Adam Perez

I’m thrilled to be back with the podcast for the new year and to introduce you today to Adam Perez, someone we have long been hoping to get on this podcast. I first met Adam when we were both teaching in rural North Carolina schools and we bonded over our similar frustrations with media portrayals of Appalachian culture, our complicated relationships to home, and our belief that art is a path forward for progressive change in rural places. Adam casts a lens on Appalachia that feels close to the place I hold in my childhood memories: beautiful even when haunted by the ghosts of its past.

Adam defines himself as a photographic artist based in Greensboro, North Carolina. His work has centered around the heart of Appalachia and Southern rural communities, seeking to uncover his own roots and connections to the vast historical region he explores its storied but often heavily obscured past.

By continuing an artistic process he started while photographing and participating in the 2019 Harlan County coal miners' protest, Adam has grown closer to understanding himself and the deep well of emotion he carries for the places he calls home.

This is a conversation about art and culture, about place and regionality, and about the drive for self-definition. It’s also about the importance of connection and the role of community in shaping Southern futures—something that benefits all of us, no matter where in America you live. I hope you enjoy this conversation.