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Changing Denver

The show about our city, how we make it and how it makes us. Each month, we highlight one of Denver's most interesting people or places, telling their story through a relevant political or cultural lens. Our fourth season is a series all on one topic. We're calling it Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats. Start with Chapter 1: Project Apple and the Wind.
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Now displaying: Page 1
Apr 9, 2021

Here is another teaser episode of City Cast Denver. I don't know why anyone who lives in Denver wouldn't want to have this in their feed. Subscribe here if you haven't already.

This particular episode puts a huge smile on my face. I loved listening to Gustavo Arellano's talk on Colorado-style Mexican food from the El Pueblo History Museum. I loved watching Patty Calhoun in the comments of the zoom event. I loved listening to Bree interview them. Everything about this episode is good feelings. What better way to start the weekend?

Plus you get to hear a rundown of the news at the top of the show.

Learn more about City Cast Denver, a new project from the person behind Changing Denver and a bunch of other really interesting and thoughtful people: http://citycast.fm/denver

Mar 18, 2021

Hey, Paul here. I've got a very cool new project to tell you about. If you like Changing Denver, I guarantee you'll like City Cast Denver.

It's a new daily Denver news podcast -- 15 minutes every weekday morning, stuffed full of all the local news you need to know, but also perspectives and voices that you'd never otherwise get to hear, plus a few fun surprises along the way.

I've been working on City Cast Denver for a few months now with some incredible people, and it's finally ready for you. We're launching NEXT WEEK (March 25 to be exact).

Our host is Bree Davies (@cocodavies on twitter), and if you don't know her, let me tell you, there's no one like Bree. When I first moved to Denver in 2015, Bree was the person who unlocked the city for me. Whether it was on twitter or in her Westword column, she has always had a knack for putting the big thorny issues Denver faces into deeply human terms -- and inviting people like me along for the ride. There would be no Changing Denver if it weren't for Bree. And now we're making something together! It's corny, but for me this really is a dream come true. 

Just listen to trailer for City Cast Denver, and you'll hear what I mean. Click here to follow the show on your podcast app of choice and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, too. We'll be with you every weekday morning, with fresh stories and conversation about everything Denver. 

If you've got questions about the new show or ideas you want us to talk about, you can reach me at paul.karolyi@citycast.fm or tweet at me @paulkarolyi

Apr 13, 2020

Changing Denver's favorite local historian returns. This is Phil Goodstein in conversation about the 1918 flu, how it affected Denver and how it could provide a roadmap for our future. 

Phil and I didn't talk about this, but I know he normally makes money giving walking tours around the city. I doubt those are very popular right now, so I'd like to remind you that Phil has many books about Denver's history available for purchase on the internet, including the websites of your favorite local booksellers. I recommend Denver from the Bottom Up: Robert Speer's Denver or his new one, which is part one of a new series about the history of Denver Public Schools. 

If you like Changing Denver and you haven't heard my latest piece about Land Acknowledgements and Arapaho chief Left Hand, I think you'd probably like it. It's on the Range and Slope feed or right here if you prefer to listen in a browser. 

Also, if for whatever reason you're feeling alone and deprived of meaningful connection with other people, we're starting up a podcast matchmaking service at House of Pod. It's called LoveSick, and you might like to listen or even sign up for a custom designed video chat blind date.

Aug 29, 2019

Longtime listeners of Changing Denver will be interested to hear about Range & Slope, a new podcast featuring sounds and stories from prairie to peak. 

Range & Slope is a product of the R & S Collective, of which Changing Denver host Paul Karolyi is a proud member. 

Subscribe wherever you listen to Changing Denver and learn more at rangeandslope.com

 

Aug 13, 2018

Our Rocky Flats series concludes with a look into the future. What does this summer's litigation mean for the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge? And what about the Rocky Flats of our collective imagination, has anything changed?

Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats is presented in partnership with the Colorado Independent and the Denver Public Library.

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Support the show!

Our limited-time crowdfunding campaign is ending at the end of this month. If you loved the Rocky Flats series, and you want more Changing Denver, set up a pledge at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.

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Our theme song is “Minnow” by Felix Fast4ward. The theme song for Unclear Danger is “Title Screen” by Aethernaut. Other music in this episode is by Lee RosevereChris Zabriskie, and Aethernaut.

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The photo that serves as the basis of the Unclear Danger logo was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by a user called AlbertHerring. We are using it under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License. The Colorado Independent’s Kelsey Ray designed the logo.

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Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver for photos and more behind-the-scenes details from our investigation into Rocky Flats.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Thanks for listening!

Jul 30, 2018

The reactions to the most recent episode of Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats have been overwhelming. In the form of two interviews about health impact studies of communities surrounding Rocky Flats, this is our response.

Unclear Danger is being produced in partnership with the Colorado Independent and the Denver Public Library.

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Support the show!

You can now support Changing Denver with a monthly pledge on our Patreon!

A monthly pledge of $3 or more will get you access to transcripts of each episode of Unclear Danger and three Changing Denver stickers. A pledge of $10 or more will get you a shout out in the end credits of each Rocky Flats episode. Learn more about our new, limited-time crowdfunding campaign at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.

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Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver.

Thanks for listening!

Jul 23, 2018

We take to the streets to hear from everyday Denverites on the big question besetting us all: How do you feel about the way Denver is changing?

Host Paul Karolyi recently served as the Podcaster in Residence at the Denver Public Library. This episode documents the final program of his residency.

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Support Changing Denver!

Set up a monthly pledge on Patreon at www.patreon.com/changingdenver and rate/review us on Apple Podcasts.

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You can learn more about Mile High Hustle: The Denver Startup Week Podcast here. Let us know what you think about it too. Feedback is always welcome.

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Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver

Thanks for listening!

 

 

Jul 16, 2018

Our Rocky Flats fiction series concludes with a story from local author Rebecca Aronauer, as read by her partner Bryon Quick.

Also included in this episode is an interview with Taylor Dunne and Eric Stewart, the producers of an upcoming documentary and multimedia project called Off Country. Their project places Rocky Flats in the context of the nuclear weapons industrial complex's impact on local communities nationwide.

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Support Changing Denver with a monthly pledge at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

Thanks for listening!

Jul 2, 2018

Unclear Danger 4: Is it safe?

In this fourth chapter of our Rocky Flats series, we set out to answer the central question in the recent controversy over the site: Will the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge be safe for visitors when it opens to the public?

Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats is presented in partnership with the Colorado Independent and the Denver Public Library.

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Support the show!

Our conclusion in this episode is sure to draw some criticism, so we need your support more than ever. Set up a monthly pledge on Patreon and gain access to the transcripts of each episode in the Rocky Flats series and more! Start by clicking this link – www.patreon.com/changingdenver.

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Our theme song is “Minnow” by Felix Fast4ward. The theme song for Unclear Danger is “Title Screen” by Aethernaut. Other music in this episode is by Soft & Furious, Chris Zabriskie, and Aethernaut.

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The photo that serves as the basis of the Unclear Danger logo was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by a user called AlbertHerring. We are using it under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License. The Colorado Independent’s Kelsey Ray designed the logo.

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Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver for photos and more behind-the-scenes details from our investigation into Rocky Flats.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Thanks for listening!

Jun 25, 2018

Changing Denver's first guest producer Rae Solomon provides an update on recent developments in the campaign to change the name of the neighborhood at the site of the former airport.

After this brief diversion back into Denver's history with the Ku Klux Klan, our Rocky Flats series will resume next week.

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Our theme song is “Minnow” by Felix Fast4ward. The other music heard in this episode is by the Blue Dot Sessions, Monplaisir, and Blah Blah Blah.

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Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver for photos and more.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Thanks for Listening!

 
Jun 18, 2018

Our Rocky Flats fiction series continues!

This time, we've got short stories by local authors Sonia Christensen and Giles Hash. 

You can find more stories from Sonia here and here. Giles is co-host of Beyond the Trope, our sister show on the Denver Podcast Network.

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Support Changing Denver with a monthly pledge at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

Thanks for listening!

Jun 4, 2018

In this third chapter of our Rocky Flats series, we dive deep into the last few years of conflict between the government agencies responsible for the lands of the former nuclear weapons plant and the activists who want to keep it closed forever.

Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats is presented in partnership with the Colorado Independent and the Denver Public Library.

Support the show!

Unclear Danger is the product of countless reporting trips, numerous interviews, and many, many hours of research, writing, editing, and audio production. If you want to help defray the costs of all that work and send a message that you care about this kind of in-depth, local journalism, set up a monthly pledge to support Changing Denver at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.

This is a limited-run crowdfunding campaign. We’re shutting it down after the Rocky Flats series concludes in a few months. That means time is running out to show us you care!

www dot patreon dot com slash changing denver

Our theme song is “Minnow” by Felix Fast4ward. The theme song for Unclear Danger is “Title Screen” by Aethernaut.

Soft and Loathing and Lee Rosevere created the other music heard in this episode.

The photo that serves as a basis for the Unclear Danger logo was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by a user called AlbertHerring. We are using it under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

The Colorado Independent’s Kelsey Ray designed the logo.

Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver for photos and more behind-the-scenes details from our investigation into Rocky Flats.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Thanks for Listening!

May 14, 2018

Surprise!

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You can read more of Lumans’ work on his website.

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Support Changing Denver with a monthly pledge at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

Thanks for listening!

Apr 30, 2018

Local Hazard, Global Threat

Our story of Rocky Flats continues. In this second chapter, we share the people’s history of the site, from humble beginnings in the early 1970s to a resurgence of activism today.

Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats is presented in partnership with the Colorado Independent and the Denver Public Library.

Support the show!

If you’re loving this Rocky Flats series, we recently launched a new way to support the show. It’s a limited run crowdfunding campaign, and you can find it at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.

Pledge at least $3 per month and you get access to the transcripts from each episode of Unclear Danger and 3 Changing Denver stickers sent to the address of your choice. Pledge at least $10 per month, and we’ll read your name (or a pseudonym of your choice) in the credits to each episode.

patreon dot com slash changing denver

Recommended Reading:

You can learn more about Kristen Iversen’s book Full Body Burden at her website.

Follow along with the activists at Rocky Flats Downwinders, Candelas Glows, and Rocky Flats Right to Know, as well as the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center.

Here’s a few links to documents mentioned in the episode: Rocky Flats Interagency Agreement of 1991, Rocky Flats Cleanup Agreement of 1996, and the Citizens Advisory Board’s legacy report.

This episode includes extensive clips from several oral histories on file at the Boulder Public Library’s Maria Rogers Oral History Program. You can find each of the oral histories we excerpted here: Robert Card, Daniel Ellsberg, and Pam Solo.

If you are a subscriber to Harper’s Magazine, you can read all of the Edward Abbey piece excerpted in this episode here. Nonsubscribers can find it in the published collection of Abbey’s work, Down the River.

“One Man’s Nuclear War,” Edward Abbey. Copyright © 1979 Harper’s Magazine. All Rights reserved. Reproduced from the March issue by special permission.

Our theme song is “Minnow” be Felix Fast4ward.

Denver’s premier chiptunes artists Aethernaut and Michael Zucker provided the score for this episode and all of Unclear Danger.

Also heard in this episode are a few songs by a group called Soft and Furious and a couple of old Rocky Flats protest songs. Those were performed by Jesse Wooten. You can find more of his music under the names Black Balsam and New Hill.

The photo that serves as a basis for the Unclear Danger logo was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by a user called AlbertHerring. We are using it under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

The Colorado Independent‘s Kelsey Ray designed the Unclear Danger logo.

Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver for photos and more behind-the-scenes details from our investigation into Rocky Flats.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Thanks for listening!

 

 

 

Apr 16, 2018

Welcome to the first supplemental, side episode in our Rocky Flats series. Herein you’ll find a recording of the panel we put on at the Denver Public Library on April 7, as well as an unprecedented plea.

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You can now support Changing Denver with a monthly pledge on our Patreon! A monthly pledge of $3 or more will get you access to transcripts of each episode of Unclear Danger and three Changing Denver stickers. A pledge of $10 or more will get you a shout out in the end credits of each Rocky Flats episode. Learn more about our new, limited-time crowdfunding campaign at www.patreon.com/changingdenver.

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Meet the Panelists:

Len Ackland is an independent journalist and retired journalism professor. During his time as editor, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists won a National Magazine Award in 1987, and he went on to serve as the founding director of the Center for Environmental Journalism at CU Boulder. Of particular interest, Len is also the author of Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the Nuclear West.

Murph Widdowfield has the unique distinction among our panelists of having spent time working at the Rocky Flats plant. Like many other former workers, Murph remained involved in issues surrounding the site. He is currently the president of the board of the Rocky Flats Cold War Museum, a museum that you cannot physical visit, despite years of effort from Murph and the rest of the board.

Dorothy Ciarlo is a PhD and retired clinical psychologist. In the late 90s and early 2000s, she worked with the Boulder Public Library’s Maria Rogers Oral History Program to conduct more than a hundred interviews with former workers, activists, politicians, scientists, and contractors, some of which you heard in the first episode of our Rocky Flats series. Dorothy went on to publish a paper based on these interviews in the Journal of Peace Psychology. That paper is titled ”Secrecy and Its Fallout at a Nuclear Weapons Plant: A study of Rocky Flats Oral Histories

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Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver.

Thanks for listening!

Apr 2, 2018

Welcome to the fourth season of Changing Denver. It’s going to be a season-long series all on one topic. We’re calling it Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats.

We’re proud to present this whole season in partnership with the Colorado Independent and the Denver Public Library.

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Next Week:

We are hosting a panel, titled “Remembering Rocky Flats,” at the Denver Public Library on April 7. Three Rocky Flats historians—Len Ackland, Dorothy Ciarlo, and Murph Widdowfield—will be sharing their stories and unique perspectives on the Rocky Flats story. Find us on the 7th floor of the library’s central branch at 2 pm.

Recording this kind of thing can be hit-or-miss, so come out on the 7th to make sure you hear what these three have to say.

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Recommended Reading:

Len Ackland’s Making a Real Killing should be available at your local bookshop. Len will also be appearing at our April 7 event if you have questions for him.

The Ambushed Grand Jury is available online as a free PDF.

So is the full text of the Lamm-Wirth Task Force’s final report.

For more on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s plans for Rocky Flats, check out their website here.

This episode includes extensive clips from several oral histories on file at the Boulder Public Library’s Maria Rogers Oral History Program. You can find each of the oral histories we excerpted here: Ken Freiberg, Dick Lamm, Tim Wirth, William Cohen, and Jacque Brever.

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Our theme song is “Minnow” be Felix Fast4ward.

Denver’s premier chiptunes artists Aethernaut and Michael Zucker provided the score for this episode and all of Unclear Danger. Also heard in this episode are a few songs by a group called Soft and Furious. Those are in the public domain.

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You can learn more about Changing Denver at our website www.changingdenver.com. Follow us on Twitter @changingdenver for photos and more behind-the-scenes details from our investigation into Rocky Flats.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Thanks for listening!

Mar 12, 2018

Unclear Danger: The Colorado Story of Rocky Flats will begin on April 2.

One week after the first episode is published, we'll be hosting a panel, titled "Remembering Rocky Flats," at the Denver Public Library. Find us on the 7th floor of the central branch at 2pm on April 7.

Follow @changingdenver for more details. 

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Music for this trailer and for all of season four provided by Aethernaut, Denver's premier chiptunes artist. 

Jan 8, 2018

On this episode of Changing Denver – the finale of season three! – we share the story of Lauri Lynnxe Murphy, a local artist and writer.

You can follow Lauri on Twitter at @Lynnxe and learn more on her website.

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Recommended reading:

Meow Wolf in Denver: Santa Fe's deliriously popular art collective lands with permanent installation

Artspace lands site for affordable artist housing in RiNo

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Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

Also heard in this episode is a selection of songs of Madeline Johnston’s album “Like Author, Like Daughter,” as well as the track “The Split” by Howard Hello and “Civil War” by Bear and the Beasts.

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Learn more about Changing Denver at our site, www.changingdenver.com, or follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

For behind-the-scenes goodies, personal tidbits, local music recommendations, occasional bonus interviews and more, sign up for our newsletter.

Thanks for listening!

Dec 4, 2017

Our third agent of change is a group of people, the newcomers and the transplants. It comprises two interviews, one with Helen Thorpe, author of a new book about refugee and immigrant teenagers at South High School, and the other with Zena Ballas, creator of a new digital archive of transplant profiles.

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You can learn more about Helen's book, The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom, here.

And you can find Zena's project here.

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Music for this episode provided by D.A. Evosirch. He's @noirguitarsuperstar on Instagram.

Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

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Learn more about Changing Denver at our site, www.changingdenver.com, or follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

For behind-the-scenes goodies, personal tidbits, local music recommendations, occasional bonus interviews and more, sign up for our newsletter.

Thanks for listening!

Nov 26, 2017

In this installment of Changing Denver Bit By Bit, we revisit our episode about Five Points, “The Five Points and the Six.” In that piece, we shared the story of a local business, Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen, that got caught proudly advertising the fact that it was changing the culture of one of Denver’s most important, traditionally Black neighborhoods.

Well, as you may have seen on social media last week, all that happened again. This time the business was Ink! Coffee and the incident has already made national news.

This CDBBB features Paul’s report from a protest against Ink! and gentrification, as well as a rebroadcast of our Five Points episode from a couple years ago.

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Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

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Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

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You can find us on Twitter @ChangingDenver and sign up for our newsletter at www.changingdenver.com/about

Thanks for listening!

Nov 2, 2017

Earlier this week, we brought you the story of Tay Anderson, 19-year-old candidate for the Denver Public School Board. In this installment of Changing Denver Bit By Bit, we bring you the audio of a candidates' forum that aired on Channel 8 back in October. This was Tay's first televised debate, and it offers the chance to delve deeper into the politics of local education.

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Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

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You can find us on Twitter @ChangingDenver and sign up for our newsletter at www.changingdenver.com/about

Thanks for listening!

Oct 30, 2017

Our second “Agent of Change” is Tay Anderson, the 19-year-old running for the Denver Public School Board. What does his Trump Era campaign mean for us and for our schools?

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Further reading:

You can read all about Tay’s platform on his website: www.tayanderson.org

And here’s a recent piece Melanie Asmar wrote about the District 4 race: Inside the three-candidate battle for northeast Denver’s school board seat

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Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

Also heard in this episode: “When I See You” and “If You Got the Blues” by Dragondeer; “Love Isn’t Enough” by Pink Hawks; and “Just Look at My Habits,” “This is the Girl,” and “Cobraskin Wallet” by Man Mantis. Huge thanks to all three for the use of their music.

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Learn more about Changing Denver at our site, www.changingdenver.com, or follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

Changing Denver is a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

For behind-the-scenes goodies, personal tidbits, local music recommendations, occasional bonus interviews and more, sign up for our newsletter.

Thanks for listening!

Oct 9, 2017

In this installment of Changing Denver Bit By Bit, Paul offers a personal report on his experience at a fancy cannabis pairing dinner put on by Mason Jar Events Group.

In some ways, Mason Jar is following in the footsteps of Jane West, the subject of last week’s episode. It’s a woman-led company on the vanguard of public consumption, and they are constantly trying out new ways to normalize and maximize the experience of getting high.

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Former Cannabist editor Ricardo Baca, who you heard on last week’s episode about Jane West, interviewed Mason Jar’s founder Kendal Norris back in January. Check it out here for a very different perspective on these events.

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Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

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You can find us on Twitter @ChangingDenver and sign up for our newsletter at www.changingdenver.com/about

Thanks for listening!

Oct 2, 2017

On this episode of Changing Denver, we tell the story of Jane West, “ganja-preneur” and advocate, and explore the role of women in the cannabis industry.

This episode marks the start of season 3, a mini-season highlighting people we’re calling “agents of change,” instead of neighborhoods or other made spaces.

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Further reading:

We highly recommend reading John Schroyer’s extensive report on Women Grow. You can find it here.

Also from Marijuana Business Daily, here are the results of their surveys of women in the cannabis industry: 2015 is here and 2017 is here.

You can learn more about Jane and her new line of products at her website: www.janewest.com

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Our theme song is "Minnow" by Felix Fast4ward.

Thanks to Safe Boating is No Accident for the use of their songs “Never Change” and “Day Planner,” which can be found on the album Bonus Features. Thanks also to Chella & the Charm for the use of their tracks “Queen City of the Plains” and “What of Dreams” from the album Denver Delay.

Leighton of Safe Boating and Chella are co-hosts of Discover Weakly, our partner show at the Denver Podcast Network.

Also heard in this episode was a selection of tracks we found on the Free Music Archive. All were used under a creative commons license.

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Learn more about Changing Denver at our site, www.changingdenver.com, or follow us on Twitter at @ChangingDenver.

For behind-the-scenes goodies, personal tidbits, local music recommendations, occasional bonus interviews and more, sign up for our newsletter.

Thanks for listening!

Aug 28, 2017

We have a major announcement: Changing Denver is now a proud member of the Denver Podcast Network.

Rounding out the founding partner shows:

Beyond the Trope, a podcast for nerds

Left Hand Right Brain, an exploration of creativity

Discover Weakly, music talk. You could do worse.

Reel Nerds, a new movie every week

Denver Pizza Podcast, the only show hungry enough to review every pie in Mile High

Jon of all Trades, a weekly show featuring interviews with successful people from all across the employment spectrum

The Revisionists, an alternate history podcast

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