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Where the River Took Us

Texas Monthly 5 Episodes May 6, 2026

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. 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.

Episodes

Introducing "Where the River Took Us" May 6, 2026 227 Coming 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 Parsel

Preview: The Original Article, Days After the Flood May 19, 2026 1659 Before 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/.

The Flood, Part 1 May 26, 2026 2098 Texas 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/.

The Flood, Part 2 May 26, 2026 2487 At 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/.

One of the Hardest Things Jun 2, 2026 2608 In 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/.

Stuck at Camp Forever Jun 9, 2026 2411 An 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/.

Faith After the Flood Jun 16, 2026 2347 A 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-p

Those Days are Gone Jun 23, 2026 1749 The 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/.

Where We Go Jun 30, 2026 2804 In the final episode, Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley speaks with his sister, Alissa Parsley, about life in the aftermath of the flood.To read Aaron Parsely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature, go to:https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-firsthand-account/.

Where the River Took Us

Episodes

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