Rural communities across the nation boast rich traditions, both new and old. Stay up to date on the latest news, reviews, and storytelling on rural arts and culture. From music and film, to literature and history, to festivals and food, we’ve got it covered.
The Summer of Country Music
Country music hits topped the charts this summer, highlighting new interest in the evolving genre.
More Arts and Culture Stories
Commentary: The Time an Iowa Democratic Committee Sponsored a Stock-Car Race
“I thought about things I enjoy doing where I never see my progressive friends, and right away I knew I wanted to bring the Democrats to a stock-car race.”
A Rural Calling: Al White
A documentarian, a radio DJ, an organizer and a leader – Al White is dedicated to serving the community he came up in.
45 Degrees North: Roadkill’s Rural Realities
What do you do when there’s a dead skunk in the middle of the road stinkin’ to high heaven? Here’s a handy guide to help you manage a gross reality of living in the country.
A Taste of Rural Road Tripping along Three of America’s Historic Highways
Take the path less taken with these three historic highways that offer more than your typical tourist destinations.
Foraging in Appalachia Brings Social Media Success
A passion for going “up and down the hollers” mushrooms into an online career for one Appalachian mental health counselor.
Lessons from the Past to Chart the Future of Rural Schools
As rural communities think about the future role of public schools, an archivist at the University of Nebraska at Kearney aims to share local country school history to inform discussions and inspire learning.
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Report: Rural Communities Explore New Alternatives to Closing Local Newspapers
Nonprofit newsrooms, due to their funding structure, are resistant to buyouts and consolidations that have decimated local news landscapes across the United States.
Q&A: Fallow Agricultural Lands with Non-Native Grasses Are Hawai’i’s Tinder Box
A fire scientist in Hawai’i says the scale of the Maui fires should be a wake-up call for the state.
Commentary: The Free Market
A good idea brought about a community place to exchange used things and keep tons of stuff from going to a landfill.
Lack of Local News Can Intensify the Community’s Disengagement in Public Life
But local organizers and governments make it their mission to communicate important information with the public through alternative channels.
45 Degrees North: An Ode (With Subtitles) To Hearing Aids
In rural communities, hearing loss may go untreated for years longer than it would for someone living in an urban area. Here are some reasons to address hearing loss sooner rather than later.
Commentary: Musician’s Notes From the Road
“After years of playing honky-tonks in mill towns, performing for ticketed folks seated in a beautiful theater seems like a dream, playing an opening set for a hero on a big stage like a fairy tale. But then what is playing under a canopy of Douglas fir, a forest cathedral on the banks of the roaring Umpqua? … I know how precious this wilderness is and how to care for it through the decency of showing up and working hard, like any other rural gig.”
Rolling Fork Residents Forge Ahead With Rebuilding After Mississippi Tornadoes
Months after a storm system swept through the Mississippi Delta and devastated the small town of Rolling Fork, some locals are slowly piecing their community back together. But many others have decided to leave the area for good.
A Taste of Justice: ‘First Meal’ Explores Initial Moments of Freedom for the Wrongfully Imprisoned
Book Excerpt: After spending 17 years behind bars for an erroneous murder conviction, Randy Steidl ate his first meal as a free man in a family-owned steak house in rural Indiana, about 10 minutes’ drive from his prison.
Press Organizations Condemn Police Raid on Rural Kansas Newspaper
Marion, Kansas, police took the computers, servers, and cellphones of the Marion County Record. They did so on the basis of a complaint from a restaurant owner who is trying to get a liquor license. The paper reported that the 98-year-old co-owner of the paper collapsed and died following the raid.
Accidental Rancher: The Wolf You Feed
Lessons from an old adage and a kitten willing to survive at all cost.
Commentary: Three Diverse Books Tell a Similar Story about the Faults of Child-Welfare System
The young people at the center of these books call on us to open our hearts and find better ways of caring for all of society’s children.
What One Journalism School Learned After Taking Over a Rural Weekly Newspaper
In the first 18 months, The Oglethorpe Echo added digital products, won awards, tripled advertising, and doubled subscriptions. An unmitigated success, right? It’s a bit more complicated than that.
‘Oppenheimer’ Discourse Leaves Out Downwind Communities
The blockbuster film, and the buzz it’s attracted, overlook the tens of thousands of rural people living within 50 miles of the first nuclear blast.
45 Degrees North: The D Word
In rural areas, farmers may be the first to feel the effects of drought, but the consequences ripple through a community. Here are some things you should know when you hear The D Word.
Looking Back on the Rich Rural Backdrop of TV’s ‘Justified’
As a new sequel takes the action to Detroit, we revisit the acclaimed original series, which brought complex characters and crime stories to the hills and hollers of eastern Kentucky.
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