David Brown is an archeologist, anthropologist, and co-directed the 2014 documentary “Agave is Life” with partner Meredith Dreiss. In this program, Brown and Nguyen discuss the importance of agave to cultures of Mexico and the American Southwest.

This documentary was one of the inspirations for the first ever Agave Festival, which was held in Marfa in June of 2017. Hosted by Diana Nguyen for KRTS

On this episode of West Texas Talk, Elise sits down with author and Lannan Fellow Emily Raboteau. Raboteau is the author of a novel, The Professor’s Daughter (Henry Holt) and a work of creative nonfiction, Searching for Zion (Grove/Atlantic), named a best book of 2013 by The Huffington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle, a finalist for the Hurston Wright Legacy Award, grand prize winner of the New York Book Festival, and winner of a 2014 American Book Award.

Raboteau’s fiction and essays have been widely published and anthologized in Best American Short Stories, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Tin House, Buzzfeed, Literary Hub, The Guardian, Guernica, VQR, The Believer,... Hosted by Elise Pepple for KRTS

On this edition of West Texas Talk, a conversation with writer, poet, playwright, and current Lannan writer-in-residence, Nick Flynn.

Flynn is the recipient of multiple writing awards, including the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir and PEN/Joyce Osterwell Award for Poetry.

Some of Flynn's works include Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, Some Ether, The Reenactments, and Blind Huber.

In this conversation Flynn talks about the inspirations of his work, and reads selections of new poetry he's been working on.

Hosted by Travis Klunick for KRTS

Midland County's Library Director John Trischitti, better known as Mr. T, has put Midland on the map as one of the state's top libraries. In 2014, he won Texas Librarian of the year, and one of his passions is literacy. In March 2017, Trischitti gave a Ted Talk at Abilene Christian University about the larger implications of illiteracy. Nguyen and John discuss the correlation between illiteracy and lower income, poor health, and greater inequality.

Midland Need to Read summarizes estimates on the literacy gap in Midland County based on reports from Texas literacy organizations:

64,000 adults in Midland need English language assistance (Texas LEARNS)

32,000 need basic litera... Hosted by Diana Nguyen for KRTS

On this episode of West Texas Talk we take a look at the final days for Marfa Contemporary. The art nonprofit - an extension of Oklahoma Contemporary - is closing after nearly 5 years in West Texas.

In that time the art nonprofit has featured artists throughout the world.

Ahead of Marfa Contemporary’s final exhibit we speak with the contemporary’s director Kate Green and artist Autumn Knight, who will be performing a final piece during an event on Saturday 13, 2018.

For her performance, Knight says she will incorporate interactions between audience members, who will be entirely from West Texas. "I feel it's a reflection of who is already here and who will be here after this m... Hosted by for KRTS

Caroline Halter speaks to author Sonja Klein about her newest book, Ambushed by America - a collection of essays on life, love, and travel.

Sonja Rose Klein is a fifth generation Texan, a native Houstonian, and graduate of The University of Texas. She has taught school, worked at NASA as an editor and after retiring as a property tax consultant, she moved to the Nueces Canyon 18 years ago where she gardens, reads avidly, writes and raises a few sheep as well as hosting short term rentals on four of the homes on her isolated ranch. She divides her time between her ranch in Real County and her casita in Alpine, Texas. Hosted by Caroline Halter for KRTS

On this episode of "West Texas Talk," Elise Pepple speaks to renowned photographer Laura Wilson about her photographic essay, Watt Matthews of Lambshead. Wilson's work celebrates the life of Watt, a rancher who was "vital force behind a vast West Texas ranch."

Laura Wilson is a photographer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, GQ Magazine, English Vogue, London’s Sunday Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, and Wallpaper. Laura Wilson is married and lives in Dallas, Texas. She and her husband Robert are the parents of three sons, Andrew, Owen and Luke Wilson. Hosted by Elise Pepple for KRTS

For tonight's episode of "West Texas Talk," we remember Ken Whitley of Marfa, who died on January 4, 2018. Whitley, also known as "Christopher Columbus," was one of the first volunteer DJs at our station. He hosted the show “Boogie Chillun'” with his wife, Shere Whitley. They played blues, gospel, cajun and zydeco music - a nod to his rural Louisiana roots.

"I remember driving down the dark evening highway that night his show first aired," said former station manager Tom Michael. "It must have been warm enough to have the windows down because I punched my fist into the inky black air during the show opener thinking, 'Oh yeah, this one will work.'"

Whitley was a former oilman who... Hosted by Jason Kolker & David Beebe for KRTS

On this episode of West Texas Talk, Diana Nguyen talks with Sara Galbiati, Peter Helles Eriksen and Tobias Selnaes Markussen. They’re members of the Denmark-based collective, Phenomena, which takes an anthropological approach to studying the modern idea of extraterrestrials and UFOs. They spent three years traveling through the southwestern region of the United States, investigating and documenting believers. Their work is compiled in a book, titled Phenomena. Hosted by Diana Nguyen for KRTS

On this episode of West Texas Talk, Grammy Award nominated musician Meshell Ndegeocello stops by the studio. Ndegeocello talks about her most misunderstood song, collaborating with artists including John Mellencamp and Chaka Khan, and her recent theater project. We also talk about Ndegeocello’s forthcoming album, Ventriloquism, which is a series of 90s pop covers. Hosted by Bayla Metzger for KRTS