This Is Nashville

Fall is here and the weather is perfect for getting outside and exploring the parks, trails and greenways of Middle Tennessee. In today's episode, we're joined by outdoors educators to learn more about just what kinds of hiking experiences and resources the Nashville area has to offer. Then, a pair of experienced hikers will talk about equipment, safety, community and the Appalachian trail.  But f...

Around Nashville, more and more churches are becoming LGBTQ-affirming. According to the website Gay Church, affirming congregations — also known as reconciling or welcoming — have increased by more than 50 percent in Nashville over the past decade. That reflects a national trend. For some Nashville churches, the mission goes well beyond welcoming, centering LGBTQ people in worship and leadership....

The past few years have not been easy for Nashville’s WeGo bus network. But behind the scenes, the agency has been trying to make progress on improvements that riders have been requesting for many years. On today’s show, we start by looking back over the bus system’s recent history. In 2018,  voters rejected a sprawling mass transit proposal . In 2019, budget cuts  led WeGo to eliminate some route...

Nashville is known as the Buckle on the Bible Belt. However, the city is home to a diversity of religions and traditions, including paganism. In today’s episode, we’re joined by a pair of community leaders to learn more about Pagan Pride Day and what it means to be pagan in a traditionally Christian area. Then, we’ll hear from solo practitioners about how they found paganism, and how they discuss...

Film festival season is underway in Nashville. The International Black Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday while the Nashville Film Festival is slated to run until Wednesday.  In this episode, we look at the history and significance of these two festivals in Music City. We'll also be joined by local filmmakers, who will talk about their craft and decision to work in Nashville. But first, Hillsdale...

Anyone who lives in Nashville can tell you  how hard it is to get around town without a car . But, trying to bike to work or school can be dangerous or downright impossible in the city. Today, we’re joined by transportation planners and a cyclist to learn more about the current state of our city’s cycling infrastructure and what plans are in the works. Then, we’ll hear from a couple of educators w...

When it comes to manners and etiquette, every city has its local quirks. So we explore the question: What is “Nashville Nice”? This is the South, so you’re likely to hear a good old fashioned “bless your heart” on a regularly basis. But there’s more to unpack. So we explore some of the origins and nuances of Music City’s social graces with our panel — as well the potential downsides of keeping up...

Nashville is home to one of the nation’s most prominent HBCU marching bands: The Aristocrat of Bands (AOB) at Tennessee State University. The band is revered for its live performances, including at presidential inaugurations, NFL halftime shows and parades. Now they’re  blazing a new path with a studio-recorded gospel album, “The Urban Hymnal,”  that unites many musical genres. On today’s show we’...

Housing is affordable — meaning you are not cost burdened — if it takes up 30% or less of your gross income,  according to national housing guidelines . But we want to know what YOU would consider affordable in Nashville. In this episode, we’re speaking with local residents to about their particular concerns about finding and paying for housing in Nashville. Then, we’re joined by a local expert an...

With a mix of homegrown startups and big players moving in, Nashville’s tech scene is booming, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It’s good news for the city’s boosters who see the economic benefits of a strong tech sector, which is expected to bring thousands of high-paying jobs. However, there’s a lingering question about who will fill those jobs, especially since the tech field  is predomin...

When you think of Music City, you probably think of the big-name musicians who got their start here. But session musicians, studio musicians, and backing musicians are a huge part of what keeps the live music scene alive and thriving. These are the go-to musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. In this episode, we’ll meet session musicians and a recording engineer to...

Bisexual people make up the largest proportion of the LGBTQ community but are also sometimes the least visible. So, we take a look at the lives and journeys of bisexual people in this city, and how they find community on social media, and in person. But first, we start the hour with our weekly @ Us segment, responding to your feedback. Guests: Emily April Allen , photographer, founder of the  Nash...

Their work can be subtle and unseen, but neighborhood associations often play a key role in building connections among neighbors and setting the vision for a community. But running an association is no small job. Their myriad tasks can include staying on top of changes within the city, advocating for Metro services, organizing local events, and also recruiting participants to serve on the associat...

Dr. Alex Jahangir served as head of Metro Nashville’s COVID-19 Task Force for the two years it was in existence. It was a role he never expected to fill, but with the city between Public Health Department directors, he stepped up when asked by Mayor John Cooper. The long hours, on top of his already demanding workload as a trauma surgeon and coupled with intense public scrutiny, took a toll on his...

Earlier this month, Mesa Komal Cafe opened at Belmont University. The cafe is a unique partnership between Belmont, the hospitality company Sodexo and  Conexión Américas  that will feature chefs from the Mesa Komal culinary incubator program at Casa Azafrán on a rotating roster. First up: longtime chef and caterer Karla Ruiz. For nearly a decade, the  Mesa Komal program at Conexión Américas  has p...

Americana is a unique genre of music. Straight away, its name lets you know that it is a self-aware exploration of national identity and culture, something that our country has been fiercely debating for the past several years. Today marks the fourth day of the annual Americana Fest. In this episode, we're sitting down with artists from Nashville and beyond to talk about the future of this genre a...

Dr. Paul Kwami, longtime music director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, passed away this weekend . He was 70. Under his direction, the group garnered a Grammy , a Dove Award and the National Medal of Arts. The group was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and performed at The Apollo, Carnegie Hall and the White House among other venues. Kwami also took the ensemble to Ghana, where he grew up....

How are Nashville’s small businesses rebounding from the pandemic? The report card is mixed. Metro recently handed out $9 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, and more than 450 local businesses benefited . Yet, nearly twice that number applied and were unable to tap into the money before it ran out. That sent a clear message that the city’s small businesses still need support. I...

It feels like just as we’ve started to get a grip on COVID-19, a new highly-contagious disease has emerged: monkeypox. We’re sitting down with people in the community to learn more about what their concerns are and what they’re doing to keep themselves safe. There’s a lot of misinformation and stigma around this virus, so to get answers to your questions, we’re joined by experts in LGBTQ+ health a...

On Monday, Warner Elementary Arts Magnet School in East Nashville was named a reward school. This makes it one of the top-performing schools in all of Metro Nashville. While that is plenty to celebrate on its own, consider this: Just two years ago, Warner was a so-called “priority school,” meaning it was among the lowest-performing schools. In that two-year span, enrollment has more than doubled....

Songwriters are at the heart of Music City’s namesake industry, from big-name performers to veteran hitmakers to those just starting out. In this episode, we’re sitting down with songwriters, musicians and a local union president to learn about what it takes to write songs and make a living in Music City. But first, we’re saying goodbye to WPLN enterprise reporter Damon Mitchell and talking about...

Many Nashvillians are vaguely aware that the city is home to “Little Kurdistan,” which is the largest Kurdish community in America. However, it’s easy to know that fact without really understanding these neighbors. In this episode, we’ll unpack how Nashville became a destination for Kurdish refugees starting in the late 1970s and then hear from local Kurds about their future hopes and ambitions fo...

Thousands of Tennesseans could have their student loans reduced or wiped clean under a new program by the Biden administration. Student loan forgiveness is on a lot of people’s minds since one in eight Tennesseans has student loan debt. It’s a topic folks have  strong  opinions about – and with about 20 colleges and universities in the Middle Tennessee area, Nashville is especially impacted.  In t...

Rosetta Miller-Perry is at the helm of the longest running African-American newspaper in Nashville,  the  Tennessee Tribune ,  which she started in 1991. Otherwise known as the “Queen Mother” of the Black Press, she joins us to reflect on her life and legacy, and what she sees as she looks around at a Nashville undergoing rapid change on many fronts — and slower change on others. But first, WPLN’s...

This episode originally aired on July 7, 2022. Unions have historically been associated with factory workers and those in the automotive industry. In Tennessee, food service employees – particularly baristas – are leading the labor organization push. In Knoxville, Memphis and Murfreesboro, there’s been various efforts to unionize local Starbucks locations. While in Nashville, much of the labor org...