Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine was a magazine published by the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University from 1984 to 2016.
Now & Then sought to explore the past and present of Appalachian life through poetry, fiction, articles, personal essays, interviews, and photographs. The magazine was generally published three times a year until 2003, when it switched to twice a year. Each issue focuses on a cohesive theme, such as food, sports, health, etc. All issues of Now & Then can be viewed in book reader layout HERE.
The digital magazine Appalachian Places (2021-current) continues the tradition of Now & Then.
Note: Now & Then published no issues during 2004.
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Now & Then (Volume 10, Issue 02, 1993)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 02, published in 1993. The theme of this issue is Civil War in Appalachia. The issue reflects on the Civil War in Appalachia, examining regional division, Union and Confederate loyalties, and the war's lasting political, social, and cultural impact. It highlights the experiences of Cherokee people, women, and Black communities, alongside historical records, personal narratives, and evolving interpretations of the war's legacy.
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Now & Then (Volume 10, Issue 03, 1993)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 03, published in 1993. The theme of this issue is Storytelling and Appalachia. The issue examines the personal, social, and regional impact, as well as the research, preservation, and interpretation of stories within the region's oral and cultural traditions.
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Now & Then (Volume 11, Issue 01, 1994)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 01, published in 1994. The theme of this issue is Politics in Appalachia. The issue examines politics in Appalachia through humor, cultural representation, public policy, and regional leadership, highlighting ongoing tensions around power, resistance, change, and Appalachian identity.
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Now & Then (Volume 11, Issue 02, 1994)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 02, published in 1994. The theme of this issue is Our 10th Anniversary Celebration. The issue commemorates the tenth anniversary of Now & Then and the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, recounting their origins and institutional history. It highlights the people, key programs, and initiatives that shaped the Center's work, including Appalachian studies, cultural preservation, education, and creative expression.
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Now & Then (Volume 11, Issue 03, 1994)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 03, published in 1994. The theme of this issue is Rituals and Celebrations. The issue explores rituals and celebrations in Appalachia, examining religious, cultural, and community traditions across the region. It highlights Native American multi-tribal gatherings, practices tied to work and subsistence, family and local rituals, and the emergence of both longstanding and newly formed celebrations.
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Now & Then (Volume 12, Issue 01, 1995)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 01, published in 1995. The theme of this issue is Appalachia and the Environment. The issue explores environmental issues in Appalachia, examining conservation efforts, grassroots activism, and changing relationships between communities and the natural landscape. It reflects on environmental loss, preservation of natural and built environments, and emerging efforts to imagine sustainable futures beyond extractive industries.
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Now & Then (Volume 12, Issue 02, 1995)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 02, published in 1995. The theme of this issue is Discovering Appalachian Music. This issue highlights the region's musical traditions through songwriting contests, artist profiles, and features on the historical and cultural roots of country, blues, and shape-note singing. It traces the development of Appalachian music from local performance spaces and sacred notation systems to nationally recognized stages, emphasizing the enduring connection between musical expression and regional identity.
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Now & Then (Volume 12, Issue 03, 1995)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 03, published in 1995. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Entrepreneurs and Innovators. This issue highlights entrepreneurship and innovation across Appalachia through profiles of cultural leaders, inventors, educators, and community organizers. Featuring stories of artistic ventures, technological development, tourism initiatives, and grassroots economic efforts, it documents how Appalachian individuals and institutions adapt regional creativity and resourcefulness to changing local and global contexts.
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Now & Then (Volume 13, Issue 01, 1996)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 01, published in 1996. The theme of this issue is Conserving Appalachia. This issue examines the preservation of Appalachian heritage through efforts to reclaim Indigenous identity, safeguard local histories, and balance economic development with cultural and environmental conservation. Through essays, articles, and creative works, it reflects on how communities negotiate modernization while striving to protect place-based traditions, small-town character, and regional memory.
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Now & Then (Volume 13, Issue 02, 1996)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 02, published in 1996. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Visions. This issue examines how Appalachia envisions its future in the face of economic restructuring, technological expansion, and changing migration patterns. Featuring discussions of rural mobility, early community internet initiatives, heritage-based economic planning, and historical subsistence communities, it documents regional efforts to balance modernization with cultural continuity. Collectively, the articles explore how local leadership, grassroots development, and local values shape emerging models of progress across the region.
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Now & Then (Volume 13, Issue 03, 1996)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine,Volume 13, Issue 03, published in 1996. The theme of this issue is Religion in Appalachia. This issue examines the diverse expressions shaping Appalachian life, from Jewish identity, to Baptist denominational fragmentation, and Black Pentecostal worship. Through articles on seminary immersion in regional communities, the integration of faith and clinical care, prayer networks and healing testimonies, and Catholic perspectives on sustainable development, it explores how belief systems inform cultural continuity, community organization, and responses to social change. Complemented by essays, fiction, poetry, reviews, and features on Appalachian worship traditions, including Primitive Baptist singing and bluegrass hymnody, the issue presents religion as both a unifying and contested force within the region's historical and contemporary identity.
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Now & Then (Volume 14, Issue 01, 1997)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 01, published in 1997. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Humor. This issue explores the region's rich comedic traditions, examining how humor shapes Appalachian identity, storytelling, and performance. Through articles on stand-up and country comedy, historical medicine shows, television portrayals, and cartoon satire, it considers both the subversion and reinforcement of regional stereotypes. Complemented by essays, fiction, poetry, reviews, and musical performances, the issue highlights how humor operates as a vehicle for social commentary, personal expression, and cultural cohesion, revealing Appalachia's wit, resilience, and self-awareness across generations.
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Now & Then (Volume 14, Issue 02, 1997)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 02, published in 1997. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Photography. This issue examines how photography has shaped and reshaped visual understandings of Appalachia, highlighting efforts to move beyond stereotype toward more complex, contemporary portrayals. Featuring exhibition work such as Women of Appalachia, regional photography contests, documentary photo essays, and reflections on the careers of photographers committed to the mountains and to country and bluegrass music, it explores the tensions between art and livelihood, representation and authenticity. Through essays, poetry, and reviews, the issue underscores the enduring power of images to preserve memory, challenge perception, and influence how Appalachia sees itself and is seen by others.
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Now & Then (Volume 14, Issue 03, 1997)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 03, published in 1997. The theme of this issue is Northern Appalachia. This issue turns its focus to Northern Appalachia, exploring questions of regional identity, industrial legacy, and cultural self-definition in areas often overlooked within broader Appalachian discourse. Through articles on the emergence of Northern Appalachian Studies, debates over cities such as Pittsburgh's regional identity, coalfield economic transformation, dairy farming struggles, environmental art initiatives, and alternative educational models, it examines how northern communities negotiate heritage amid social and economic change. Essays, fiction, poetry, and reviews further reflect on belonging, memory, and reinvention, presenting Northern Appalachia as a layered and evolving region shaped by industry, migration, faith traditions, and ongoing efforts toward renewal.
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Now & Then (Volume 15, Issue 01, 1998)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 01, published in 1998. The theme of this issue is Food in Appalachia. The issue documents culinary traditions, agricultural practices, and the social meaning of shared meals across generations. It highlights family recipes, regional foods, Native and immigrant influences, and the ways food reflects identity, labor, and cultural continuity within the region.
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Now & Then (Volume 15, Issue 02, 1998)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 02, published in 1998. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Poetry. The issue examines Appalachian poetry through individual voices and community-based initiatives, highlighting literary traditions, small presses, workshops, and programs that use poetry to foster self-discovery and a shared sense of place across the region.
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Now & Then (Volume 15, Issue 03, 1998)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 03, published in 1998. The theme of this issue is Transportation in Appalachia. The issue explores transportation in Appalachia as a force shaping history, culture, and daily life, tracing developments from Indigenous pathways and early railroads to modern highways and emerging technologies. It reflects on transportation's role in personal experience, regional growth and upheaval, and changing ideas of place, identity, and connection across the Appalachian landscape.
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Now & Then (Volume 16, Issue 01, 1999)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 16, Issue 01, published in 1999. The theme of this issue is Architecture in Appalachia. The issue traces architecture in Appalachia, examining how homes, farms, towns, and public buildings reflect regional landscapes, craftsmanship, and cultural influences. It considers the work of architects and builders alongside personal and community efforts, highlighting the roles of history, race, class, labor, and evolving visions of place in shaping the built environment.
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Now & Then (Volume 16, Issue 02, 1999)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 16, Issue 02, published in 1999. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Lives. The issue documents Appalachian lives through personal narratives and profiles that reflect everyday experience, identity, and belonging within the region. It highlights stories of work, family, migration, community, and memory, examining how individuals navigate tradition, change, and their place within Appalachian culture.
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Now & Then (Volume 17, Issue 01, 2000)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 17, Issue 01, published in 2000. The theme of this issue is Health in Appalachia. The issue examines health in Appalachia through community-based initiatives, public health efforts, and personal narratives that reflect the region's beliefs, values, and lived experiences. It highlights the importance of trust, culturally informed care, and local participation in addressing illness, prevention, and access to health services across Appalachian communities.
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Now & Then (Volume 17, Issue 02, 2000)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 17, Issue 02, published in 2000. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Accents. This issue examines language in Appalachia, challenging long-held myths about Appalachian English while documenting the region's linguistic diversity, histories, and cultural meanings. Through essays, poetry, fiction, and reviews, it addresses dialects shaped by labor and migration, sensitivities surrounding pronunciation and representation, and efforts to preserve Appalachian languages, including an in-depth focus on the Cherokee language.
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Now & Then (Volume 17, Issue 03, 2000)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine,Volume 17, Issue 03, published in 2000. The theme of this issue is Museums and Archives. This issue explores how museums and archival institutions shape public memory and regional identity in Appalachia, examining efforts to reinterpret the past with greater accuracy and complexity. Through features on community museums, restored schoolhouses, literary manuscript collections, nuclear history exhibits, and emerging virtual archives, it considers how preservation initiatives balance tourism, education, and historical truth. Essays, fiction, poetry, and reviews further analyze the narratives museums choose to elevate, questioning romanticized paradigms and highlighting tensions between authenticity and marketability, while emphasizing the role of cultural stewardship in defining Appalachia's past and future.
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Now & Then (Volume 18, Issue 01, 2001)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 18, Issue 01, published in 2001. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Rivers, Lakes, & Streams. This issue examines the central role of waterways in Appalachian environmental, economic, and cultural life, addressing both their vulnerability and vitality. Through articles on regional water shortages, aquaculture-based science education, and industrial heritage initiatives such as Southwest Pennsylvania's Rivers of Steel, it highlights tensions between development, resource management, and sustainability. Essays, fiction, poetry, and reviews further reflect on memory, labor, recreation, and loss connected to rivers and streams, presenting water as both a life-sustaining resource and a powerful symbol of continuity and change across the region.
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Now & Then (Volume 18, Issue 02, 2001)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 18, Issue 02, published in 2001. The theme of this issue is Always a Love Story: Fiction from the Appalachian Mountains. This issue centers on Appalachian fiction as an expression of love. Love of place, family, memory, and even the tensions that compel departure. Through interviews with contemporary writers, reflections on literary truth-telling in the anthracite region, and award-winning short fiction, it explores how authors resist stereotype while portraying complex attachments to the mountains. Essays, poetry, and reviews further emphasize the enduring emotional landscape of Appalachian storytelling, presenting regional literature as both deeply rooted and dynamically evolving across generations.
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Now & Then (Volume 18, Issue 03, 2001)
Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University
Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 18, Issue 03, published in 2001. The theme of this issue is Conserving and Developing Appalachia's Natural Resources. This issue examines the ongoing tension between economic development and environmental stewardship in Appalachia's resource-based industries. Through articles on native plant entrepreneurship, federal energy policy, mountaintop removal mining, post-industrial land recovery, and state park systems, it explores competing visions of prosperity, sustainability, and ecological responsibility. Essays, fiction, poetry, and reviews further reflect on personal and collective reckonings with land use, memory, and inheritance, presenting the region's natural landscape as both a source of livelihood and a site of moral and cultural debate.
