A New Angle

This week’s guest is Trevor Brown, post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Economy and Society at Johns Hopkins University. Trevor is the co-author of an important new book, Rural Versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy . Many of the dynamics reported in this book are unfolding here in Montana. In this conversation, Trevor talks about how rural and urban areas have become increasi...

This week’s guests are Marcus Welnel and Parker Fleming. Marcus played football for the Griz and now serves as chief revenue officer for Grizzly Athletics. Parker has a PhD in economics and works with the universities on how to set player salaries. In this conversation, the three talk about the changing landscape of collegiate athletics, particularly the impact of name, image and likeness on the a...

This week’s guest is Dr. Alex Metcalf, associate professor at the University of Montana’s Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. Alex is a social scientist who studies how people make decisions in a wide variety of conservation domains. Alex and Justin collaborate on a variety of projects, including a just released study on the interaction between politics and our attitudes towards wolves. I...

This week we're bringing you a recording of a live discussion hosted by Climate Smart Missoula called Not the Dark Ages: Climate Science Continues Despite the Attacks. Justin hosts a conversation between Amy Martin, a journalist and creator of the award-winning podcast Threshold , and Dr. Christopher Preston, a philosophy professor at the University of Montana and author of several books, includin...

This week’s guests are Andy Kemmis and Chris Bacon. Together, these two made a beautiful new book about skateboarding in Montana titled Grit to Grind . The book is an amazing visual and narrative history of how skateboarding shaped Montana communities in ways that might surprise you. In this episode, Andy and Chris talk about their skateboarding origins and how they came to be the writers of this...

This week’s guest is Caroline Joan Peixoto, co-founder and director of River Arts and Books in Roscoe, Montana. This little spot along East Rosebud Creek is all about building community. Founded in 2023, River Arts and Books has already produced a series of amazing events and created a space for folks to gather. In this conversation, Caroline gives the origin story of her project and how she wante...

In this special episode we pay tribute to Jeff Meese, master of all things sound at A New Angle, who is retiring after 26 years of service to the University of Montana College of Business. Thanks Jeff…you were the first to say, “how can I help” and you made us better in myriad ways. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visi...

This week’s guest is Stoney Samsoe, executive director and co-founder of Open AIR . Founded in 2019, Open AIR is dedicated to bringing creativity to diverse communities across Montana. Open AIR is perhaps best known for its amazing artist-in-residence program. In this episode, Stoney describes Open AIR’s purpose as focused on making artists keystone species in communities. And to continue the meta...

This week’s guest is Spencer Williams, founder and CEO of West Paw , a company that makes dog toys and treats. West Paw has built an entirely U.S.-based supply chain and does all of its manufacturing right here in Montana. West Paw is also the first B Corporation in Montana and is a great example of business as a force for good. In this conversation, Spencer talks about West Paw’s inception and wh...

This week’s guest is Richard Reeves, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and president of the American Institute for Boys and Men. In 2022, Richard published Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It . The insights from that book have sparked an important national dialogue, and Richard came to the University of Montana in November to discuss...

This week’s guests are Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty, authors of Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie . Josephine and Dave trace the legacy of industrialized agriculture and showcase various models for restoration. In this conversation, Dave and Josephine discuss the ecological value of the American prairie ecosystem, and go through some of the conf...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com This week, subscribers have access to a longer, unfiltered conversation between Nick and Justin. Check it out. This week’s guest is Nick Triolo, author of The Way Around , a field guide to going nowhere. Nick’s writing has appeared in Orion , Outside , and Trail Runner . He’s also a documentary filmmaker and lon...

This week on A New Angle, Justin and Bryce are going live for October’s Incentives & Instincts in celebration of Montana Public Radio’s Pledge Week. This one-hour conversation will pull the curtain back on I&I and A New Angle. How does Bryce know so much about so many things? What’s his day job? What is Justin up to with A New Angle? Why does it exist? This is a public episode. If you'd like to di...

This week’s guest is Alex Sobin, director of spectrUM. Since 2008, spectrUM has been dedicated to igniting an interest in science for kids throughout Montana. spectrUM is housed in the Missoula Public Library and supported by a wide variety of grants and other sources. In this conversation, Alex explains the hands-on and various outreach programs the museum fosters. She discusses funding challenge...

This week’s guest is Donnie Wetzel Jr., tribal liaison for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Donnie is also the founder of Identity, Inc., which houses the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. Donnie and his colleagues are working to promote the virtues of warrior culture through sport. In part two of this two-part episode , Donnie discusses his work on the forthcoming documentary fil...

This week’s guest is Donnie Wetzel Jr., tribal liaison for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Donnie is also the founder of Identity, Inc. , which houses the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. Donnie and his colleagues are working to promote the virtues of warrior culture through sport. In this conversation, Donnie explains the qualities of warrior culture and emphasizes the importan...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com This week is the September edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend, Bryce Ward, about some of the broader challenges facing our society. The two talk role models this month, a topic that’s come up several times in their conversations. They consider h...

This week’s guest is Dean Pearson, research ecologist with the United States Forest Service. Dean and his colleagues recently developed the urban pollinator matrix, a model municipalities and citizens can use to help threatened pollinators recover. In this episode, Dean and Justin discuss pollinator decline, some of the findings of the urban pollinator matrix - including the difference between let...

This week we’re sharing a special live recording of our recent event - This Didn’t Happen By Accident: Stories of Intention on the Land - hosted by Five Valleys Land Trust at the Line Ranch outside of Missoula. Justin moderated a panel discussion about conservation success stories in Montana with authors Donna Erickson, Bruce Bugbee, and Greg Tollefson, along with Whitney Schwab, Executive Directo...

This week’s guest is Lura Forcum, president of the Independent Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving politically independent Americans a stronger voice in elections. Lura and her colleagues conduct research and outreach to better understand the many Americans who don’t align with either major political party. In this episode, Lura talks about the disfunction of the two party system...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com This week is our August edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. It is back to school season and phones remain a hot topic in public schools. Some states have legislated bans and we'r...

This week's guest is Theresa Williams, crisis intervention team program manager for Missoula. CIT programs bring together law enforcement, mental health professionals, advocates and other partners to improve community response to mental health crises. Theresa has a deep background in social work and has worked in the behavioral health space for over 20 years. In this episode, Theresa talks about h...

This week Justin speaks with Andrew Light, distinguished professor of philosophy, public policy and atmospheric science at George Mason University. Andrew has also served in the highest levels of U.S. Government, most recently as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs at the U. S. Department of Energy. Andrew recently visited the University of Montana to deliver the 2025 Alber...

This week Justin speaks with Gillian Glaes and Peter Baker about the value of international experiences and perspectives. Gillian directs the University of Montana’s Franke Global Leadership Initiative, and Peter directs international programs at the Mansfield Center. Together, these two play a significant role in shaping the international experiences and perspectives available to students in Mont...

Today is the July edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. This episode is a continuation of last month’s conversation on artificial intelligence and its impact on our quality of life. In this conversation, Justin and Bryce discuss the business models and incentives aro...