Hey Amarillo

A conversation with the Rev. E. Courtney Jones of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. A former science teacher at Boys Ranch High School, Courtney took on a full-time role as, in her words, "some sort of minister" during the pandemic. She and host Jason Boyett discuss Courtney's long, winding path into the ministry from Amarillo to Austin and back to Amarillo, including how she began deconstructing her faith after a dramatic experience in college—and how she has since rebuilt it. This episode is sponsored by Bivins Pointe and Jimmy John's.

A conversation with Scott Buchanan of Yellow City Street Food (YCSF). Half of the husband-wife team behind this high-profile restaurant, Scott combines an impressive chef's resume with a punk-rock personality and passion for food. In this episode, he shares with host Jason Boyett about his journey through the Amarillo and Austin restaurant worlds, the YCSF origin story, and why Amarillo needs to keep its talent here instead of exporting it to other cities. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty and Terra Accounting & Consulting.

RERELEASE: A conversation with Patrick Miller, a local educator and the newly elected president of the Amarillo chapter of the NAACP. Also a member of the Amarillo College Board of Regents, Patrick became the youngest person ever elected to the Board in 2015. In this interview, he tells host Jason Boyett why he got into local politics and discusses his work with refugees at Whittier and Travis. This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental and originally released February 26, 2018.

RERELEASE: A conversation with Jodi Thomas, a best-selling novelist and member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. An Amarillo native, Jodi has written more than 50 books, from historical romances to contemporary fiction—and many are set in Texas and the Texas Panhandle. With host Jason Boyett, she shares her writing process, how her career began, and why this area is so significant to her work. This episode is sponsored by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and originally released September 17, 2018.

RERELEASE: A conversation with Dr. Ryan Pennington, founder and director of the Refugee Language Project. A linguist by profession, Pennington moved to Amarillo after several years working in Papua New Guinea. Here he discovered an extraordinary refugee population—and set about trying to remove the barriers that kept these residents from success. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Pennington's culture shock, how West Texans and Somalis are alike, and why relationships are key to learning a new language. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative and originally released August 13, 2018.

RERELEASE: A conversation with Kristin Babbitt, the entrepreneur behind Dotsy's Boutique in Wolflin Square. Women's fashion is big business in Amarillo, and Dotsy's has carved out a large and loyal following despite tons of local competition. With host Jason Boyett, Kristin shares how she started her boutique, her plans for the future, and why social media remains so central to Dotsy's success. This episode is sponsored by Blue Handle Publishing and originally released October 1, 2018.

RERELEASE: A conversation with architect Mason Rogers of Playa Design Studio, the firm behind several high-profile construction projects in Amarillo—including the Six Car/Crush building on Polk and the new Ronald McDonald House. With host Jason Boyett, Mason talks about the city's architectural history, whether or not Amarillo has a particular "style," and what he thinks the future holds for development and redevelopment. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty and Bivins Pointe and originally released December 17, 2018.

RERELEASE: A conversation with Stevi Larson, special events coordinator at Sharing Hope Ministry. After years of addiction to heroin, Stevi found herself in the state prison system. During her incarceration, she got in touch with Sharing Hope, based in Amarillo. Stevi tells host Jason Boyett about her past mistakes, why she came to Amarillo after her release, and how Patsy's Place helped Stevi establish her life in a new community. This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental and originally released March 26, 2018

Due to the current COVID-19 surge in Amarillo and the increasing difficulty of safe, in-person interviews during this moment, Hey Amarillo is going on a brief hiatus. The next few weeks of episodes will feature re-releases of past interviews from the first year of the podcast. In this 5-minute announcement, host Jason Boyett explains this decision.

A conversation with Scarlett Burke, the star, co-creator, director and executive producer of Make It Up as We Go, a new scripted podcast featuring Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and others. Born in Amarillo, Scarlett lived in Canyon before leaving to pursue acting, modeling and songwriting. In this episode, she shares with host Jason Boyett about growing up in Canyon, living in L.A. during the COVID-19 shutdown, and why Amarillo plays such a large role in her popular podcast. This episode is sponsored by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries.