Rural Remix

In the United States, people have a complicated relationship with guns. For some, they’re fondly associated with family traditions, like hunting. For others, they’re reminders of pain and violence. In Western North Carolina, one organization is bringing together gun owners, faith communities and blacksmiths to turn guns into jewelry and garden tools. The goal?: Reducing gun violence. Reporter Rebecca Williams brings us the story.

In this first episode of the 2026 Beyond the Clock (BTC) season, Anna and Ash are joined by Nikiko Masumoto, this year’s BTC Resident Artist, farmer, and memory keeper who invites us to explore memory as a living practice. In this episode, we reflect on the quiet rituals (personal and public) that carry culture forward and how, across rural communities, artists and cultural workers are tending something essential: memory and imagination.Inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s idea that hope is grounded in memory, this conversation considers how remembering can guide us through uncertain times. When artists act as memory keepers, they are also operating as futurists that hold complexity, honor ancestral wisdom, and open space for imagination, especially in the midst of grief or rupture. Nikiko invites us to remember that memories are not simply stories that preserve the past; they are recipes for futures we are still learning how to make.BTC Season 1 Album: https://www.publictransformation.org/beyond-the-clock-albumMasumoto Family Farms: https://www.masumoto.com/

Weaving has a storied history in Appalachia. Indigenous groups like the Cherokee and Shawnee developed robust weaving traditions using plant fibers. When European settlers colonized Appalachia in the 18th century, they brought their own styles of weaving. These days, fiber artists in Appalachia are noticing an increased interest in weaving, and so they're making the craft more accessible to beginners. And they’re finding ways to connect in person for mentorship opportunities.

All across Appalachia, communities have historically leaned on music to help get work done. Whether tending the garden or marching along the picket line, music has been a way to keep people motivated and rally them around a cause. In the small town of Lansing, North Carolina, community organizers recently hosted the first annual Fly Around Music and Arts Festival. The event was a celebration and continuation of a months-long effort to recover from Hurricane Helene, which hit western North Carolina in 2024.Fly Around Fest took its name from the song “Fly Around my Pretty Little Miss,” a traditional tune recorded by old-time giants Frank Blevins and Ola Belle Reed, who were both from around Lansing. With a nod to the area’s musical roots, the festival was a testament to the endurance of a community bound together by interconnected traditions of community work and music making.

In this final episode of the 2025 season, Ash Hanson and Anna Claussen dive deep in conversation with Kyle Mesteth. Kyle is the founder of Ground Control, a skate park and community center in Pine Ridge, SD, whose mission is to provide a space where skateboarders, artists, and creators come together to dream, collaborate, and bring their visions to life. Ground Control works to inspire self-expression, fuel innovation, and build a community that pushes boundaries in art and movement, and Kyle shares how he creates a collaborative leadership environment that supports everyone to "bloom where they are planted." 

Este episodio explora los sentimientos de soledad comunes en la experiencia de los inmigrantes rurales y presenta estrategias probadas para su inclusión. Las historias que se presentan en este episodio ofrecen una vía para alejarse de las políticas y prácticas de exclusión y avanzar hacia culturas de pertenencia que fortalezcan a toda la comunidad.

Este episodio analiza las diferentes barreras lingüísticas que enfrentan los inmigrantes al adaptarse a la vida rural estadounidense. Las historias que presentamos muestran cómo, al añadir el idioma a las dificultades de acceso que enfrentan casi todos los estadounidenses rurales, los desafíos de la vida se intensifican. Estas historias también ofrecen perspectivas sobre la fortaleza que se puede alcanzar en las comunidades multilingües.

Este episodio explora el proceso de adaptación a la vida en un nuevo lugar, conservando las costumbres que nos hacen sentir como en casa. Las historias que se presentan en este episodio abordan los desafíos de la asimilación y ofrecen ejemplos de una mejor manera de hacerlo: preservar las culturas personales, aprender de otras y encontrar oportunidades interesantes para combinar lo antiguo con lo nuevo.

Este episodio analiza la participación de los inmigrantes en la economía rural. Las historias que se presentan explican la influencia de las industrias en la determinación del lugar de asentamiento de los nuevos inmigrantes y ofrecen perspectivas sobre el costo de alcanzar el sueño americano como recién llegado.

Este episodio desmiente conceptos erróneos comunes sobre la inmigración en las zonas rurales de los Estados Unidos. Las historias presentadas en este episodio describen los patrones de inmigración a los EE.UU. a lo largo del tiempo, los factores que influyen en la difícil decisión de un inmigrante de abandonar su hogar y resaltan las contribuciones vitales que hacen los inmigrantes cuando encuentran nuevos hogares en las zonas rurales de Estados Unidos.