UACC Blog
Home-Grown Inspiration – The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition Goes to the Covington Farmer’s Market
By Sherry Cook Stanforth Inside time’s quick beat, the question of where to go and what to do in on a free Saturday morning begs careful reflection—and now, with the sun sinking low in the sky, he...
Appalachia Beginner’s Guide: Notable Appalachian People, Geography, and Traditions
By Anna Barnes Cover image credit: Anna Barnes Since beginning my work with UACC over two years ago, I have wanted to learn more about Appalachian culture. Growing up in the suburbs of Northeast Ohio,...
Urban Appalachian Voices: Two Must-Read Books Launch This Fall
By Hilary Hirtle If you’re eager to hear more from Urban Appalachian writers, then look no further because there are some exciting book launches coming up this fall! For this feature, I’m highligh...
The Summer I Turned Into Kenny Rogers: An Ode to Queen Dolly
I can’t remember exactly what year it was—probably 2007, if my memory serves me right—but I remember this special summer memory. I was staying with my Nan and Pap in east Tennessee, like I did m...
Inside Place Keepers: Event Recap
Place Keepers Wide Open Mic at Roebling Books & Coffee in Newport, Kentucky on May 21, 2026. Image credit: Joe Gallenstein. By Anna BarnesReflections from July 20, 2026 Two years ago, I began perf...
Urban Appalachian Youth and Higher Education: Resources, Scholarships, and Insights from Dr. Ashley Hopkins
By Hilary Hirtle Going to college is a big step for anyone, but sometimes an even bigger step if you’re a first-generation college student, or the first in your family to attend college and earn a c...
Appalachian Craft Traditions: Skills That Still Inspire DIY Makers & Artisans Today
By Claire Sketch I remember as a child going to the Appalachian Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, with my family and stopping to watch an artisan dip beeswax candles. For whatever reason, it completely en...
Appalachian Spring Cleaning: Folklore, Traditions, and Fresh Starts
By Claire Sketch The first signs of spring near my little house in Covington, Kentucky, are daffodils. Initially, the sprouting of their hardy green leaves and then one by one pops of buttery yellow. ...
A conversation with Omope Carter-Daboiku about her work being published in “Black Appalachia: Race, Place, and Identity”
By Hilary Hirtle Out this September and available for presale, Black Appalachia: Race, Place, and Identity, forthcoming from The University Press of Kentucky, features more than twenty-five emerging a...
2016, Revisited
What UACC was doing a decade ago Ah, yes. The year was 2016. FC Cincinnati was just getting started. The world mourned Harambe. People gathered in parks to play Pokémon Go. Meanwhile, killer clowns f...
A Small Tribute to Gurney Norman
By Michael Templeton Editor’s Note: It is all the more poignant that our intrepid blogger Mike Templeton has ended his weekly series for UACC as he began some six years ago with an article about our...
Current and Long-term Work in Lower Price Hill
By Mike Templeton As many readers know, the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition has a special relationship with the long-standing urban Appalachian neighborhood of Lower Price Hill. This is where ou...
Authentic Appalachian (Registered Trademark)
By Mike Templeton The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition has made it a priority to combat flawed and harmful images of Appalachian people. One of the main priorities in the early days of the Urban ...
New Trends in Appalachian Migration and Staying Close to the Homeplace
By Mike Templeton It was back in 2024 that Urban Appalachian Community Coalition founder Michael Maloney reviewed the book Hillbilly Highway: The Transappalachian Migration and the Making of a White W...
Creative Wanderings Through UACC’s Woven Branches Workshops
By Claire Sketch On a recent Thursday night, walking into the back room of the Roebling Coffee & Books in Newport, I find a circle of chairs framed by shelves of colorful books. Tables lined with ...
Kith & Kin and the Winter Solstice at the Downtown Public Library
By Mike Templeton Join us on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 6:15-8:00 pm, for the third and final event associated with the Urban Appalachian Kith & Kin exhibit at Huenefeld Story Center, 2nd F...
Urban Homesteading
By Mike Templeton The people who left the Appalachian regions for places like Cincinnati carried with them knowledge and skills that were indispensable for life in the mountains. They continued to pas...
The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll
By Mike Templeton The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition continues to explore Appalachian foodways as a central site for the exploration of how Appalachian culture is preserved and handed down thro...