Intersections of Faith and Freedom: All Episodes Out Now!

We are so pleased to share that all five episodes of Joshua Outsey’s Intersections of Faith and Freedom podcast are now available online! Joshua is our Community Archive Coordinator, and he has been working hard to collect stories from Black churches in Central Appalachia. In addition to documenting stories, creating maps of Black church networks, and being in community with folks, a huge outcome of Joshua’s project is this five-part series. In the podcast, (which is available on YouTube for free!) Josh explores the diverse tapestry of Black church culture in rural Appalachia and uncovers the interconnected themes of faith, tradition, and freedom that shape the Black Appalachian Church experience. Across the episodes, Outsey discusses Black Appalachian church traditions, incarceration, faith songs, liberation work, and has a wide variety of guests from all walks of life.

"Finalizing the first season of Intersections of Faith and Freedom is a major accomplishment for me because it is the first project I've worked on in series," Josh says. "And it's the first where I got to be producer and host of the show. It allowed me to introduce folks from Central Appalachia whose contributions to the region matter tremendously to me, and to Appalachia as a whole, while discussing topics steeped in Appalachian tradition."

Josh stated his favorite memory while creating Intersections came during an interview with his wife, Terran, while driving up Black Mountain. "I asked her about the symbols nature uses to speak to us, and shortly after, my 4 year old daughter says 'there's a bear on the mountain!', and it wasn't just a bear, but a mother bear and her three cubs. This moment has stayed with me, and I have seen this family of bears four times in the past 6 months. I feel that [moment] was a special sign from nature itself, and I feel so blessed to have had this experience and a special relationship with my new furry friends!"

Visit appalshop.org/IFFpodcast to listen to all the episodes. Joshua is already in the planning stages for a second season, if you'd like to contribute/participate, send us an email and let us know! 

Joshua has also been busy planning the 5th annual Big Stone Gap Juneteenth Celebration. Save the date for Saturday, June 21, at Italy Bottom Park (315 East River Street North, Big Stone Gap, VA). This year’s event will run from 12:00PM–8:00PM and will feature free food, local vendors, inflatables for the kids, and a talent show with cash prizes. If you don’t know, Juneteenth marks the day—June 19, 1865—when the last group of enslaved Black people in Texas were told they were free, more than two years after President Lincoln had officially ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth was named a federal holiday in 2021. We sure hope you’ll come out and celebrate with us!

Seedtime 2025 is officially in the books! We want to thank you for another tremendous festival—we were especially grateful for this year’s community response. Thank you to all of the artists, performers, vendors, and community members who attended and made this festival one of our recent favorites. If you weren’t able to attend, or you’d like to revisit some of your favorite performances from this year’s main stage, you can watch the full stream on our YouTube page. 

Thank you again to our 2025 sponsors—Berea College, MediaJustice, Kentucky Foundation For Women, Washington State College of Ohio, Kentucky Humanities, James Webb Musical Repair and Sales, West Sixth Brewing, and Kentucky Natural Lands Trust. We’re already counting down the days until Seedtime 40—June 5 and 6, 2026!