Our Summer Reads: Finding Connection and Community in ‘Mixed Company’
Jenny Shank grew up in southeast Denver, but when it was time for school, she was bused all over the city — from an elementary school with a Chicano-rooted curriculum on the West Side to a predominantly Black middle school near Five Points. And it was those experiences that informed her new collection of short stories, “Mixed Company.” It explores all the awkward, comical, and challenging ways that very different kinds of Coloradans can find connection. The book has been awarded the George Garrett Fiction Prize and a Colorado Book Award since it was released last November — which is when host Bree Davies sat down with Shank to talk about their shared history with Denver Public Schools and busing, and how they understand their similar education experiences differently today.
NOTE: This interview originally aired in November 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more reading recommendations!
To learn more about her work including “Mixed Company,” check out her website, JennyShank.com
And for more on Denver’s history of busing, check out our episode from September 8 with playwright Alicia Smith Young!
What books are keeping you company this summer? Tweet us your recs! @citycastdenver
Sign up for our morning newsletter!
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Stay connected to City Cast Denver and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Denver State Senate Candidates Beef over Dark Money, Data Centers, and RTD's Budget
While there’s been plenty of coverage of the gubernatorial, congressional, and U.S. Senate primaries, smaller but equally important battl...
New Rules for City Council Lobbyists, Primary Ballot Conspiracies, and Winning Wontons
This week Denver City Council passed new lobbying rules aimed at increasing transparency and tracking who lobbyists work for, how much th...
Why Some Cherry Creek Trail Art Got 'The Landlord Special.' Plus, Downtown's Perception Problem and Our Summer Concert Picks
What makes a piece of public art “legitimate”? Denverite recently profiled artist Tom Dorsa, an appliance repairman by day who also insta...
Why Three Venues Cancelled on The Kiros/Piker Rally, a Conservative's Tour of Downtown, and Juneteenth Expands
Over the weekend, a rally featuring congressional candidate Melat Kiros and leftist political pundit Hasan Piker was booted from three lo...
How to Survive a Denver Summer
The National Weather Service and Climate Prediction Center are forecasting a warm and wet summer this year. So, how do you cope with incr...
'Your City Could Be Better': Why Every Region Needs A Park Map Tool Like Salt Lake’s — Presented By City Cast Denver
Do you know how many parks Denver has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast...
Kyle Clark on GOP Exorcisms, CD-8 Switcheroos, and Tornado False Alarms
Can Victor Marx conduct exorcisms over the phone? The ordained minister and front-runner in the GOP primary for governor says so, and mad...
Senator Michael Bennet on Housing Affordability, Redistricting, and How He’s Different From Gov. Polis
Michael Bennet has represented Colorado in congress since 2009. Now, the U.S. senator is running for governor – and is in the midst of a...
Attorney General Phil Weiser on Data Center Moratoriums, Bike Lanes, and His Run for Governor
Governor Jared Polis is serving his final term and the Democratic primary race to replace him is heated. Attorney General Phil Weiser joi...
UMS or Blucifer's First Rodeo? Plus, Bike Fest, CD1 Primary Challengers, and More From the Mailbag!
Host Bree Davies and Producer Olivia Jewell Love are opening up the City Cast Denver mailbag to hear listeners’ thoughts on everything fr...