“Oh, hey, that’s where Reuben got shot.” So began a decade of investigating, interviewing, and writing for Carson Vaughan, author of Zoo Nebraska, the story of a zoo in the small town of Royal in north east Nebraska and how the wild dreams of its founder and the conflicting tensions in the community culminate in tragedy. Recorded over Skype, this week’s show features my conversation with Carson about his writing career, the book Zoo Nebraska, Cowboy poetry, John Neihardt's interest in parapsychology, a year on the road in a tiny van, and more.