Howdy!

Wes Ferguson

I’m Wes. I’m the founder of Free Range Productions, a small shop that makes documentary podcasts. I also write books and magazine stories.

Previously, I was the Managing Editor of Texas Highways and a Senior Editor for Texas Monthly. I’ve been a Finalist for a National Magazine Award in Feature Writing and was a finalist for Writer of the Year at the City & Regional Magazine Awards in 2022.

My documentary podcasts Devil Town and Standoff have been downloaded millions of times. My new podcast series, The Unforgotten, is out now, from Free Range. My co-creator for Season 1 is author Carol Dawson.

I grew up in East Texas and live near Austin with my wife, Laura. You can reach me at wesferguson@gmail.com.

Podcasts

  • The Unforgotten, from Free Range, Summer 2024
  • Devil Town, from Imperative Entertainment, Fall 2022
  • Standoff, also from Imperative, Spring 2022
  • A Dance with Death, coming soon-ish

Books

  • The Blanco River, 2017
  • Running the River, 2014 (released as an audiobook in 2022)
  • A nonfiction book about El Camino Real de los Tejas, the first trail across Texas (work-in-progress)
  • Through my teeny-tiny imprint, Pecos Press, I find and republish out-of-print books written by other authors I admire

Recent Awards

Selected Articles & Essays

Honors, Appointments & Leadership

  • Council Member, Texas Institute of Letters, appointed 2022
  • Fiction Judge, Texas Institute of Letters’ 2023 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction
  • Nonfiction Judge, Writers’ League of Texas 2021 Book Awards
  • Inductee, Texas Institute of Letters, 2019
  • Writer in Residence, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 2017
  • Writer in Residence, Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing, Art, and the Environment, 2015
Running the River, 2014 (released as an audiobook in 2022)

Public Appearances

Anthologized Work

Wes Ferguson & Imperative Entertainment Team For Prison Siege Podcast ‘Standoff’” — Deadline

In the News

Good Guad Land Co.

If you want to get dusty, you are welcome to camp on my land in West Texas. It’s called the Good Guad Land Co.