And why we have a right to be here.
People & Places
Posted inJanuary 21, 2019: What Killed Washington's Carbon Tax?
How Indigenous reporters are elevating true crime
In the podcasts ‘Finding Cleo’ and ‘Thunder Bay,’ First Nations reporters reinvent a common formula. Can they find even bigger audiences?
Posted inFebruary 4, 2019: Nizhoni Girls
It’s time to start eating roadkill
Salvaging meat in Alaska is commonplace. Can it catch on in the Lower 48?
Posted inArticles
The stories that defined the West in 2018
The year in essays, analysis and investigations from across the Western U.S.
Posted inArticles
The metalheads of the Navajo Nation
See photos of the thriving music scene in backyards, abandoned houses and parking lot shows.
Posted inArticles
Alone on the Green River
Writer Craig Childs goes boating in Utah and ponders the costs and payoff of solitude.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
What you lose when you lose local news
People are less likely to vote, and politics become more polarized.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
As the influence of newsprint erodes, Westword prevails
Despite the state of the media, Westword Editor Patty Calhoun maintains hope.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
Podcasts that fill the gap
A roundup of our favorite podcasts on stories and analysis of the West.
Posted inArticles
See winter solstice around the West
After the longest night of the year, earth tilts once again toward the sun.
Posted inArticles
Fact check: the Goldwater Institute’s statements about the Indian Child Welfare Act
The Institute’s claim that ICWA harms Indian children relies on dubious assertions and dog whistles.
Posted inArticles
Hunting faces an ethical reckoning
Gruesome social media videos show how far modern hunting has drifted from its roots.
Posted inArticles
Elk run the show on Oregon’s north coast
When humans and wildlife clash, sometimes an animal bites your minivan.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Photos: the Borderlands free from stereotypes
Experience the banalities, triumphs and fragility of life on the U.S. – Mexican border.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Looking for love in all the wrong places
A quest for connection unites a new collection of Western stories.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
Indigenous comics push back against hackneyed stereotypes
The ‘noble savage’ in comics is dead. Long live the Dakwäkãda Warriors.
Posted inArticles
Life in sanctuary: Will a mother’s sacrifice be worth it?
A Salvadorian immigrant faces the mental and physical repercussions of living in a Denver church.
Posted inArticles
How the Indigenous bison bar was appropriated
Epic Provisions took credit for Native-owned Tanka’s idea and built an empire on a foundation of misleading claims.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
In Oregon, a mysterious tree grove conjures a colder time
Yellow cedars are suited to damp coastal Alaska. So what are they doing in the desert?
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Is sporting a Patagonia fleece a political statement?
A reporter ponders the message the logo of an increasingly political company sends.