‘Re-Storying the West’ Podcast Brings Wyoming Voices to the Forefront

A podcast from the University of Wyoming's "Re-Storying the West" project is bringing the voices of everyday Wyomingites to listeners, with six episodes now available that highlight personal stories from communities across the state.

Re-Storying the West is a storytelling initiative that documents and shares the experiences of people across Wyoming, focusing on the everyday lives, histories and perspectives that shape the region. Through stories gathered in conversation, the project aims to broaden how Wyoming -- and the American West more broadly -- are understood.

The project is led by UW Associate Professor Nancy Small, along with a team of graduate students in the public humanities Ph.D. program.

"We're now headed into our second summer season of traveling for the project, and I'm excited to see what might be shared with us," Small says. "So far, we have plans to be in Moorcroft, Gillette and Pinedale, and we're in the process of locating community partners around the northern part of the state."

In the most recent episode, the podcast gives listeners a behind-the-scenes preview of the Re-Storying the West team and the work it does to shed light on the stories of everyday Wyomingites.

Past podcast episodes feature conversations with individuals from across the state whose stories focus on topics such as friendship, place, memory, family legacies and Western art.

By highlighting personal narratives, the project seeks to preserve stories that might otherwise go untold and offer new perspectives on the state's communities and culture.

"There is a hyphen in the title of this project, and I think that creates space," says public humanities Ph.D. student Misty Springer, who hosts and creates the podcast. "It makes space for the small, everyday stories that link us to a place and to each other. It also holds space for the difficult stories and the stories that don't 'fit' the mythos of Wyoming."

The podcast is part of the broader Re-Storying the West project, which brings together researchers, students and community members to record and share oral histories from across Wyoming.

The website https://www.restoryingthewest.org currently features nearly 100 stories from individuals across the state. The Re-Storying the West team also hosts storytelling events, supports the work of scholars across many disciplines and has supported the launch of a public humanities lab.

Listeners can find the podcast and the first six episodes on the website, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Those interested in sharing their stories can email [email protected].

For more information about the Re-Storying the West project, visit https://www.restoryingthewest.org or email Small at [email protected].