Rural Remix

In the final episode of Twang, host Lane Wendell Fischer and Daily Yonder reporter Ilana Newman explore queerness in country music’s past and present. Though there is only one openly queer artist currently signed by a major country music label, the rising popularity of artists like Chappell Roan, Orville Peck, and Brandi Carlile mark the increasing visibility of queer artists in the genre. Lane and Ilana discuss these contemporary artists – and the lesser known queer musicians who came before them – and the mark they’ve made on country music. Artists discussed include: Chappell Roan, Orville Peck, Brandi Carlile, Tracy Chapman, Kacey Musgraves, Wilma Burgess, Patrick Haggerty.Listen to the episode companion playlist here.

In the third episode of Twang, host Lane Wendell Fischer is joined by writer, marketing specialist, and country music enthusiast Tracy Staley to discuss the role women have played in the development of country music. Despite the genre’s conservative reputation, iconic artists like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Reba McEntire have used country music as a platform to discuss issues from birth control to domestic violence. In this episode, we explore how these songs, and the women who sing them, fit into a musical ecosystem currently dominated by ultramasculine ‘bro-country.’Artists discussed include: Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Gretchen Peters, The Chicks.Listen to the episode companion playlist

This week, Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton are continuing the conversation about environmentalism in rural places. In this episode, Claire and Julia dig deeper into the conservative corner of the climate movement. They speak with Chris Barnard, the president of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing young conservatives around environmental action. Points of conversation include popular rural clean energy sources, state-level clean energy action in conservative districts, and how the media can build trust with conservatives.ANNOUNCEMENT: Join us for a live recording of the Rural Reporter’s Notebook podcast next week! Claire and Julia will be interviewing Canary Media’s Kari Lydersen as part of the Rural Journalism Collective virtual event on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Register for a spot here.Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP.

In the second episode of Twang, host Lane Wendell Fischer is joined by music journalist and cultural critic Taylor Crumpton to explore the deep-rooted, often erased contributions of Black, Mexican, and Indigenous artists to the genre. From Southern guitar traditions and borderland ballads to the Chitlin Circuit to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter, we trace how cultural exchange shaped the sound of country music — and why its public image remains so whitewashed. Artists discussed include: Linda Martell, Beyoncé, Mahalia Jackson, Charley Pride, Shaboozey, and Darius Rucker.Listen to the episode companion playlist.Read Lane Wendell Fischer’s commentary about this episode

In the first episode of Twang, host Lane Wendell Fischer unpacks the origin story of country music with Tim Marema. We explore how a rich mix of rural traditions became a genre — and how race, class, and geography shaped which stories got told. From front porch fiddles to the invention of the “hillbilly” record, we trace the transformation of a diverse musical culture into a commercial industry that told a narrow narrative. Artists discussed include: The Carter Family, Waylon Jennings, The Chicks, and Luke Smathers. Listen to the episode companion playlistRead Lane Wendell Fischer’s commentary about this episode.

More than 55 years after the first U.S. Earth Day was celebrated in small towns and cities by people of all political stripes, the term “environmentalism” conjures different connotations today. Media coverage might have something to do with it. Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton are joined by Meg Haywood Sullivan and Amelia Joy of Nature Is Nonpartisan, a new organization working to reframe the narrative about protecting the planet.Meg and Amelia, who come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, discuss the exclusion of rural environmentalists from the media, the climate culture wars, and the irony of being disconnected from community in the age of social media.To learn more about Nature Is Nonpartisan, visit natureisnonpartisan.orgThis story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. Learn more about the initiative at 89percent.orgPhoto: Claire Carlson/Daily Yonder.

For Christians around the world, the lead up to Easter is a time of fasting. Lent is an opportunity to give up your vices and turn your thoughts to God.But for many churches in Appalachia, this time is less about abstaining and more about creating some of the richest, most delicious candies you’ve ever tasted: Chocolate Easter Eggs.

Over the weekend, demonstrators organized in more than 1,200 cities and small towns across all fifty states to protest actions taken by President Donald Trump and his billionaire advisor, Elon Musk. For Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton, the demonstrations are the latest response to a question that’s been floating around their newsroom for several weeks: What does dissent look like in rural communities right now?In this episode, Claire and Julia share dispatches from the rallies and town halls they’ve attended over the past month—events which were organized and attended by rural voters across the country. They share what they learned on the road as a way to contextualize the demonstrations this weekend, and look ahead to what organized rural dissent means for substantive action.Image: Tony Guerrero/Hays Post

 How does a community balance historic extractive industries like logging, fishing, agriculture, and mining with tourism and recreation? It’s not as simple as wanting to move away from extraction and toward tourism. In this episode, we’re headed to Ilwaco, a small town on the coast of Southwest Washington. The communities of Pacific County have historically relied on fishing and logging, and the town of Ilwaco is currently working to balance these historic industries with recreation and tourism.

Welcome to the Beyond the Clock Podcast! Ash Hanson from Department of Public Transformation and Anna Claussen from Voices for Rural Resilience are your hosts on a journey into the hearts, minds, and imaginations of rural artists, cultural workers, and change-makers across the country. In this episode, Anna and Ash converse with rural Minnesota-based artist and “slow-cycle change” champion, Nancy X. Valentine about reciprocity in placed-based artistic practice. In this conversation, they explore how celebrating diversity and shared humanity fosters connection and allows us to give and receive love to our community, even when our community sometimes doesn’t love us back. Be inspired to expand your capacity for love in order to find greater affinity for one another!