The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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Hot, kick-in, chewy, meaty -- Americans have fallen in love with the 'meat stick'

Opinion: Growing up in Appalachia made navigating college tough. 'I felt compelled to abandon my background.'

In a surprising move, giant publisher Penguin Random House is actively fighting book bans

L.A. bans rodeos, becoming the latest city to limit or prohibit the shows; rodeo supporters call it an attack on their culture

The next chapter of Appalachia's story continues, and is being recorded, as Appalshop recovers its history bit by bit

Fauna and flora quick clicks: Meet the 'inflation chicken' and the fast-spreading nine-banded armadillo

Another clash in the culture wars: L.A. may buck rodeos

Arts residencies can have an outsized impact on rural economies and culture; some national parks have them too

Family behind Columbia Sportswear expands philanthropic efforts to help rural and tribal communities in Oregon

Rural arts scenes can boost economies and more; annually published index shows how your local area ranks

Covid roundup: Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause hurts rural areas; suicides have fallen sharply during pandemic

Three years later, project to bridge political divide between residents in rural Massachusetts and Eastern Ky. still going

Pandemic is killing tribal elders, leaving cultural gaps

Arts industry can boost rural economies, but industry advocates say artists need more stimulus funding

Covid-19 art contest at N.C. community paper went global

Can the arts help save rural America from the recession?

Quick hits: How Biden and Sanders did in rural areas on Super Tuesday; busted oil town turns to arts and culture

Stringed-instrument school in southeastern Kentucky helps give recovering opioid addicts a sense of purpose

Old-style Catholics' migration to Kansas town an example of 'cultural secession' that has implications for societal diversity

Rural arts and culture scenes enhance small-town life, could improve communities' local economies