The January 2023 Issue

In and around the original Washington, the river meets the sound, old structures are given a new purpose, and life above and below the water is in constant transition.

Few culinary traditions run as deep as collards in North Carolina.

A lifetime of meals and math homework, of plans and projects and endless conversations, turns a modest piece of furniture into a prized possession.

They aren’t heroes or villains, saints or sinners. The women of each short story in this new collection are complex, with secrets and desires much larger than the North Carolina towns in which they live.

A Forsyth County chef grew up working in his family’s seafood restaurants, but he dreamed of running a steakhouse. Now, his grill has become a neighborhood staple.

This winter, cozy up indoors with our curated Spotify playlist featuring performances by North Carolina symphonies, composers, and contemporary classical-pop artists.

After retirement, a teacher continued doing what she loved: opening doors to new possibilities through the written word.

These North Carolinians are known for the records they’ve broken and the history they’ve made. In the past 90 years of Our State, they were sometimes known for their culinary contributions, too.

When we wrote about Andy Griffith’s blossoming showbiz career in 1954, it’s safe to say the Mount Airy native didn’t know he would become a pop-culture icon.

An eagle-eyed explorer becomes an amateur archaeologist when the winter-bare woods across North Carolina reveal piles of cast-off tools, kitchenware, and other glimpses into long-gone homesteads.

Dancing, floating, falling from the sky: When snowflakes grace us with their presence, they inspire creativity, showing us familiar landscapes in a whole new light.

On November 7, 2022, our friend and longtime writer Philip Gerard passed away unexpectedly. In every story that he wrote for us, he helped us understand a little bit more about what it means to be a North Carolinian.

From tundra swans to snow geese to bald eagles, these three trails ofter tranquil landscapes to spot our feathered friends.

A writer finds seeds of contemplation in the gentle roar of two massive fireplaces at an iconic Asheville inn.

For centuries, this Madison County town has beckoned visitors to bathe in the soothing, warming waters that bubble up from deep within the mountains.

Nothing conjures memories of winters past like a sweet cup of hot chocolate. As temperatures dip, restaurants, coffee shops, and other businesses whip up their favorite recipes for Elizabeth City’s annual Hot Cocoa Crawl.

The unsung heroes of our wardrobes and our history, socks — and the hosiery mills that make them — represent a way of life that once knit together generations of North Carolinians.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds of textile mills — which produced everything from socks to blue jeans — supported a booming industry that created entire communities, turned North Carolina into a manufacturing powerhouse, and helped to weave the very fabric of our state.