What's Your Why?
What’s Your Why? The Authors Journey
Every writer has a story—long before the first word is written. "What's Your Why?" is the podcast where authors share the journeys, inspirations, and defining moments that shaped their craft. Whether you're a book lover, an aspiring writer, or simply fascinated by the creative process, this show takes you beyond the pages and into the minds of storytellers.
Join Emy diGrappa, Executive Producer, Wyoming Humanities, as we explore the passion, struggles, and triumphs that drive authors to write. Through in-depth interviews and solo reflections, we uncover the why behind the words—because behind every book, there’s a journey worth telling.
Tune in and get inspired by the voices behind the stories.
- Update frequency
- every 16 days
- Average duration
- 25 minutes
- Episodes
- 154
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Pandemic Stories: A Snapshot In Time
Psychologically, speaking about our most difficult struggles and periods of life helps us to understand and heal. Until recently when we began serious exponential technological progress as a species,…
Mark Jenkins: When Lemons Give You Life
We had the pleasure of talking to Mark Jenkins about his passion for Wyoming and the humanities! He is a well-known name around Wyoming and the world. He is a critically acclaimed author and internat…
Sherry Smith: Knowing, Recording and Preserving History Directly Impacts Future Generations
Sherry L. Smith is University Distinguished Professor of History (Emerita) at Southern Methodist University. A historian of the American West and Native America, Smith's other books include Hippies, …
Mountains To Manuscript: Women Who Love The West
As the state of Wyoming remembers the 150th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Wyoming in 2019 and Jackson Hole celebrates the 100th anniversary of its all-woman town council in 2020, the Jackson Hol…
Babs Case & Bill T. Jones/The Arnie Zane Company: Using Dance To Explore Social & Political Tension
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company will join us in Jackson Hole for a creative and performance residency that looks at social and ethical issues through the lens of dance. Mr. Jones and the company wi…
James Arvanitakis: Undermining Class Based Ideology
Professor James Arvanitakis is currently on a Fulbright Fellowship as the Milward L. Simpson Visiting Professor – University of Wyoming. A former economist and free market advocate, James changed his…
David Rohm: Fly Like an Eagle
This interview with David Rohm discusses their work at Wild Excellence Films. Wild Excellence Films was awarded a Spark grant for their documentary Golden Eagles: Witnesses to a Changing West, and f…
Scott Henkel & The Millennial Falcon
Dr. Scott Henkel is the director of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, an associate professor in the departments of English and African-American Diaspora Studies at the University of Wyom…
Justin Farrell: Researching Environment, Politics, and Human Culture
Justin Farrell is an author, and sociology professor at Yale University. His research blends a mixture of methods, such as ethnographic fieldwork with large-scale computational techniques from networ…
Adam Smith: Talking About His Latest Film On The Replica Of Jackson Hole In Beijing, China
Adam James Smith is an award-winning, US-based filmmaker originally from the United Kingdom. Adam holds degrees from Stanford and Cambridge, the latter of which he is currently an Affiliated Filmmake…
Sam Mihara: Citizen of Heart Mountain
"What was very difficult was that the government never told us where we were going. It was a big secret to all of us inside that train. So, we were in there for three days and nights, not knowing whe…
Beverly Kopf: Trust Your Instincts & The Creative Process
Beverly joins us to outline her success and challenges as a writer and producer. She managed to overcome heavy obstacles and face her fears to claim awards and recognition, and even snagged an Emmy A…
Paige Okamura: The Heart of Hawaii & DJ Mermaid
Paige Okamura is a keiki papa of Māeaea, Waialua, Oʻahu. She's fluent in Hawaiian and is currently pursuing her MA in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her expertise in Hawaiian m…
Milward Simpson: 5th Gen. Wyoming, Arts Advocate, & Conservationist
Milward Simpson joins us to catalogue his musical and theatre career, work with state parks and cultural resources, and being a part of the creative economy called The Vitality Index. Simpson is a fi…
Lt. General Dirk Jameson: Climate Change! Immediate, Intensifying Threats To U.S. National Security
Lt. General Dirk Jameson served in the U.S. Air Force for over three decades before retiring in 1996, and has since held a number of private sector leadership positions. General Jameson is now a seni…
David Dodson: Co-Founder of Sanku & Project Healthy Children, Stanford Lecturer, and Former Candidate for the U.S. Senate
"So we started these intervention programs, and eventually we expanded into East Africa, we were in seven countries, reached about 45 million people with permanent sustainable programs to fortify foo…
Sherri Goodman: The Urgent Need To Understand The Magnitude Of Climate Change
Sherri Goodman is an experienced leader and senior executive, lawyer and director in the fields of national security, energy, science, oceans and environment.
She is co-founder of Red Duke Strategie…
Ashleigh Chapman: Ending Exploitation, Protecting The Vulnerable
Ashleigh S. Chapman, JD dedicated her life to ending exploitation and protecting vulnerable populations as a child, when her family first began caring for children in need. She has worked solely on …
Dr. Reverend Debra Haffner: Religion, Sexuality and Parenting
The Reverend Debra W. Haffner is executive director of the Religious Institute, a multifaith, nonprofit organization dedicated to sexual health, education and justice. An ordained Unitarian Universal…
The Afterlife of German Coal Mining And The Future Of Green Jobs
This interview is part of the Global Speaker Series. A podcast partnership between the Wyoming Humanities (ThinkWY.org) and the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs (www.jhcga.org). With the goal …