The first priority of the Appalachian Chronicle is to tell the story of Appalachian people and communities. Hearing the stories of our neighbors is the first step to connecting to one another and cultivating our traditions and folkways.

We report upon current events, mountain folkways, energy & the environment, music, art and news-makers in Appalachia and beyond. Through the work of our writers, we recognize the root challenges facing the region to be economic disparity, human interior poverty, and ecological imbalances disproportionately affecting the poor, vulnerable and marginalized.

Our storytelling is also accomplished through action, in our case, through the Lenoir Artist Fellowship (LAF). Through partnering with experienced practitioners of Appalachian traditions with those of all ages wishing to learn everything from gardening to playing the fiddle, we are preserving our stories by preserving our priceless folkways – ways that will sustain communities and help individuals and families provide their own sustenance.

We learn much from each other through musicians, artists, poets, actors and directors, potters, sculptors and others involved in the creative and fine arts. We are committed to creating established artisans with those seeking to learn ways to establish their own cottage industries, including through an Appalachian Fair Trade Creative and Learning Initiative as well as Fair Trade Arts & Crafts retail space. It shares space with the Appalachian Chronicle at 458-B Harper Ave.

Our Social Enterprise Model

The Appalachian Chronicle is a private business. In our current economic and social environment, the gap in services points to room for an additional model to serve the region. That is the Social Enterprise free market model. We measure success not by bottom-line profit alone, but also upon the impact that we and our partners have upon people, communities and the earth that sustains us. Naturally, we need revenues to exceed expenditures to sustain ourselves; yet, our ultimate “bottom line” measurement is evidence of improved lives for those people and communities we work alongside.

© Michael M. Barrick, 2026