Megan Torgerson is a podcaster and the creator of Reframing Rural, a narrative podcast whose mission is to “share stories of people and places in rural America in an effort to celebrate culture, preserve history and cultivate curiosity and conversation across geographic, class and cultural divides.” In just three seasons, Megan has grown Reframing Rural from a spark of an idea into a highly regarded podcast, one that has been recognized by institutions such as the Headwaters Foundation, Montana Farmers Union, Humanities Montana, and more. Personally, I have learned a ton from Megan’s work, so it was an honor to have her join me on the podcast.
Megan was born and raised on the Great Plains of eastern Montana, primarily in the small town of Dagmar. She attended the University of Montana in Missoula and eventually made her way to graduate school in Seattle, where she earned her MFA. As you’ll hear in this conversation, during her time in grad school, Megan began exploring the idea of a podcast that focused on rural America. Rather than getting bogged down in endless planning and idea generation, she took action, produced Season 1, and put it out into the world in spring 2020. Fast forward to today, and Megan has a team that works with her, she continues to receive wide-ranging recognition, and the show is being broadcast on several Montana radio stations.
I’ve known Megan for a year or so, but this was the first time I had a chance to ask her detailed questions about her journey as a storyteller. We started out talking about her upbringing in Dagmar, as well as her educational background and early career. We discuss why she decided to create a narrative podcast, and she explains the very involved process of creating a single episode. We discuss some of the issues that she explores in Reframing Rural, including rural gentrification, which was the topic of one of her most recent episodes. We discuss her generosity in the podcast space, whether or not she considers herself a journalist, why she is optimistic about the future of rural America, some advice for aspiring podcasters, and she has lots of amazing book recommendations.
If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to subscribe to Reframing Rural on your favorite podcast app. Megan is committed and she’s a pro, and I know that Mountain & Prairie listeners will appreciate the amazing work she’s putting into the world. Enjoy!
Photos courtesy of Megan Torgerson and Reframing Rural
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RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 5:30 – Megan’s childhood
- 12:30 – What Megan hoped to do once she went to college in Missoula
- 15:00 – How Megan’s passions inspired hard work
- 17:15 – Why Megan started Reframing Rural
- 22:00 – Why Megan produces a narrative style podcast
- 26:00 – When did Megan plan for podcasting to become a job
- 28:30 – Megan’s experience with why podcasts generate such compelling stories and interviews
- 31:30 – Whether podcasting is a journalistic or creative endeavor for Megan, and whether she is concerned or not with “taking sides”
- 35:30 – An example of Megan’s podcast topics
- 39:30 – If Megan worries about negative feedback to her show, and how she handles it
- 44:30 – Where Megan’s generosity comes from
- 47:30 – What Megan is optimistic about regarding rural America
- 51:30 – How Megan measures success as a storyteller
- 53:30 – Other storytellers that Megan admires
- 55:15 – How to start a podcast, according to Megan
- 57:30 – How long the Dover episode took Megan to make
- 59:15 – Megan’s accolades
- 1:02:30 – Megan’s book recommendations
- 1:06:15 – Megan’s parting words of wisdom
Information Referenced:
- Reframing Rural
- Episode 1: Preservation and Motherhood on the Northern Great Plains (Kim Rudningen episode)
- Episode 5: A Snapshot of Family Farming Amid Cycles of Modernization and Migration (the episode with Megan’s family)
- “Groundwork” Episode 2: Farm Succession in Northeast Montana
- “Groundwork” Episode 3: A Conversation with Kathleen McLaughlin on Class Inequality & Cultural Extraction in a Changing Montana (an episode regarding rural gentrification)
- “Groundwork” Episode 4: Rural Gentrification in North Idaho
- Ashville, NC
- Dagmar, MT
- Williston, ND
- Sheridan county (MT)
- Medicine Lake, MT
- Saskatchewan
- Missoula, MT
- Prague
- Charles University
- Au pair
- Czechoslovakia
- Slovakia
- University of Montana
- National Outdoor Leadership School
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
- Seattle University
- SU Arts Leadership Program
- On Being Podcast with Krista Tippett
- The Modern West Podcast
- Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
- Māori
- Quonset
- Business Impact NW
- Dover, ID
- Chloé Zhao
- Pine Ridge Reservation
- Songs My Brother Taught Me
- The Rider
- Billionaire Wilderness by Justin Farrell
- Pushed Out by Ryanne Pilgerim
- Sandpoint, ID
- Pend Oreille River
- Lake Pend Oreille
- Kalispell, MT
- Road House
- “Opinions vary” clip, Road House
- Tombstone
- Doc Holliday
- Billy Bob Thornton
- “I’m sorry I forgot you were there” clip, Tombstone
- The Rural Radio Collective
- Sunset Hill, Seattle
- Ballard, Seattle
- Red Ants Pants
- Sarah Calhoun
- Red Ants Pants Foundation
- Red Ants Pants Music Festival
- Girls Leadership Program
- Reimagining Rural, MSU Extension
- Amber Smith
- Women in Ranching
- Tara Mastel
- Pete McBride
- Headwaters Foundation
- Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
- S.G. Goodman
- Tascam field recorder
- Shure microphone
- Public Humanities Fellowship
- Butte America Radio
- Gallatin Valley Community Radio
- Missoula Community Access Television
- Humanities Montana
- Montana Farmers Union
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté
- The Last Best Place Co-Edited by William Kitrich and Annick Smith
- Assiniboine people
- The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks
- English Pastoral by James Rebanks
- Dakota by Kathleen Norris
- The Hugo House
- Joe Wilkins Writing Classes at Hugo House
- Thieve by Joe Wilkins
- Killing the Murnion Dogs by Joe Wilkins
- Becoming Wise by Krista Tippett
- Sound Reporting by Jonathan
- Out on the Wire by Jessica Abel
- Jessica Abel
- Ira Glass
- On Writing Well by William Zinzer
- Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
- The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
- George Floyd
- The Overstory by Richard Powers
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- John Branch – Seeking the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
- Shane Doyle – Reverence for the Past, Hope for the Future
- Heather Hansman, Part 2 – The Fascinating Story of Skiing’s Past, Present & Future
- Betsy Gaines Quammen – A Fascinating History of Public Lands in the West
- Pete McBride, Part 2: In Search of Silence
- Mike McTee & Vince Slabe – Win-Win Solutions in the Fight to Save Eagles
- Juanita Vero, Part 2 – A Deep Desire to Serve
- Jessica Wahl Turner – Outdoor Recreation & Rural Economies
Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes
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