After nearly half a century steering Denver’s most outspoken alt-weekly, Patty Calhoun is getting ready to hand over the top job at Westword. The co-founder and longtime editor announced on March 25 that she will retire as editor-in-chief on July 1, wrapping up close to 49 years in the role. She plans to stay on as editor emeritus, keep a regular column going, and help guide the paper into its 50th anniversary on Sept. 1, 2027. The news landed just as Westword finished its 43rd Best of Denver issue, which Calhoun said will be the last one she edits.
Calhoun’s Announcement And Plans
In an essay for Westword, Calhoun wrote that she had just sent the 2026 Best of Denver to press and locked in July 1 as her final day as editor-in-chief. "This isn’t goodbye; I’ll remain on as editor emeritus, contributing a regular column," she wrote, explaining that she wants time to finish long-form projects she has put off while running the newsroom. In that piece, she also lays out topics she hopes to tackle in her new role, including the status of Rocky Flats and the question of why downtown has so few live-music venues.
A Career That Shaped Denver Media
Calhoun co-founded Westword in 1977 with two Cornell dorm-mates and has navigated the paper through scandals, downtown booms, and a digital pivot that helped keep the publication locally vital. As detailed by High Country News, the paper’s investigative reporting and cultural coverage have played a role in shaping Denver’s civic life and have launched the careers of numerous journalists.
Local Reaction
The Denver Post reported that peers and politicians quickly began praising Calhoun’s run at the paper. Publisher Greg Moore called her "a towering figure in journalism with no Colorado peer," while former mayor and governor John Hickenlooper described her as a major cultural figure in the city. Their reactions highlight just how tightly Westword is woven into Denver’s civic and cultural networks.
Reach And Recognition
According to Westword, the alt-weekly draws more than 1.5 million monthly active users online and roughly 278,000 monthly print readers. Calhoun was also the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award honoree in 2019, a recognition that AAN said was meant to celebrate her decades of leadership in the alt-weekly world.
What Comes Next
Calhoun has said she will focus on writing columns and completing long-form stories as editor emeritus, including investigations into Rocky Flats and Denver’s live-music scene. She has publicly praised the newsroom leadership and said Westword will be left "in excellent hands" as it moves into its next chapter. The paper has not yet named a successor for the editor-in-chief role.
Why It Matters
Her pending departure marks a rare leadership change at a publication that has helped define Denver’s cultural conversation for generations. At a time when alt-weeklies across the country are wrestling with changing business models, Westword still has a large digital audience and an entrenched local brand, which makes this one of the city’s most consequential media transitions.
