Podcast is produced and hosted by Prof. Brenden W. Rensink (www.bwrensink.org) for the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University and hosted by. Subscribe to the Writing Westward Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and other podcast distribution apps and platforms. Follow the BYU Redd Center and the Writing Westward Podcast on Facebook or Twitter or get more information @ https://www.writingwestward.org. Theme music by Micah Dahl Anderson @ www.micahdahlanderson.com
Customer Reviews
Diverse topics, deep dives, and human connection
For me, Writing Westward has been a podcast like no other. Although every episode is unified by the central theme of books written about the North American West, the titles and authors are delightfully varied in a way that leaves me looking forward to whatever might be next. There have been traditional academic histories, but also scientific works that describe Midwestern climate, buffalo, and birds. Other books have run the gamut of family history, dual biography, collections of creative nonfiction, innovative environmental history, and more. Writing Westward takes the “constraint” of its Western Studies theme as an opportunity, and it continually introduces listeners to new discoveries and fresh perspectives.
In each episode, Dr. Rensink brings his rich familiarity with Western Studies to bear as he asks questions that prompt additional thought and insight from the authors. And if you’re like me and haven’t read any of the books, these conversations offer a taste of the richness the texts offer.
Finally, I have really appreciated the sense of human connection Writing Westward creates. Episodes feel personable and relatable, and they remind the listener that behind every book is a human author.
Overall, I highly recommend Writing Westward. I look forward to my hour or so with the podcast every month.
Less is more
Usually interesting but the host inserts himself into the interview way to much. I tune in for the interviewee not the interviewer.
A must listen
Engaging and informative, Writing Westward is a must listen for anyone interested in western and intermountain western history. I look forward to it every month. It's even put me on a few books for my classes. Thanks!