Podcast
Where the River Took Us
Hosted by Texas Monthly · EN
After his family’s home was swept away in the devastating Central Texas floods on July 4, 2025, Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley began the journey of putting the pieces back together. It began with a magazine feature written days after the tragedy—for which he won a Pulitzer Prize—and continues here as he hosts this podcast series, Where the River Took Us. Through intimate conversations with family members and other survivors, this podcast explores how people endure unimaginable loss and how a community tries to rebuild, grow, and adapt after a mass tragedy.
From the producers of America's Girls, The Final Flight of Captain Forrester, and The Problem With Erik, the series debuts May 26, 2026.
From the producers of America's Girls, The Final Flight of Captain Forrester, and The Problem With Erik, the series debuts May 26, 2026.
8episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Those Days are Gone
1w ago00:29:09Summary readyThe Guadalupe River, and what it meant to so many Texans, changed forever on July 4, 2025. Whether to return and try to rebuild is a question each flood survivor must answer for themselves.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
SummaryFaith After the Flood
2w ago00:39:07Summary readyA conversation about faith with Dallas attorney R.J. Harber, who lost most of his family in the July 4 flood. We connected as survivors and during our conversation, I learned that even though we believe very different things and engage spiritually in very different ways, the result is kind of the same.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
SummaryStuck at Camp Forever
3w ago00:40:11Summary readyAn old friend reaches out. His daughter was one of the young girls who died at Camp Mystic. We reconnected to understand each other's grief and explore how it can be channeled into action.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
SummaryOne of the Hardest Things
4w ago00:43:28Summary readyIn the aftermath of the flood, loved ones and kind-hearted strangers helped my family face our new, unimaginable reality. A reunion takes place for the first time since the disaster.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
SummaryThe Flood, Part 2
May 2600:41:27Summary readyAt dawn on July 4, 2025, Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley found himself high in a hackberry tree, alone and unaware of his family’s whereabouts. This is the story of what came next.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
SummaryThe Flood, Part 1
May 2600:34:58Summary readyTexas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley remembers the night before the flood and everything that led up to the moment that changed his family forever.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
SummaryPreview: The Original Article, Days After the Flood
May 1900:27:39Summary readyBefore the release of the first episode on May 26, here’s the audio version of Aaron Parsley’s article from July 2025, which won him a Pulitzer Prize.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
Summary
Introducing "Where the River Took Us"
May 600:03:47Summary readyComing May 26, 2026, Where the River Took Us explores how people endure unimaginable loss and how a community tries to rebuild, grow, and adapt after the devastating Central Texas floods on July 4, 2025. Hosted by Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for his account of his family’s fight for survival during the flood.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.
Summary