Our Americana

By Studio BOTH/AND

Personal Journals Society & Culture Places & Travel

What's Our Americana about?

Our Americana is a podcast that explores unique small towns across America and examines the stories that impact, cultivate, and challenge community.New episodes coming in August 2023.

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Our Americana episodes:

01.31.2024
Studio BOTH/AND News & Announcements
Catch up on all things Studio BOTH/AND for the month of February (and beyond).This month's news:• New tours and events • Unsafe Spaces update • The Karen & Ellen Letters update • True Crime Bullsh** update • New projects •...
02.22.2023
See you in August!
Our Americana returns, with 8 new episodes, starting August 14, 2023.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand
09.13.2018
Small Town Spotlight: Longview, WA (Lemonade)
A man ahead of his time, built an entire town around the timber industry. A century later, the town is building itself around and in support of a local nuisance. Finding comedy in stress, it turns out, has been a...
08.30.2018
A Sense of Space | Port aux Basques, Newfoundland
A four-person support group, for parents of children with autism, inspires an entire community to become Canada's first Autism-Friendly Town. This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothandWritten, edited, and produced...
08.02.2018
4.4: Roadside Attractions (Monuments)
In this collaboration with The Story Behind podcast, we explore the story behind Roadside Attractions. We take a look at how three Roadside Attractions have impacted and been impacted by community: including the world's largest beagle, the world's (former) largest...
03.30.2018
Majority Vote | Pittsfield, New Hampshire
When a rural town's only high school is in jeopardy, the community comes together to change it in some very radical ways. And then the school, in turn, changes the community.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free...
03.15.2018
The Tornado | Greensburg, Kansas
A tornado forever changes the rural town of Greensburg in the most unexpected way. And we separate ideas and movements from the constraints of politics. This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the...
03.01.2018
The Reading | Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
A rural town, known as The Troll Capital of the World, unites over the attempted banning of a book reading and its very close-to-home consequences. This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the...
02.28.2018
Season 4: Prologue
Our Americana returns tomorrow, with 12 new stories about community in Small Town America. #FindYourPlace in America.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3588206/advertisement
10.31.2017
Austin, Indiana (An Interlude): A Personal Story
REBROADCAST: Josh recounts his personal survival story from a sexual assault that resulted in contracting HIV. It highlights America's complicated relationship with both sexual assault and health care.It seemed an appropriate time to rebroadcast. Listener warning advised.This show is part of the...
09.11.2017
Season 3 Outro
We close off season 3 with updates. Updates on past guests, updates on Josh, and previews for his other podcasts.Updates on:Benny - Salem , OregonBrit Webb - Marfa, TexasRosie & Kate - Chincoteague, VirginiaRabia & Jenn - City Island, New...
08.23.2017
IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Our Americana's RSS has changed. If you're getting this, you probably need to re-subscribe to Our Americana on iTunes or whichever podcast app you use. Our Americana can now be found at ouramericana.podbean.com Sorry for the inconvenience. <3
07.28.2017
Hometown Stories: Jen (Palm Beach, Florida)
We head to South Florida to take a very candid look at the struggles of drug addiction and recovery through the lens of a listener.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show:...
07.07.2017
Important Message
If you're getting this, you probably need to re-subscribe to Our Americana on iTunes or whichever podcast app you use. Our Americana can now be found at ouramericana.podbean.com Sorry for the inconvenience. <3
07.06.2017
S03|E11: A Year of Podcasting (Nina Innsted, Chris Braaten, Deana Marie)
In our final celebration of other podcasts, we talk Detroit with Nina Innsted, Bakersfield with Chris Braaten, and Philly with Deana Marie.Music by: Custodian of Records, Zachary Wilson, Ryan Little, Audiobinger, and CloudjumperThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime...
06.18.2017
S03|E10: A Year of Podcasting (WY, LA, OK w/ Jeremy Collins & Holly Hall)
Our Americana continues celebrating its first birthday by honoring podcasting. In the second of a three part series with various podcasters, Josh sits down with Jeremy Collins (Podcasts We Listen To) and Holly Hall (The Most Wonderful Wonder) to talk...
06.08.2017
S03|E09: A Year of Podcasting (North Carolina w/ Steven Pappas)
Our Americana celebrates its first birthday by honoring podcasting the best way we know how: through origin and community. In the first of a three part series with various podcasters, Josh sits down with Steven Pappas of the Is This...
06.01.2017
S03|E08: Roadside Attractions (The World's Biggest Fish)
Hot off the heels of #VanLife, we stick to the open road and explore American Roadside Attractions. Manatees, vacuums, Big Fish, and some listener stories.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show:...
05.19.2017
S03|E07: In America (#VanLife2)
Josh catches up with the four #VanLifers who he chatted with last July. Jennifer and Josh talk about the privilege of experience. Alex finds solace and liberation in a disconnected life. And we find out whether Giddi and Jace made...
05.03.2017
#VanLife (Rebroadcast)
A rebroadcast of S02|E05 and a primer for this week's forthcoming episode.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3588206/advertisement
04.29.2017
The Next Right Thing | Austin, Indiana (Part 2)
Seth tries to uncover how exactly the epidemics began and continue to occur. Jesse comes through recovery and starts the long road to creating a new life for himself. Holli, once a beacon for hope in Austin, struggles with the...
04.20.2017
A Personal Story | Austin, Indiana (Interlude)
We pause the story in Austin, to talk more personally about HIV.Music by Chris Zabriskie & Luke Pigott.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand
04.01.2017
Five Percent | Austin, Indiana (Part 1)
In a small, rural Indiana town, what started as a drug epidemic became an HIV crisis. Government, religion, public health, the community, and the media coalesce in their various attempts to help a town in peril.This is a Studio BOTH/AND...
03.22.2017
The Quiet Zone | Green Bank, West Virginia
In a town with no radio or cellular waves, with no wifi or cable, life is wonderfully quiet. We examine our strange relationships with technology and meet a woman who suffers from electromagnetic sensitivity so bad, she spent a year...
03.14.2017
Microcommunities | Fairfield, Iowa
In a rural Iowa town rooted in Transcendental Meditation and home to the microcommunity movement, community-building and intention have been redefined.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand
02.28.2017
Bruno | Longville, Minnesota
A northern Minnesota town, struggling to find its economic identity, gets a little help from an unlikely resident and his uncanny routine. Plus, turtle racing.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or to support the show:...
02.14.2017
Salem, Oregon (Benny Bills)
(Original Broadcast: 11/25/16) In 2013, hundred dollar bills started mysteriously appearing throughout Salem, Oregon; in diaper boxes, tip cups, people's cars. This is the story of the mysterious person hiding them, and how their generosity became contagious.This show is part...
02.08.2017
The Karen & Ellen Letters Preview
Take a minute (or seven) to check out the newest podcast to join the Our Americana Podcast Network: The Karen & Ellen Letters are found correspondence between two teenage girls and their landlord, over a three year period, from the...
02.06.2017
Season Three Preview
"America is what happens when a community comes together to overcome what feels insurmountable." Our Americana returns on February 28 with 13 episodes over 14 weeks: 9 new towns, roadside attractions, a follow-up on #VanLife, and an update episode.This show...
01.24.2017
Gold River, British Columbia: Part II (Of Stars)
(Original broadcast: 9/22/16) This episode concludes the story of Luna the Whale and his time in Gold River. The town comes together to save Luna, and the town struggles in the wake of his absence and the lessons learned.This...
12.02.2016
S02|E07: Petoskey, Michigan (Holiday Open House)
This week is Petoskey's Holiday Open House. In our Season Two Finale, I checked in with some old and new friends as they prepare for the big event; including the event coordinator and the local journalist covering it.Special thanks to...
11.30.2016
Hometown Stories: Adrienne (New Bern, North Carolina)
Our Americana listener Adrienne walks us through her hometown. We talk about how tragedy shaped her, politics and conversation in North Carolina, and life in a town full of memories. Plus, a song about bears.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com...
11.26.2016
Benny Bills | Salem, Oregon
In 2013, hundred dollar bills started mysteriously appearing throughout Salem, Oregon; in diaper boxes, tip cups, people's cars. This is the story of the mysterious person hiding them, and how their generosity became contagious.This week's guests:Heather Martin, JoAnn Culbertson, and...
11.09.2016
Morgantown, West Virginia (Sister, Take the Back Door)
(Original broadcast: 7/7/16) Morgantown is a place that defies expectations. Nestled in the lush, green foothills of the Appalachians, is the town that is home to West Virginia University, a large coal-mining population, and West Virginia's oldest gay bar....
11.01.2016
(BONUS) Gold River Minisode
In this exclusive minisode, we return to Gold River and chat with Donna, Mike, Suzanne, and Eugene about the relationships between humans and wild animals. Eugene dives deep into some of his own stories highlighting these relationships and the importance...
10.27.2016
S02|E05: North American Highways (#VanLife)
It's how this whole thing started. When we set off on the open road that May evening, we knew our lives were about to change; we had no idea exactly how. We had no idea exactly how much, how wonderfully;...
10.13.2016
(BONUS) Madrid Minisode
In this mini Madrid follow-up, Connie talks about how homeschooling her son became a community undertaking. We also get a brief look at Madrid's rich history and what happened when Hollywood tried to take over the town. Plus, the owner...
10.12.2016
M.I.S.T. | Madrid, New Mexico
A high desert ghost town is revitalized as an unincorporated, off-the-grid artists' community. In this ungoverned, un-policed town of 219, law enforcement consists of a self-appointed, five-person Intervention and Safety Team. This town and its governing by volunteerism will change...
09.23.2016
Of Stars | Gold River, British Columbia (Part 2)
This episode concludes the story of Luna the Whale and his time in Gold River. The town comes together to save Luna, and the town struggles in the wake of his absence and the lessons learned.This is a Studio BOTH/AND...
09.15.2016
Luna the Whale | Gold River, British Columbia (Part 1)
In 2001, the small town of Gold River was adopted by a baby orca. Over the next five years, Luna the Whale would both unite and spark debate amongst the previously segregated town. And he would put this isolated Vancouver...
09.15.2016
S02|E02: Gold River, British Columbia: Part I (Luna the Whale)
In 2001, the small town of Gold River was adopted by a baby orca. Over the next five years, Luna the Whale would both unite and spark debate amongst the previously segregated town. And he would put this isolated Vancouver Island...
09.09.2016
Berkshares | Berkshire County, Massachusetts
In the season two premiere we head to rural Berkshire County, where the coalescence of agriculture, city weekenders, and a regional currency helped create and spread the farm-to-table movement.This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyiFor an ad-free experience or...
08.18.2016
Origins: I Know Places
This week, we're taking a travel break and talking about the origins of Our Americana, getting a preview of the next few episodes, and heading back to some of our favorite conversations and getting a behind the scenes look at...
08.11.2016
Marfa is Over | Marfa, Texas
What happens when the town you live in, your home, your culture, your community, becomes a trend? And then, what happens when people declare that trend dead? This week we go to the tiny West Texas art mecca, in the...
08.03.2016
In the Shadow of New York | City Island, New York
This week we head to a small and sleepy island town, that somehow exists in quiet isolation in the shadow of New York City. In this episode, you'll meet a New York mother who wanted her kids to have the...
07.26.2016
Serial Killers, Ghosts, and Bigfoot | San Lorenzo Valley, California
Deep in the Santa Cruz mountains is a cluster of towns...San Lorenzo Valley is an area where people believe in bigfoot, where they believe that ghosts haunt the woods, where during the 70s and 80s close to a dozen serial...
07.07.2016
Sister, Take The Back Door | Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a place that defies expectations. Nestled in the lush, green foothills of the Appalachians, is the town that is home to West Virginia University, a large coal-mining population, and West Virginia's oldest gay bar. Against all odds, this...
06.23.2016
We Found Busytown | Port Townsend, Washington
On the peninsula of a peninsula, in the northwest of the Northwest, there is a town whose citizens pride themselves on being masters of trade; and that trade is less commodity and more currency. Some call it Busytown, others refer...
06.11.2016
Foodtrucks & Ponies | Chincoteague, Virginia
The island of ponies... and food trucks.Chincoteague is a small island off the coast of Virginia that is inhabited by wild ponies. You may remember the book "Misty of Chincoteague" - Yeah, that Chincoteague. In this episode I chat with...
06.02.2016
Returning Small | Petoskey, Michigan
It seemed only right that the first episode of Our Americana's podcast be about Petoskey. It was our favorite stop on the trip, and a place we've come to speak of us our own personal eden: that place you hope...

What's Our Americana about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Our Americana episodes:

Studio BOTH/AND News & Announcements

See you in August!

Small Town Spotlight: Longview, WA (Lemonade)

A Sense of Space | Port aux Basques, Newfoundland

4.4: Roadside Attractions (Monuments)

Majority Vote | Pittsfield, New Hampshire

The Tornado | Greensburg, Kansas

The Reading | Mount Horeb, Wisconsin

Season 4: Prologue

Austin, Indiana (An Interlude): A Personal Story

Season 3 Outro

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Hometown Stories: Jen (Palm Beach, Florida)

Important Message

S03|E11: A Year of Podcasting (Nina Innsted, Chris Braaten, Deana Marie)

S03|E10: A Year of Podcasting (WY, LA, OK w/ Jeremy Collins & Holly Hall)

S03|E09: A Year of Podcasting (North Carolina w/ Steven Pappas)

S03|E08: Roadside Attractions (The World's Biggest Fish)

S03|E07: In America (#VanLife2)

#VanLife (Rebroadcast)

The Next Right Thing | Austin, Indiana (Part 2)

A Personal Story | Austin, Indiana (Interlude)

Five Percent | Austin, Indiana (Part 1)

The Quiet Zone | Green Bank, West Virginia

Microcommunities | Fairfield, Iowa

Bruno | Longville, Minnesota

Salem, Oregon (Benny Bills)

The Karen & Ellen Letters Preview

Season Three Preview

Gold River, British Columbia: Part II (Of Stars)

S02|E07: Petoskey, Michigan (Holiday Open House)

Hometown Stories: Adrienne (New Bern, North Carolina)

Benny Bills | Salem, Oregon

Morgantown, West Virginia (Sister, Take the Back Door)

(BONUS) Gold River Minisode

S02|E05: North American Highways (#VanLife)

(BONUS) Madrid Minisode

M.I.S.T. | Madrid, New Mexico

Of Stars | Gold River, British Columbia (Part 2)

Luna the Whale | Gold River, British Columbia (Part 1)

S02|E02: Gold River, British Columbia: Part I (Luna the Whale)

Berkshares | Berkshire County, Massachusetts

Origins: I Know Places

Marfa is Over | Marfa, Texas

In the Shadow of New York | City Island, New York

Serial Killers, Ghosts, and Bigfoot | San Lorenzo Valley, California

Sister, Take The Back Door | Morgantown, West Virginia

We Found Busytown | Port Townsend, Washington

Foodtrucks & Ponies | Chincoteague, Virginia

Returning Small | Petoskey, Michigan