podcast
Bringing you original writings from the Rocky Mountains and beyond
A 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, the literary podcast Words Out West launched in February 2021, and was created by Cole Grant and Jay Kettering, in partnership with Montana Public Radio (MTPR).
Spotlighting both established and emerging writers from Montana and the western U.S., Words Out West offers listeners a wide range of literary forms, genres, and styles. In each episode, our talented writers present poems, fiction, nonfiction, radio plays, songs, and other modes of verbal expression.
Logo illustration by Steve Fanelli
Montana's Poet Laureate (2011-2013) Sheryl Noethe reading from
Grey Dog Big Sky
Montana Public Radio:
Cole Grant records singer, songwriter, poet, Chris Sand
Montana Poet Laureate (2021 - 2023)
Mark Gibbons
Our goal is to bring to our listeners distinctive stories and fresh perspectives as we celebrate the tradition of writing in the West.
We have built a wide listenership across the West, which we only hope to grow in 2023.
Due to the generosity of our contributing writers, our listeners, donors, and sponsors—we have produced two seasons so far, for a total of 32 episodes, with more than 14,000 downloads to date.
Currently, we are in fundraising mode to pay for upcoming production costs, and hope to launch Season 3 in the Fall of 2023 or early winter 2024.
You can help our cause by going to the DONATE page on our website. THANK YOU!
SEASON 1 EPISODE RELEASE DATES:
2-8-2021: Puzzles of Human Relationships
(fiction/poetry)
Kevin Canty, Shaun Gant, David Allan Cates
2-15-2021: Pathways to Self-Discovery
(poetry/fiction)
Chris Sand, Freya Jones, Robert Lee
2-22-2021: Drinking and Addiction
(poetry)
David E. Thomas, Sheryl Noethe, Mark Gibbons
3-1-2021: Sense of Sound
(audio story/song/poetry)
Jay Kettering, Chris Sand, Robert Lee
3-8-2021: The Nature of Love via The Love of Nature
(poetry/song)
Brian Laidlaw, Sarah Aronson
3-15-2021: True Love and Its Many Forms
(poetry)
Shaun Gant, Mark Gibbons, Sheryl Noethe
3-22-2021: Self-Reflection
(poetry)
David E. Thomas, Sarah Aronson, Mark Gibbons
3-29-2021: Bold Women
(non-fiction)
Beth Judy
4-5-2021: Searching
(poetry)
Sheryl Noethe, David E. Thomas, Sarah Aronson
4-12-2021: Grab Bag
(poetry/song)
Shane Wheeldon, Freya Jones, Chris Sand
4-19-2021: Fleeting Nature of Time
(poetry)
David Allan Cates, Sheryl Noethe, Robert Lee
4-26-2021: Personal Landscapes
(poetry)
Mark Gibbons, Shaun Gant, David E. Thomas
5-3-2021: A Mysterious Relationship
(audio story)
Jay Kettering
6-1-2021: The Ticking of the Clock
(audio play)
Jay Kettering
6-14-2021: Who Is My Dad?
(audio play)
Jay Kettering
6-27-2021: Love and Gunpowder
(audio play)
Jay Kettering
voice actors: Rosie Ayers
and David Mills-Low
writer Beth Judy
writer Freya Jones
writer Robert Lee
singer/songwriter/poet
Chris Sand
singer/songwriters Caroline Keys and Nate Biehl
Cole Grant adjusts the mic for
poet Chris La Tray
writers David Allan Cates and David E. Thomas sign books at the WOW Audio Showcase fundraiser
voice actors Hamilton Clement and Az Sacry with Cole Grant and director Reid Reimers
poet Shaun Gants reads with musical backing by Cole Grant at the WOW Audio Showcase fundraiser
SEASON TWO EPISODE RELEASE DATES:
5-16-2022: You Hate These Roads
(non-fiction)
Richard Fifield
5-23-2022: One Sentence At A Time
(poetry)
Chris La Tray
5-30-2022: Songs in the Key of Keys
(songs/poems)
Caroline Keys, Nate Biehl
6-6-2022: A Meditation on Family, Caregiving, and Secrets
(fiction)
Caroline Patterson
6-13-2022: It’s all Just Noise
(audio play)
Jay Kettering
6-20-2022: In Love with Peace—Obliged to War
(fiction)
Sean Gallagher
6-27-2022: A Love Affair With Prison
(non-fiction memoir)
Leah Joki
7-4-2022: The Glitter and the Glamour
(spoken word/song)
Bobby Lee Springfield
7-11-2022: Much More Than a Bartender
(non-fiction dramatic reading)
Joan Melcher
7-18-2022: I Don’t Understand Snow
(songs)
Spencer Kellum
7-25-2022: Three Minds Driving
(memoir/poems)
Fred Haefele, Chris La Tray, Chris Autio
8-1-2022: How Stealing Laundry Leads to Success
(audio play)
Greg Owens
8-8-2022: How to Write About Sex and Death and Dreams
(poems/songs)
Mara Panich, Margi Cates
8-15-2022: Why the Village Appears on No Map
(fiction)
C. C. Alick
8-22-2022: A Place in the Sun for Butte
(non-fiction)
Rob Thomas
8-29-2022: Voices from the Oval
(essay/poems/non-fiction)
Robert Stubblefield, Jade Taylor,
Donna, Arganbright, Cass Sissel
11-20-2022: MTPR airing of WOW Radio Special
(selection of writers from Season 1 & 2)
writers Jade Taylor,
Robert Stubblefield, Cass Sissel, Donna Arganbright