Free Arkansas is a podcast dedicated to fostering a free market of ideas in the Natural State. We bring open, honest, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations to the forefront, tackling the issues that matter most to Arkansans. Through thought-provoking discussions, in-depth analysis, and engaging interviews with a diverse range of voices, we challenge conventional wisdom and encourage independent thought and critical thinking. Whether you're looking for fresh perspectives or a platform that values truth over ideology, Free Arkansas is your space for bold, unfiltered dialogue.
Bill Kopsky on Direct Democracy, the LEARNS Act & Building Power in Rural Arkansas
It started with a request for a dumpster. Residents of Gould, Arkansas asked their city for help with a neighborhood cleanup, got turned down, and eventually helped elect a new city council and mayor. That’s the kind of story Bill Kopsky has been part of for more than 30 years as executive director of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel.
In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Bill about what community organizing really looks like, how the Panel and the Arkansas Citizens First Congress work with communities and at the state legislature, and why Bill believes the citizen ballot initiative process is worth protecting. They also dig into education policy, including the LEARNS Act and school vouchers, with Andy bringing his own questions and perspective.
In this conversation:
How a dumpster request turned into a city council change
How citizen-led ballot measures work, and why they’re being debated
Bill’s take on the LEARNS Act and school choice
What the research says about improving Arkansas schools
What he’s watching in the 2027 legislative session
If you’ve ever wondered how ordinary people actually change policy in Arkansas, this conversation walks through it.
12 Oct 2026
Coltan Scrivner on Morbid Curiosity, Horror Movies & Why We Love Scary Things
Why can't we look away from a car wreck, a true crime documentary, or a horror movie we know will keep us up all night? Coltan Scrivner has built a career answering that question.
In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Coltan, author of Morbidly Curious and a behavioral scientist who studies why humans seek out fear. They get into the evolutionary reason we're drawn to danger, why violent video games don't make kids violent, and what horror fans have in common. Then the story takes a turn: Coltan left a research job at Meta, bought a Victorian bed and breakfast in Eureka Springs, and wound up running the town's Zombie Crawl, founding the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival, and opening a horror convenience store.
In this conversation:
Why we're hardwired for morbid curiosity
What true crime and horror do for our brains
The truth about video games and violence
How an "accidental entrepreneur" took over Halloween in Eureka Springs
Coltan's favorite horror films
If you've ever wondered why you love being scared, this one has answers.
6 Oct 2026
Colt Shelby on Local Control, Prison Policy & Arkansas' Governor's Race
Colt Shelby has worked in the oil field for 24 years. He never planned to run for office, until a proposed 3,000-bed prison landed four miles from his home in Cecil, Arkansas. Now he's the Libertarian candidate for governor.
In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Colt about what a Libertarian actually believes, how the prison fight turned him into an activist, and why he's running on local control and government transparency. They also dig into Arkansas' prison and parole system, the LEARNS Act and school vouchers, data centers, nuclear energy, and citizen-led ballot initiatives, before closing with a rapid-fire round on taxes, spending, and state policy.
In this conversation:
What the Libertarian Party stands for
How a prison proposal launched a campaign
Colt's views on prisons, parole, and public safety
The LEARNS Act, EFAs, and school choice
Data centers, energy, and economic development
If you want to hear from a candidate outside the two major parties, this conversation lets him lay out his case in his own words.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
4.5 / 5
2 ratings
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