What Is Common Appalachian?

It’s no secret there’s a dearth of compelling stories being written about our community, what we value, who we are, and what matters to us.

I’m referring specifically to Morganton, North Carolina, which will be the core of Common Appalachian because that is where I’m personally rooted, alongside my wife, our two German shepherds, two barn cats, two black rabbits, and a corn snake (which seems more like an active decoration than a pet to me).

Morganton is my town (although I actually live several minutes outside our charming municipality, on a small sliver of Eden I’m trying to steward and regenerate).

Nonetheless, Common Appalachian will primarily cover cultural and political happenings relevant to Greater Burke County, the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and southern Appalachia, and likely even touch on topics relevant to our brothers and sisters in the more northerly hollers and hills of Appalachia. 

In an age where many of us are rootless, deracinated, or distracted by things happening elsewhere, I want to encourage people to focus locally, love this place, and care for it.

Put simply, I want to give us more reasons to center our attention on southern Appalachia, the challenges we encounter in our tangible communities (you know, the places we live in), rather than allow ourselves to get caught up in the toxic rhetoric and power struggles in far way places (those realms beyond Appalachia).

Those are places where we typically have very little impact on what happens. And truthfully, rarely do we feel much represented by those seats of power.

In the spirit of contributing to community, Common Appalachian aims to share your stories and highlight the cultural values we want to see rooted and reflected in our region.

Common Appalachian will help shape and embody a vision of southern Appalachia as a distinct cultural area and bioregion devoted to the communitarian values many of us hold dear.

Common Appalachian is dedicated to social change rooted in southern Appalachian community.

There’s a common saying among localists: “It’s easy to love humanity, but it’s hard to love your neighbors.” This is the ethos of Common Appalachian. 

It’s little skin off your back or mine to express support for increasing tolerance, reducing human suffering, combatting habitat destruction, addressing social injustices, or eradicating poverty. But it’s an entirely different matter when we’re doing something concrete in our local community, our eyes focused on the here, not what’s out there, beyond our bioregion.

Common Appalachian is a bit like a front porch where we can talk about what’s happening in our community and wave to our friends.

It’s a pew on Sunday where we can discuss better ways to help our ailing or marginalized neighbors. It’s a town square where we can debate the changes we want to see or better address how to solve the problems troubling the Foothills. It’s a town bulletin where we showcase what matters to us. It’s a flying banner for Appalachia.

And, of course, I’m sure Common Appalachian will become many other things. 

For now, greetings and thank you for letting me be a part of southern Appalachia. I hope it can be something you’ll look forward to reading and be proud to share with your family, neighbors, and friends as we work together to foster the type of community we want to live in. 

Why Subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to what members of our community are doing to bring about positive social change in southern Appalachia. Never miss an update on what’s happening on the ground and in this place we call home.

Everything from Common Appalachian is free, for now, but unique content will soon be available to paying subscribers.

Stay Up-to-Date

You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.