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Middle of Everywhere

Middle of Everywhere

Middle of Everywhere shares big stories from the small places we call home. Rich with examples of tribalism and kinship, skepticism and idealism, defeat and triumph, we tell stories of life in rural and small town America. Hosts Ariel Lavery, a transient American who has settled in small town Murray, Kentucky, and Austin Carter (Featured on Seasons 1 & 2), a Murray and rural life native, take the pulse of an overlooked geographic news region. They provide a connection for those who have left, but still identify with small towns, and explore the growing appeal of rural life. A production from WKMS public radio, part of PRX’s Project Catapult with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Middle of Everywhere is a narrative podcast with episodes released bi-weekly. It’s available for download on all podcast platforms and online at middleofeverywherepod.com. You can also connect with us on social media @middleofeverywherepod

Middle of Everywhere shares big stories from the small places we call home. Rich with examples of tribalism and kinship, skepticism and idealism, defeat and triumph, we tell stories of life in rural and small town America. Hosts Ariel Lavery, a transient American who has settled in small town Murray, Kentucky, and Austin Carter (Featured on Seasons 1 & 2), a Murray and rural life native, take the pulse of an overlooked geographic news region. They provide a connection for those who have left, but still identify with small towns, and explore the growing appeal of rural life. A production from WKMS public radio, part of PRX’s Project Catapult with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Middle of Everywhere is a narrative podcast with episodes released bi-weekly. It’s available for download on all podcast platforms and online at middleofeverywherepod.com. You can also connect with us on social media @middleofeverywherepod

15hr 2min
Thumbnail for "Who will be with Me at the End?".
We hear how hospice nurses work to preserve the quality of our last moments of life.
Thumbnail for "A Little Ask".
Our third season is almost over, and we have one quick request.
Thumbnail for "The Beautiful Cherry Tree from the Depths of Despair".
We enter a women's sober-living house and hear about the struggle it took to get there.
Thumbnail for "Re-release: Welcome to the Hotel Metropolitan!".
A woman's personal health follows behind the health of the piece of Black history she's trying to preserve.
Thumbnail for "Angels in a Desert".
How a rural Indiana county, which is an OB desert, invented a totally new model of care for their high risk mothers and babies.
Thumbnail for "Becoming Me".
What is the future for trans kids living in states passing anti-trans legislation? We look to two people, 60 years apart, to understand.
Thumbnail for "Conjuring Nancy".
What is the history of abortion care in America? Today, we reach into the past to find out.
Thumbnail for "A Season of Health and Women".
Season three trailer.
Thumbnail for "Delivering Our Story: Surrogacy, Health Insurance, and Our Personal Politics".
Sam is Ariel's cheerful mail career with a unique reproductive journey.
Thumbnail for "Season 3 Sneak Peek!".
A quick trailer for Episode 1 of Season 3.
Thumbnail for "Update: The Snail Darter and Cohost Carter".
I quick update we thought you'd like to know about.
Thumbnail for "Presenting: The Modern West".
Stories of real cowboys from our friends at The Modern West podcast.
Thumbnail for "Part 5: What Remains? A Rock, A Fence And A Silver Lining".
The epic battle to save the Little T is over, and the river is gone. But this battle has changed history and the minds of those who lived through it forever.
Thumbnail for "Part 4: Together In Protest, Together In Death".
The farmers looked to the Cherokees to do what they themselves couldn’t. But along the way, some of the Cherokees reconnect with their sacred history.
Thumbnail for "Part 3: The Small Fish In The Highest Court".
Today we follow this story from the fight the farmers started to save their little valley of heaven all the way to the Supreme Court and beyond.
Thumbnail for "Part 2: The River's People".
Today we meet some of the last people to live and play in this river valley before it was flooded, people who have been defined by the beauty of the remote landscape and their harrowing struggle to save it.
Thumbnail for "The Story Of Tanasi, Part 1: Birth Of A River".
What is the story behind silos that stick up out of the middle of a lake in the foothills of the Smokies? This is the first in a series in which we’ll follow a decades-long battle that took the river’s people all the way to the Supreme Court as they tried to save their way of life in the river valley.
Thumbnail for "Trailer - The Story Of Tanasi".
Coming soon, the story of an epic battle fought by farmers, environmentalists and the Cherokee to save a river valley from destruction.
Thumbnail for "The River and the Rousters".
What things does a paddlewheel steamboat bring to your mind? Is a “roustabout” one of them? They may not be so familiar but there is a treasury of music surrounding the Black men and women who worked on steamboats in the last two centuries.
Thumbnail for "Swimming for the River".
Would you swim an entire river to find out how much plastic is in our waterways? Two scientists did just that.
Thumbnail for "Standing For Rivers".
Can a river be a person? Under the law in some countries it can, and it has been proposed in the U.S. But why? And what does it mean?
Thumbnail for "Season 2 Trailer".
Welcome back to Season 2 of Middle of Everywhere!
Thumbnail for "Headed for Everywhere".
A quick end of summer update for our listeners.
Thumbnail for "Black Overseer of a Confederate Monument".
Can you separate your feelings about confederate monuments from historical facts? Find out how this Black historian does.
Thumbnail for "One Seed At A Time".
This week, we hear the story of a father and son who are well known for their work with heirloom tomatoes and beans, maintaining a collection of over 1500 varieties.
Thumbnail for "Presenting Black In Appalachia: Sundown Towns".
Have you ever heard of a sundown town? Can you imagine fearing for your life if you were caught downtown after dark? At one point in history, there were thousands of these places all over the country, including the small Appalachian town of Corbin, Kentucky.
Thumbnail for "Welcome to the Hotel Metropolitan!".
One woman saves a historic Black hotel, against all odds, from destruction... and saves herself in the process.
Thumbnail for "My Old Kentucky Stereotype".
We meet Adario Mercadante, a gay comedian who hails from Kentucky and redefines the image of who Kentuckians really are.
Thumbnail for "Middle of Everywhere Man".
We meet rural sociologist Ben Winchester, a cheerleader for rural communities and our source for the phrase, "Middle of Everywhere."
Thumbnail for "The Case of the Christmas Cop Car".
Who stole the police car Christmas display? And why did the local cops try to hide it?
Thumbnail for "Hoppy's Heartache".
An 8th generation farmer wages a battle against an insurance company over its discriminatory policies.
Thumbnail for "Eat This, Kentucky!".
Austin and Ariel explore the many facets of Kentucky food and the magic of a recipe.
Thumbnail for "IM GOD".
We hear about an athiest's 4 year battle for a vanity license plate that opened the door for greater expression.
Thumbnail for "The Mystical Ellis Mad Stone".
We hear a tale of a minister's faith, the scourge of rabies, and a mysterious stone that has affected countless lives.
Thumbnail for "Presenting Middle of Everywhere!".
Big stories from the small places we call home.
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