Best MTPR Podcasts (2023)

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The Write Question

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“You don’t have to be perfect to serve the future”: Lisa Wells on ‘Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World’ 28:59

4d ago28:59

28:59

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with poet and essayist Lisa Wells, author of ‘Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World’ (Farrar, Straus & Giroux).By Lauren Korn

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Field Notes

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Northern Harriers 4:20

5d ago4:20

4:20

Northern Harriers are considered one of the most elusive raptors, and some of the most accomplished wildlife photographers admit how difficult they are to photograph. Male Harriers, with their white underside and opaque gray-back plumage, seem to be even more challenging to photograph than the brown and much larger females. For that reason, many bi…

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Field Notes

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Is That A Moose? 5:22

11d ago5:22

5:22

I was delighted to observe such an unusual visitor, but he had a bigger surprise for me. As I watched him forage through my yard he did something unique I had never seen, heard of, nor even imagined!

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The Write Question

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Jane Wong spotlights food as the connective tissue between us all in ‘Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City’ 28:59

11d ago28:59

28:59

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with poet and professor Jane Wong about her debut memoir, ‘Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City’ (Tin House Books, 2023).By Lauren Korn

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The Write Question

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‘The Lost Journals of Sacajewea’: Debra Magpie Earling’s second novel sees the mythologized figure as the agent of her own story 29:00

18d ago29:00

29:00

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ Lauren speaks with Bitterroot Salish novelist Debra Magpie Earling about her novel, ‘The Lost Journals of Sacajewea’ (Milkweed Editions).By Lauren Korn

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Field Notes

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Tufted Evening Primrose 4:43

20d ago4:43

4:43

Tufted evening primrose is one of the loveliest native plants found in dry climates across western and central North America. Its botanical name translates to “wine seeker, densely clumped,” which is apt for a low-growing, mounded plant with very fragrant, citrus-scented flowers.

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The Write Question

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Steph Jagger’s ‘Everything Left to Remember’: “As a person who is losing their mother, I refuse to lose myself as a daughter” 28:59

26d ago28:59

28:59

‘The Write Question’ is celebrating Mother’s Day with writer, explorer, and life coach Steph Jagger—author of ‘Everything Left to Remember: My Mother, Our Memories, and a Journey Through the Rocky Mountains’ (Flatiron Books), which came out in paperback in March of 2023.By Lauren Korn

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Field Notes

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We Speak In Smells 5:32

27d ago5:32

5:32

I could not articulate what pulled me off the trail, but I followed the urge all the way to the base of the towering tree, a western redcedar. I stood, neck bent back to take in its shading canopy of soft, scaly leaves. We greeted one another in an exchange that predates my ancestors taking human form: the mammalian exhale of carbon dioxide and inh…

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Montana Wildfire News

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Gianforte calls for aggressive attack on all wildfires 1:26

1M ago1:26

1:26

Gov. Greg Gianforte Tuesday convened federal, state, tribal and local fire officials for a preview of the state’s wildfire readiness. Forecasters say Montana could see normal fire activity this summer.By Edward F. O'Brien

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Capitol Talk

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A contentious legislative session ends. Will it mark a turning point in Montana politics? 14:00

1M ago14:00

14:00

Republican lawmakers say they delivered for Montanans. Democrats say they kept a lot of bad things off the books. The Regier family reigned over much of the action. And this session marked a political turning point — but in what direction?By Sally Mauk, Holly Michels, Rob Saldin

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Montana Wildfire News

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Controlled burns are in progress across the state 1:19

1M ago1:19

1:19

Firefighters are taking advantage of Montana’s unusually warm weather to ignite some controlled burns to reduce forest fuels. The goal is to prevent or minimize the impact of more destructive fires later in the summer.By Edward F. O'Brien

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Capitol Talk

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The Legislature makes the national news again and the mood at the Capitol turns sour 13:54

1M ago13:54

13:54

Republicans ban a trans lawmaker from the House floor, putting Montana in the national news spotlight. Meanwhile, much work remains on the budget as the end of the session approaches.By Sally Mauk, Holly Michels, Rob Saldin

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The Write Question

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Timothy Egan on ‘The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them’ 28:59

1M ago28:59

28:59

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn chats with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Timothy Egan about ‘A Fever: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them’ (Viking Press).By Lauren Korn

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Capitol Talk

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Citing decorum, Republicans shut down transgender lawmaker; 'Jungle primary' bill fails 13:09

2M ago13:09

13:09

Republicans try to silence transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr. Anti-trans bills are on their way to becoming law. Lawmakers table a bill to create a one-time "jungle primary" in next year's Senate race. The defeat of that bill may have political fallout for Senator Steve Daines.By Sally Mauk, Holly Michels, Rob Saldin

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The Write Question

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Encore: The beauty and the grief: Ada Limón’s ‘The Hurting Kind’ 29:00

2M ago29:00

29:00

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ we return to host Lauren Korn’s 2022 conversation with the current U. S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón, author of ‘The Hurting Kind’ (Milkweed Editions). Note: At the time of this conversation Ada hadn’t yet been named U. S. Poet Laureate.By Lauren Korn

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Field Notes

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Sandhill Spring 4:18

2M ago4:18

4:18

On this lazy Sunday just outside Missoula, I can hear only two cranes from the former flock. Perhaps these are the late sleepers, the teenagers, left by the wayside as the larger family group launched back to the migratory grind and headed north to their breeding grounds. Spring is the season of courtship, and what I’m listening to may well be the …

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Field Notes

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Deathwatch Beetle 1:38

2M ago1:38

1:38

Found in the eastern portion of the United States, deathwatch beetles typically inhabit the hardwood timbers of old buildings or the decaying wood of very old trees. The larvae bore into the wood, feeding for anywhere from one to ten years before pupating and emerging as an adult. And while their wood-boring lifestyle can weaken the structural inte…

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Capitol Talk

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Anti-abortion bills sail through the Legislature; Consequences vs. discrimination 14:01

2M ago14:01

14:01

Abortion in Montana could be severely limited if a slew of bills headed to the governor's desk become law. Montana's attorney general intervenes in a lawsuit to ban an abortion pill. Another bill seeks to answer the question of whether religious freedom protects bigoted speech. And lawmakers hope more money will help fix problems at the Warm Spring…

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The Write Question

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“The only truth that I really know”: Prince Shakur confronts mortality in ‘When They Tell You to Be Good’ 29:00

2M ago29:00

29:00

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Prince Shakur, activist, organizer, and author of ‘When They Tell You to Be Good’ (Tin House Books).By Lauren Korn

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Capitol Talk

1
Republicans try to tilt the scales in the Senate race, constitutional amendments stall 14:01

2M ago14:01

14:01

Rosendale attends Trump's post-arraignment event. Republican leaders want to change election rules — but only in one race. Many Cascade County residents are not happy with how their top election officer is doing her job. And several proposed amendments to the state Constitution may not make it to the ballot after all.…

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The Write Question

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Bryce Andrews re-writes western myths: Anti-violence, inheritance, reciprocity, and belonging in ‘Holding Fire’ 29:01

2M ago29:01

29:01

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Bryce Andrews, author of ‘Holding Fire: A Reckoning with the American West’ (Mariner Books, HarperCollins).By Lauren Korn

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Field Notes

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Sandhill Cranes 5:26

2M ago5:26

5:26

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the call of a Sandhill Crane. It was early June, and I was halfway through an eight-day backpacking trip in the Sapphire Mountains. Sitting in a meadow one evening and refilling my bottle at the oxbow of a quiet creek, I began to hear a sound unlike anything I’d ever heard. It was part elephant, part jackham…

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Capitol Talk

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Capitol Talk: Satanism enters the chat and it's déjà vu on gun laws 13:47

2M ago13:47

13:47

Congressional opponents of a ban on assault weapons, including Montana Sen. Jon Tester, aren't swayed by another school shooting. Neither are many state legislators, who want to expand, not limit, gun rights in Montana. A reference to Satanism prompts a walkout in a Senate committee hearing. And wilderness schools for troubled teens are once again …

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Field Notes

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Beaver Neighbor 4:07

2M ago4:07

4:07

I noticed a wide flat tail propelling the shadowy animal forward, and suddenly its head popped up above the water. Two large black eyes considered its surroundings as it meandered upstream. I watched excitedly through my binoculars as it dove smoothly under willow roots and resurfaced near a boulder. After two years of living along this creek, I ha…

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Field Notes

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Jumping Spider Paddle Battle 4:01

3M ago4:01

4:01

I love paddling my kayak, to get away even for just an hour or two. Sitting in my kayak one morning on a detention pond close to home, I watched a small, tan spider hopping on my paddle. I quickly took a picture, hoping to identify it later. Before I could enjoy watching this new-to-me spider too much, however, another spider—large, black, and hair…

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Capitol Talk

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Republicans own the budget — for better or worse; Arntzen gets an earful; Anti-trans bills advance 13:59

3M ago13:59

13:59

There aren't many Democratic fingerprints on the budget passed by the House. Montana's Legislature is just one of several targeting transgender issues. And state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen gets an earful on a statewide tour. Is she aiming for higher office?By Sally Mauk, Holly Michels, Rob Saldin

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Field Notes

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Keeper of the Woods (Pine Squirrels) 4:44

2M ago4:44

4:44

Then, it happens. A pine squirrel wakes up. First one, then another, then three hundred, then five thousand, and before long the evergreen canopy is buzzing with their banter. From that moment forward, my pre-dawn slyness is a distant memory. There is no unwatched, uncriticized movement in these woods anymore. Any step I take is met with angry feed…

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The Write Question

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“We need science that moves us”: ‘Writing Wild’ with Kathryn Aalto, the extended conversation 28:59

2M ago28:59

28:59

In early March, a mini episode with writer, instructor, and landscape designer and historian Kathryn Aalto aired on MTPR. This week, we return to women nature writers: this is the full, extended conversation with Kathryn, author of ‘Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World.’…

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Field Notes

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The Gall of Kinnikinnick 4:42

3M ago4:42

4:42

We pause our berry gathering to more closely examine the kinnikinnick. On many parts of the shrub, the smooth, leathery green leaf margins are accented by bulbous, yellow-red growths. Unmistakably, these are galls, tumor-like growths of the leaf tissue. Each gall was induced by a manzanita leaf-gall aphid (Tamalia coweni), a female aphid who probes…

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Field Notes

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Meet the Rubber Boa, Montana's Tiny Boa Constrictor 5:07

3M ago5:07

5:07

The cottonwoods and alders on the left and ponderosas and perennial grasses on the right framed the trail as if it were the subject of a painting, drawing our eyes up the valley. Mary was celebrating the variety and vigor of the riparian understory when I saw Iris sidestep a stick ahead of us. Iris leaves no stick unturned, so my curiosity was piqu…

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Field Notes

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Grasshopper Glacier

3M ago

—

As a teenage boy on the farm in Iowa, I experienced a horde of grasshoppers while unloading a wagon of oats. The surface was covered with grasshoppers! It was not difficult to grab one, and when I did, it would “spit tobacco.” I have since learned that spitting a dark liquid is a defense mechanism. Memories like this one have stuck with me, and in …

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Capitol Talk

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Lawmakers talk constitutional changes, abortion lawsuits and 'sex' 13:58

3M ago13:58

13:58

Montana's A.G. threatens to sue Walgreens over the abortion pill. The 2024 ballot could include a slew of proposed constitutional changes. Gov. Gianforte celebrates a major legislative win. And some Republican lawmakers propose a definition of sex.By Sally Mauk, Holly Michels, Rob Saldin

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Montana Wildfire News

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Bill would make it a crime to fly drones over wildfires 1:54

3M ago1:54

1:54

People who fly the drones over wildland fires could soon face criminal penalties under a bill gaining traction at the Legislature.By Edward F. O'Brien

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Field Notes

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Freaky Fungus with an Affinity for Fruit 4:49

3M ago4:49

4:49

You’ve probably seen it before, even if you didn’t know exactly what you were looking at: some black, woody growth on cherry or plum trees. Black knot fungus, or Apiosporina morbosa, is a fungal agent that invades young trees of the Prunus genus, including most hard-pitted, fruit-bearing trees like cherries, plums, apricots, and peaches.…

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The Write Question

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‘The Write Angle’: Lauren joins Justin Angle in a conversation with Christopher Preston, author of ‘Tenacious Beasts’ 56:16

3M ago56:16

56:16

This week, TWQ host Lauren Korn joins ‘A New Angle’ host Justin Angle in his podcast studio for a conversation with environmental philosopher Christopher Preston, author of ‘Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals.’By Lauren Korn

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Field Notes

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Belted Kingfisher Community Science: Aerial Ramming of a Nest Bank 5:04

3M ago5:04

5:04

For seven years, I pursued the jay-sized birds on Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula, Montana. That quest to observe a nesting pair turned out to be challenging. Belted kingfishers are loners, skittish, and fiendish to study. However, the rewards of a difficult journey are many—like finding something never recorded before.…

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