Rural Narratives Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:19:49 -0400 https://ruralnarratives.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 Narrative Arts no a21332b2-c245-5fa9-9df4-8b6a9615adf4 Narrative Arts episodic false Rural Narratives is a podcast about public health, power, and storytelling in North Carolina’s rural communities.


In this series, we explore how trust is built, how narratives take shape, and how communities shape the systems meant to serve them.


Through conversations with organizers, strategists, cultural leaders, and public health thinkers, Rural Narratives examines who gets to define rural communities — and what it means to reclaim those stories from the inside out.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) rural health, public health, rural communities, North Carolina, health equity, narrative change, community storytelling, rural America, social justice, health policy, civic engagement Narrative Arts https://storage.buzzsprout.com/xpxixh7aovcc9kk5jpai525mrr2k?.jpg Rural Narratives What does it take to strengthen the systems people rely on in southeastern NC? What does it take to strengthen the systems people rely on in southeastern NC? Health is often talked about as a matter of personal choice. But the truth is, our well-being is shaped by much more than individual decisions — it depends on what resources are nearby, which institutions are supported, and what kinds of help people can count on close to home.

This week, producer Rend Smith talks with Les High, a third-generation journalist, founder of the nonprofit newsroom Border Belt Independent, and a volunteer first responder from Columbus County. They talk about what Columbus County is getting right, where support is still lacking, and what strong local systems can mean for public health in rural southeastern North Carolina.

Producer: Rend Smith

Host: Layna Hong  

Guests:

Les High, publisher and founder of the Border Belt Independent



"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Health is often talked about as a matter of personal choice. But the truth is, our well-being is shaped by much more than individual decisions — it depends on what resources are nearby, which institutions are supported, and what kinds of help people can count on close to home.

This week, producer Rend Smith talks with Les High, a third-generation journalist, founder of the nonprofit newsroom Border Belt Independent, and a volunteer first responder from Columbus County. They talk about what Columbus County is getting right, where support is still lacking, and what strong local systems can mean for public health in rural southeastern North Carolina.

Producer: Rend Smith

Host: Layna Hong  

Guests:

Les High, publisher and founder of the Border Belt Independent



"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Narrative Arts Buzzsprout-19060044 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400 950 1 5 full false Inside Black rural life: What we miss when these stories aren’t told Inside Black rural life: What we miss when these stories aren’t told Black communities have long been central to rural life in the South, helping shape the culture, economy and civic life of the places they call home.

In North Carolina, nearly half of Black residents live in rural counties, reflecting a history that reaches back to the founding of the country and continues to influence where people live, work and build community today.

Yet these stories are too often overlooked in how rural America is understood and portrayed.

In this episode, Layna Hong talks with Aallyah Wright, a Mississippi native and rural issues reporter for Capital B, about what reporting on Black rural communities reveals about the South, history and the fuller story of America.

Guests: 

Aallyah Wright, rural issues reporter at Capital B


"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Black communities have long been central to rural life in the South, helping shape the culture, economy and civic life of the places they call home.

In North Carolina, nearly half of Black residents live in rural counties, reflecting a history that reaches back to the founding of the country and continues to influence where people live, work and build community today.

Yet these stories are too often overlooked in how rural America is understood and portrayed.

In this episode, Layna Hong talks with Aallyah Wright, a Mississippi native and rural issues reporter for Capital B, about what reporting on Black rural communities reveals about the South, history and the fuller story of America.

Guests: 

Aallyah Wright, rural issues reporter at Capital B


"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Narrative Arts Buzzsprout-18983062 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400 1075 1 4 full false How access shapes trust in rural systems How access shapes trust in rural systems In southeastern North Carolina, residents in Columbus County face some of the steepest challenges to living a healthy life. They consistently have the lowest health outcomes in the state. 

Like in many rural communities, people have to put in more time and effort to access public services and healthcare systems. And a lack of access and familiarity informs how much people trust the systems meant to serve them. 

In this episode, we look at what builds trust in the systems people rely on to stay healthy — and what gets in the way. 

Guests: 

Jason Elleby, mayor of the Town of Brunswick, NC

Helen Holden, owner of Penn’s Grill in Whiteville, NC

Read more about how to talk about health, trust, and rural communities:

Talking about Health Disparities in Rural Contexts by the FrameWorks Institute explores how access, systems design, and community conditions shape health—and how to communicate these issues in ways that build understanding and support for solutions.



"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> In southeastern North Carolina, residents in Columbus County face some of the steepest challenges to living a healthy life. They consistently have the lowest health outcomes in the state. 

Like in many rural communities, people have to put in more time and effort to access public services and healthcare systems. And a lack of access and familiarity informs how much people trust the systems meant to serve them. 

In this episode, we look at what builds trust in the systems people rely on to stay healthy — and what gets in the way. 

Guests: 

Jason Elleby, mayor of the Town of Brunswick, NC

Helen Holden, owner of Penn’s Grill in Whiteville, NC

Read more about how to talk about health, trust, and rural communities:

Talking about Health Disparities in Rural Contexts by the FrameWorks Institute explores how access, systems design, and community conditions shape health—and how to communicate these issues in ways that build understanding and support for solutions.



"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Narrative Arts Buzzsprout-18903793 Tue, 24 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0400 718 1 3 full false Building rural power with Down Home North Carolina Building rural power with Down Home North Carolina In this week’s episode, we visited Down Home North Carolina, a non-profit organization that builds rural, multiracial and working-class power across the state through local campaigning and community organizing. 

Guests: 

Taí Coates-Wedde, Director of Communications at Down Home North Carolina

Jon Council, western North Carolina regional campaigner at Down Home North Carolina


Voices: 

Tatiana Jones, operations manager at Down Home North Carolina 

Emily Miller, Down Home North Carolina member and Guilford County organizer 

Kate Daley, health justice campaigner at Down Home North Carolina

Todd Warren, statewide campaign strategist at Down Home North Carolina 



"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> In this week’s episode, we visited Down Home North Carolina, a non-profit organization that builds rural, multiracial and working-class power across the state through local campaigning and community organizing. 

Guests: 

Taí Coates-Wedde, Director of Communications at Down Home North Carolina

Jon Council, western North Carolina regional campaigner at Down Home North Carolina


Voices: 

Tatiana Jones, operations manager at Down Home North Carolina 

Emily Miller, Down Home North Carolina member and Guilford County organizer 

Kate Daley, health justice campaigner at Down Home North Carolina

Todd Warren, statewide campaign strategist at Down Home North Carolina 



"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Narrative Arts Buzzsprout-18832617 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0400 814 1 2 full false Who gets to define rural communities? Who gets to define rural communities? In our first episode, we ask: Who gets to shape the stories that define rural communities?

Welcome to Rural Narratives, a new podcast about public health in North Carolina’s rural communities. In this series, storytelling isn’t just about the news — it’s a way to listen, learn, and understand how meaning is made.

We speak with:

• Dee Davis, President of the Center for Rural Strategies

• Makani Themba, Chief Strategist of Higher Ground Change Strategies

• Mik Moore, CEO of Moore + Associates

Together, they explore how dominant narratives take shape, how culture influences politics, and why trust in public health begins with who controls the story.

"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> In our first episode, we ask: Who gets to shape the stories that define rural communities?

Welcome to Rural Narratives, a new podcast about public health in North Carolina’s rural communities. In this series, storytelling isn’t just about the news — it’s a way to listen, learn, and understand how meaning is made.

We speak with:

• Dee Davis, President of the Center for Rural Strategies

• Makani Themba, Chief Strategist of Higher Ground Change Strategies

• Mik Moore, CEO of Moore + Associates

Together, they explore how dominant narratives take shape, how culture influences politics, and why trust in public health begins with who controls the story.

"Send Rural Narratives a message"

]]> Narrative Arts Buzzsprout-18745343 Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0500 766 1 1 full false