The Magic Southwest

News: Colorado courthouses and ICE arrests

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:31:30 +0000

Advocates say Immigration and Customs Enforcement is abusing loopholes in a Colorado law, SB20-83, which limits where ICE agents can make arrests connected to courthouses.

This story was originally produced for KDUR Durango and Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition says ICE is making arrests at courth

Along the Wagon Road

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:22:31 +0000

Rhubarb is all over the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado. Where did it come from? And what does an abandoned road in producer Jamie Wanzek's backyard have to do with it?

Content warning: This story mentions suicide ideation.

Reported, written, and produced by Jamie Wanzek

Edited by Kirbie Bennett

Music:

You'll Never Catch Me Crawling Back to You Roy Williams

The Poppy Red Garden

Loner on a Cliff

The High Lonesome

Hearth

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Silverton's International Rhubarb Festival
(00:07:43) - Old Rhubarb Plants in Silverton
(00:12:27) - The woman from the Rhubarb Cookbook
(00:15:21) - The Old Road From Durango to Silverton
(00:22:10) - From the Trail: A Wagon Road Through the Mountains

News: Fort Lewis College formally welcomes its first Indigenous president

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:17:51 +0000

Fort Lewis is a former federal Indian boarding school, making the appointment of President Heather Shotton significant because she is a descendant of boarding school survivors.

This story was originally produced for KDUR Durango and Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

Jamie Wanzek is an employee of Fort Lewis College

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Fort Lewis College Welcomes New President Heather Shotton During Investiture

A Conversation on Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms (feat. Kinsale Drake and Darcie Little Badger)

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:14:46 +0000

"This anthology is a portal," says Kinsale Drake. "Art, poetry, songs, stories - those things are both ancient and alive right now, and those are our superpowers."

In this episode of The Magic Southwest, co-host Kirbie Bennett speaks with Kinsale Drake and Darcie Little Badger, co-editors of a book titled Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms. Throughout the interview, they discuss the importance of highlighting underrepresented Indigenous voices, as well as anti-DEI backlash they've encountered while promoting the collection.

Written and produced by Kirbie Bennett.

Music provided by Alex Kehm.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Beyond the Glittering: Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms
(00:02:47) - Interviews: Beyond the Glittering World
(00:08:02) - The COVID Anthology
(00:12:06) - The Making of This Anthology
(00:17:13) - On The Synthology
(00:19:48) - Beyond the Glittering World: The Controversy
(00:26:21) - The Voices of Native Americans: A Selection
(00:30:31) - Are You Working On Any Projects?
(00:31:53) - Poems about History in the Southwest

Camping Out at the Spanish Trails Fiesta

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:32:13 +0000

Today, Durango Fiesta Days is popular for its late-summer rodeos. When the event started in 1935, it was called the Spanish Trails Fiesta.

On this episode of The Magic Southwest, Kirbie travels back to the 1950s and explores what the fiesta looked like, including stories about Indigenous people camping along the Animas River. What was the Spanish Trails Fiesta like for them?

Written and produced by Kirbie Bennett.

Music provided by River Foxcroft

Chapters

(00:00:14) - The Story of Durango Fiesta
(00:08:49) - Byron Frost's story of the Spanish Trail Fiesta

A People's Press

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:30:10 +0000

Print newspapers are becoming increasingly hard to keep alive. But for Maggie McGurie, print media isn't going anywhere in Southeastern Utah.

This story was produced for the Transom Traveling Workshop in Moab. Special thanks to KZMU Moab Community Radio, KDUR Durango, KikiBouba Press, The Moab Sun News, and Transom.

Music:
Martin Landström
Anna Ash

Chapters

(00:00:08) - The last locally-owned newspaper in Moab

Trailer: The Magic Southwest

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:23:23 +0000

In 1881, JJ Reilly, an artist from New York, visited Southwest Colorado. To the artist, 'magic' referred to industry, gold, and the illusion of the western frontier. At The Magic Southwest, we redefine 'magic'. We tell stories of the past, present, and future of this region.

Chapters

(00:00:08) - The Magic City of the Southwest

Poem: LOOK AT THE WAY THE MOUNTAINS HOLD THE SKY & THINK ABOUT WHAT IS BURIED IN A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Kirbie Bennett, Jamie Wanzek — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 21:31:03 +0000

As a prologue for a new season, Kirbie shares his land acknowledgement poem.

Some notes:

The 1890 census is a direct quote from the timeline section compiled by Native Voices, a division of the National Library of Medicine.

Sound design was provided by Epidemic Sound.

An earlier version of this poem was previously published in the Winter 2025 issue of Chapter House Journal.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - When I Read You a Land Recognition