Mason Adams writes. Mason Adams makes a podcast. Mason Adams raises goats. What can he not do? Adams is a freelance writer living in Southwest Virginia and covering the area from the ground up. Stellar work for Politico Magazine, the Washington Post, the New Republic, the Daily Yonder, Vice, 100 Days in Appalachia, Blue Ridge […]
Erica Heilman’s podcast Rumblestrip Vermont is a gem. She brings listeners on an intimate journey into the lives of her neighbors, of her Vermont community. Our world would certainly be a better place if we could all stop and listen to each other like she does. Since I discovered this podcast, I’ve found dozens […]
A Between Coasts Interview with Documentary Filmmaker Elaine Sheldon
A Roanoke Street from Moshpits to Townhouses and Back Again
In late August 2016, about five minutes from my house, Kenneth Walker, the only black volunteer firefighter in North Tonawanda, New York, received a racist threat in the mail. It read: NIGGERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE FIREFIGHTERS. NO ONE WANTS YOU IN THIS CITY. YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE WEEK TO RESIGN […]
Place and Change in Eastern Ohio
On the Frontiers of Change
“Where are we?” says one sailor. “I’m not sure. Do we even know where we’re going?” replies the other. They share looks of consternation and confusion, a moment of despair. Then they pull out their log books and their compasses. They calculate their place in the world, which way they’re headed and how far […]
Post-election outcomes in rural Pennsylvania
This story first appeared in Moyers and Company, March 10, 2017, and is republished with permission. A lot of people don’t believe me when I tell them Letcher County, Kentucky, is one of the most open-minded places I’ve ever lived. I might not have believed it either, before I moved here a year ago. I’ve […]