City Cast Denver

Psilocybin, AKA magic mushrooms — maybe you’ve heard of ‘em? Or, you know, tried them for yourself? Because here in Denver, voters decriminalized psilocybin back in 2019, but the statewide fight to regulate naturally derived psychedelics like mushrooms — and mescaline, ibogaine, ayahuasca, and DMT — is only just beginning. In the first episode of a new four-part series for City Cast Denver, award-winning investigative reporter Chris Walker brings us Ballot Trip, a deep dive into debate over how psychedelics will fit into life in Colorado. From practitioners of traditional, ancestral healing work to the multi-million dollar PAC behind policy reform in Washington, Chris explores the many perspectives that exist within the world of legalization and decriminalization of psychedelics. Get more news you can use from the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenverHave you ever had your car towed in Denver? Was it by a company called Wyatt’s Towing? You are far from alone. Attorney General Phil Weiser is cracking down on predatory towing, and we want to hear from you. Tell us your Wyatt’s Towing stories! Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Colfax Ave. Independents Day (July 22-24)Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

What happens when an anti-gang activist shoots someone at his own peace rally? For Terrance Roberts of Northeast Park Hill, that question came to define his life following that very incident on September 20, 2013. Award-winning journalist Julian Rubinstein spent seven years reporting Roberts’ story. The resulting book, “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood,” came out in May 2021. It won a Colorado Book Award for best general nonfiction, and has been made into a documentary film that premiered at this year’s Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride. And recently, Roberts announced a run for Denver mayor. Roberts and Rubinstein joined host Bree Davies last May to talk about the book, the nature of gang violence in Denver, and police reform.NOTE: This interview originally aired in May 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series.Learn more about the documentary film "The Holly," which Julian Rubinstein directed, at TheHollyFilm.com Connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenverAnd sign up for our morning newsletter!Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

In “The Guide,” Colorado author Peter Heller weaves a suspenseful tale centered on Jack, a young wilderness and fishing guide at an elite resort near Crested Butte. Things aren’t quite as idyllic as they seem, though, and Jack finds himself questioning what he sees and hears at every turn. Heller joined City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia for a conversation about his inspiration for the book, and what it was like writing a fictional story set during a pandemic — while actually experiencing the pandemic in real time. NOTE: This interview originally aired in August 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more! Learn more about Peter and his work at PeterHellerAuthor.com We’d love to know what your favorite summer book is! Tweet us @citycastdenverOr leave us a voicemail with your name, neighborhood, and the title of your favorite book and why you love it. (720) 500-5418‬Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Jenny Shank grew up in southeast Denver, but when it was time for school, she was bused all over the city — from an elementary school with a Chicano-rooted curriculum on the West Side to a predominantly Black middle school near Five Points. And it was those experiences that informed her new collection of short stories, “Mixed Company.” It explores all the awkward, comical, and challenging ways that very different kinds of Coloradans can find connection. The book has been awarded the George Garrett Fiction Prize and a Colorado Book Award since it was released last November — which is when host Bree Davies sat down with Shank to talk about their shared history with Denver Public Schools and busing, and how they understand their similar education experiences differently today.NOTE: This interview originally aired in November 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more reading recommendations!To learn more about her work including “Mixed Company,” check out her website, JennyShank.comAnd for more on Denver’s history of busing, check out our episode from September 8 with playwright Alicia Smith Young! What books are keeping you company this summer? Tweet us your recs! @citycastdenverSign up for our morning newsletter!

Almost 20 years ago, Erika Krouse took a job as a private investigator. Her first big case? A massive sexual assault scandal that revealed a toxic culture of abuse within CU Boulder’s prized football program. Krouse’s new book, “Tell Me Everything: The Story of A Private Investigation,” is part true crime thriller and part memoir, as she weaves together her recollections of the case with the story of her own experience with sexual assault. City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia spoke with Krouse about what it was like going up against an institution as powerful as the University of Colorado, the legacy of the case today, and how she saw her own story in the stories of the survivors. NOTE: This interview originally aired in March 2022, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more reading recommendations!Warning: While there are no graphic descriptions, this episode contains discussions about sexual assault.Learn more about Erika Krouse and her work at erikakrousewriter.com. And for more about the scandal at the heart of Krouse’s book, ESPN has a full timeline right here.Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Colorado isn’t usually the first state people think of when it comes to barbecue. But it turns out, we have our own barbecue story to tell — and our Black community is at the center of it all. James Beard award-winning author Adrian E. Miller has that story and more in his most recent book, “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.” He joined host Bree Davies on the show last May to talk about everything Colorado barbecue, from the 1898 barbecue riot at the Stock Show to the legacy of “Daddy” Bruce Randolph and his son, Bruce Jr.NOTE: This interview originally aired in May of 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more! Learn more about Adrian and his work at adrianemiller.comWhat’s your favorite barbecue spot in Denver? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

***UPDATE (7/8/22): Since we published this episode this morning, we received a clarification from a Meow Wolf representative. She wrote in response to our guest John Wenzel's description of his reporting process: "The Denver Post article came out Wednesday morning, but the Meow Wolf Workers Collective Convergence Station Organizing Committee didn't formally reach out to CEO Jose Tolosa about the union until after 5 p.m. that day, after the article was published. Meow Wolf's brief statement and lack of answers to John's questions did not come from an unwillingness to be transparent, but rather a lack of information as the situation was still evolving." Since Meow Wolf opened the doors to Convergence Station in Denver last year, the Santa Fe-based arts collective-turned-corporation has been the talk of the town. They brought jobs, global clout, and millions of dollars to the often overlooked Sun Valley neighborhood. But the company has also struggled with lawsuits related to gender discrimination in Denver and fair pay issues in its home state. Now, the Meow Wolf Workers Collective says employees here have taken steps to unionize. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Denver Post arts reporter and critic John Wenzel, whose recent piece digs into the unionization efforts at the Denver Meow Wolf outpost. Bree also mentioned this story past guest Jason Blevins wrote for the Colorado Sun this week about the Rainbow Family gathering, which went down last week in Routt National ForestStill don’t have plans for the weekend? We’ve got a rundown of curated picks in today’s newsletter https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Have you been to Convergence Station yet? Let us know what you think on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

All it takes is one rush-hour morning to see that Denverites love their cars. Some city officials think having more environmentally friendly options — like e-scooters — are key to breaking that dependence. But are scooters really the best option for Denver’s busy, crowded streets and sidewalks? Not everyone is a fan of the compact devices that zip around with abandon, and can be parked seemingly anywhere. Host Bree Davies checked in with District 10 councilman Chris Hinds, a scooter skeptic, to hear about his dive into this hot-button issue. If you’re a scooter lover hoping to be a good citizen of our shared streets and sidewalks, our friends at Denverite put together a very helpful guide for how to ride a scooter and not be a jerk. Hungry? Editor Peyton Garcia chows down on the latest Denver food news in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Scooters: Menace, public good, or both? Let us know what you think and follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

It’s been said that Colorado has everything… except a beach. But ever since 1979, Water World has filled that ocean-sized hole in our hearts, serving up family fun in the form of wild rides, crazy slides, and zillions of funnel cakes along the way. Host Bree Davies has loved visiting Water World since she was a kid, so one recent morning we asked for a behind-the-scenes tour to see what you don’t see from the bird’s eye view of Alpine Springs gondola — everything from a backstage look at the animatronics powering Voyage to the Center of the Earth to the engineering marvel literally making waves at Thunder Bay. Share your favorite Water World memory with us on Twitter! We’re @citycastdenverWorried about monkeypox in Colorado? Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia has a breakdown of all things monkeypox in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Like many American cities, Denver and its adjoining suburbs have had moments defined by malls. From Cinderella City to Villa Italia, Buckingham Square to Westminster, malls have come and gone, but created indelible memories for many Denverites. These intergenerational spaces played host to first jobs, first dates, and for many teens, first parent-free experiences in the public realm. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with author and architecture critic Alexandra Lange about her new book, Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall. Together, they trace the architectural and social history of Denver through the lens of a built environment meant for shopping — but remembered for so much more.Bree and Alexandra talked about beautiful images of dying malls — like these photos from Seph Lawless.(Pssst… today’s blooper comes courtesy of these amazing in-store tapes from KMart that someone kindly posted to the Interwebz. Also, Bree recommends the album Vacant Places by Hantasi if you really want to immerse yourself in the mall’s aural aesthetic.)Want more Denver metro mall history? Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Shout out your fave Denver metro mall of yore on Twitter: @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬