I am Michael Barrick, a native of Clarksburg, West Virginia. I am the owner of the Appalachian Chronicle. I live in Western North Carolina and I also operate and work in West Virginia from Lewis County. I have worked as an investigative reporter, editor, and free lance contributor for numerous local and national publications.

I’ve also written four books: The Hillbilly Highway (1997), a tribute to the people of Appalachia through a collection of oral histories; Seven Days in Haiti (2007), a collection of daily dispatches written while covering Christian missionaries in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Exceptional Care a Century Strong: A Mission of Mercy and Healing – The history of Frye Regional Medical Center (2010), a full-color coffee-table history of the pioneering physicians that established a community hospital in Catawba County, N.C.; and, Fractured Sanctuary, a chronicle of the grassroots activists fighting pipelines of destruction in Central Appalachia.

In addition to being a journalist, I also hold a post-graduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and have worked as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and Safety Officer for two hospitals.

I am also an educator, having worked as a high school and community college teacher and school board member.

The Appalachian Chronicle covers mountain folkways, energy & the environment, music, art and newsmakers in Appalachia and beyond. We publish periodically.

I have been active in our community for more than 30 years, serving as a recreational league baseball and basketball coach; Communities in Schools (CIS) mentor; member of the School Board; Chairman, Caldwell County Human Relations Council; Fellow, NC Institute of Political Leadership (1999); Fellow, Leadership Caldwell (1999); Common Cause Plott Hound Courage Award (2002); and, co-organizer of periodic festivals and sustainability gatherings in West Virginia.