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

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