The Freeflow Podcast

a media project of Freeflow Institute

SEASON 1  |  EPISODE 13

Jessica Zephyrs: Consider the Cimarron

7.30.2021 // PODCAST SEASON ONE

We started the Freeflow Podcast because we feel proud of the people we work with – our students, instructors, and collaborators. We figured that within our growing community we had the makings of a beautiful collage – perspectives, lessons, and ideas – the ingredients for a unique mosaic of sound and story. We wanted to create an audio aggregation of experiences, places, lessons, histories, dreams, and portraits – something like a literary journal, and a collaborative documentation of the evolving West – profiles of rivers and portraits of places and people.

So far in this first season of the podcast we’ve focused our attention on the rivers of the West. To close out the season, we are sharing a piece by Jessica Zephyrs, a writer, marketer, and Oklahoman living out her Rocky Mountain dreams in Montana. Jessica paints a portrait of a wild river so far and different from the ones that flow through our western landscape – she takes us to her native Oklahoma, to a river you’ve likely never heard of, the Cimarron, which is itself a very distinct, very non-western expression of wild water, and to the people who have shaped and been shaped by her home place.

Jessica’s work has been published in Green Teacher Magazine, Ginko Tree Review, Adventure Cyclist blog, and Snapshots: a 100-word Anthology. She is also the co-writer, co-producer, and host of the very cool podcast, Dynamo Jenny.

    Credits

    Our theme music is by Nate Hegyi and Wartime Blues.

    The Freeflow Podcast is made possible by generous contributions from The Prop Foundation, the Montana Arts Council, and Western Cider Co.

    Would your organization or brand like to support The Freeflow Podcast? Get in touch. We are excited to explore new and innovative partnerships.

    Rick White is a writer and producer of The Freeflow Podcast. His work has been published in The A.V. Club, High Desert Journal, Westword, and Camas, and was recently nominated for Best American Essays. He likes stories that are rich in mischief, especially the misadventures of lovable losers on impossible quests. 

    Stephanie Maltarich, a producer at The Freeflow Podcast,is an independent audio producer based in Gunnison, Colorado. She’s reported and produced radio stories for NPR, Colorado Public Radio and Yellowstone Public Radio. She’s contributed to the Out There Podcast and written scripts for Duolingo’s language learning podcast. She discovered her love for audio storytelling while completing a Master’s degree at the University of Montana. 

    The Freeflow Podcast is made with love in Montana, near the storied Blackfoot River.

    Arlo, on the banks of the Blackfoot, during the summer months when weathered sticks, sunshine, and warm, flat rocks define his days.