Author: Dana Coester

100 Days in Appalachia

What is Appalachia, and why should you care? 100 Days in Appalachia was born the day after the 2016 election. Weary of the influx of bus tours and parachuting journalists seeking insights into rural America, we launched 100 Days to push back on the national narratives that had reduced our […]

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The 100 Days in Appalachia team is growing!

At day 236 (but who’s counting?) into our publishing experiment, we are pleased to announce that we’ve hired several new contributing editors. These talented additions to the team will help us develop new content verticals, grow our network of contributors and publishing partners, and continue to build what has become […]

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Muslim convert bridges divide between Christians and Muslims in Appalachia

  Bob Jones is a sixth generation West Virginian and a Muslim convert. He feels at home in Appalachia at the intersection between his Christian roots and Islamic faith and lives within 10 miles of where his ancestors immigrated to W.Va. in the 1800s. “West Virginia is my story,” he says. Bob’s full […]

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We ask a Muslim-Appalachian with Kurdish roots her response to Immigration ban

Sara Berzingi was born in Erbil, Iraq. Her family left Iraqi Kurdistan as refugees through operation Pacific Haven, which brought them to the United States in 1997. Sara and her family have called West Virginia home for a decade. She considers her family’s story a classic story of “the American Dream,” but […]

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