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Journeys of Discovery: Exploring Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland arts

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Cookeville, Tennessee, situated in an area of the state known fondly as Upper Cumberland.

Amanda Murphy with Tennessee Tourism shares insights about the heart and soul of Tennessee—its music, Civil War history, cuisine, and nature—from Nashville to Memphis, Chattanooga and Cookeville in the Upper Cumberland area. 

Debra Ruzinsky, director of the Appalachian Center for Craft, and Daniel Randall, assistant professor of art and metals at the Center's School of Art, Craft and Design, offer insights about how the campus—part of Tennessee Tech University—instills a passionate but realistic approach to the arts as a profession.

Wilmer also speaks with Cookeville-based artisan-in-wood Brad Sells. His creations have been showcased around America, and he’s been featured in two PBS specials produced by Upper Cumberland affiliate WCTE.

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Underwriting support provided by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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