This Is Nashville

A growing number of us are running through the woods.

Music City plays host to the U.S. Trail Running Conference this week, so we’re seeing how this growth trend is working in Tennessee. Despite being easy to learn, the culture has not always been welcoming.

We’ve got the founder of the first BIPOC trail group in the southeast, a blind runner who oversees accessibility for Tennessee State Parks, and a couple of crazy ultramarathon competitors who will share tips, tricks and cautionary tales. It's our warm welcome to trail running in Tennessee!

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan and Blake Farmer.

Guests:

• Ryan Jolley, legally blind runner
• Lauren Beihoffer, running coach
• Yolanda Lopez Haugabook, Sin Miedo running group founder
• Jewly Hight, WPLN Music Reporter and ultrarunner

On the eve of Election Day, we spend a moment looking at political polarization and the nonpartisan advocates trying to draw us back to the center. We’re joined by attorney Chloe Akers and Dr. Ming Wang. We’ll also have a live update from Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett as we learn the U.S. Justice Department has deployed election monitors to our state. Plus, we’ll hear how the Nashville Guardians of Democracy are trying to prevent interference at polling sites and ask how they avoid adding to intimidation concerns. And the Nashville branch of the NAACP is connecting voters with rides. President Timothy Hughes joins us to explain how it works. It’s a pre-election pep talk ahead of the midterms.

Guests:

• Tre Hargett, Tennessee Secretary of State
• Marianna Bacallao, WPLN power & equity reporter
• Chloe Akers, The Best of Tennessee
• Dr. Ming Wang, Common Ground Network
• John Spragens, Nashville Guardians of Democracy
• Timothy Hughes, NAACP Nashville Branch

We do some day-tripping from Nashville today to meet our Tennessee ghosts, hear their stories and learn some history along the way.

We spend some time at Brushy Mountain, drop in on Rugby, Tennessee, stop by the haunted historic Harriman hospital and make our way to the Lotz House — a haunted house that served as a battlefield hospital in the Civil War. Plus, we see what’s happening in Adams, Tennessee, as the 200-year-old tale of the Bell Witch continues to scare us. And we end the show on a slightly less spooky note talking about some upcoming Dia de los Muertos celebrations (Cheekwood, Nashville City Cemetery) as we remember our own ancestors who’ve passed away.

Guests:

• Jill Kilgore, ghost hunter; senior communications manager, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
• Christabel "Bel" Stuart, Bell Witch lore storyteller, production committee chair of the Bell Witch Fall Festival
• Ofelia Vázquez, founder, La Misión ConArte

Headliner: Three of the leading candidates for Tennessee governor, minus frontrunner Marsha Blackburn, appear in their final forum at MTSU, hosted by the Tennessee Press Association. Rewatch here. The Tennessean's Vivian Jones and Tennessee Lookout's Adam Friedman offer a recap.

Newsmaker: Linus Hall, founder of Yazoo Brewing Company, joins us live to discuss the sale of the city's oldest crafter brewery to a crosstown rival as the industry consolidates nationwide.

Tastemakers: Former Broadway actress Rachel Potter and Hutton Hotel programming director Meredith DiMenna highlight the Addam's Family musical in concert and the Hutton's off-Broadway series.

It’s a Curious Nashville investigation...with a twist. We recently had an anonymous listener ask: "What is the most haunted place in Nashville?"

So, instead of scoff, we came up with a ranking system and went to visit some infamous places. On Todays's show, we've got paranormal investigators on with us debating what might count as the most haunted. And we also hear from some of our most creepy-curious listeners!

Guests:

• Alex Migliorini, tour guide for Nashville Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl
• Missy Lavieri, owner of Nashville Paranormal
• Matthew Ollis, lead Paranormal Tour Guide at Nashville Tours

Nolan Smith still has a vivid memory of heaving a basketball into the Atlantic Ocean from the deck of a cruise ship. It was the loss-induced tantrum of a highly competitive 8-year-old. He was on a family trip with the NBA team his father coached for, playing pickup basketball with some older boys who also had their own basketball pedigrees.

His father, who won a national championship in college and played nine years in the NBA, demanded better.

“Son, if you’re going to play this game, you have to always have a great attitude and be a great teammate,” he told his son.

The scolding seared into Smith's brain because they were the last words he ever heard from his father. There, in the middle of the ocean, Derek Smith died from a heart attack that night at the age of 34.

Now in his second season as head coach of the Tennessee State University men’s basketball team, Nolan Smith talks about attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps. Like his dad, he won a national championship when he led Duke University to a national title in 2010. In fact, they won in the same city (Indianapolis) 30 years apart. Derek Smith reached legendary status at the University of Louisville after its championship run in 1980.

Injuries cut short the younger Smith’s playing career. But coaching has become his new calling. After working in some of the winningest programs in college basketball, Smith took his first head coaching job with TSU. In his first season, the Tigers broke a 32-year post-season drought and went to the NCAA tournament after winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

The success helped him recruit 11 new players inspired by his goal to not just revive a culture of winning at TSU but to become the first historically Black university to win an NCAA title.

In This Interview

• Learning from Coach K
• The draw of Nashville to new recruits
• The new business of college basketball

There was a time not so long ago that neighborhoods were fighting against greenways – the tucked-away alleys that connect our communities through the woods and along our waterways.

Now, developers treat greenways like beachfront property. Nashville now has more than 100 miles of them. Murfreesboro has laid 17 miles. Franklin, Brentwood, Mt Juliet, Hendersonville? Going nowhere but up. But we’re still at the point where we’re talking about our greenways — plural. Not “THE greenway,” a potential reality where all the walkways are linked into one outdoor nexus. We'll hear more about the controversial history, the current state of our greenways, and leave you with a challenge if you dare accept it.

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan.

Guests:

• Meg Morgan, Greenways for Nashville Executive Director
• Francois de Kock, Metro Parks Director of Greenways and Open Space Division
• Bill Purcell, Former Mayor of Nashville
• Kristine LaLonde, nonprofit consultant
• Ginnea Harley, East Nashville Resident and storyteller

It’s always wise to pay close attention to our wild critters.

The squirrels are gathering up nuts for the winter, the birds are flying south, the mosquitoes are mostly gone. But sometimes it’s more than those seasonal changes like what we’re seeing right now. Armadillo appear where they’ve never been. Bears start showing up in places they haven’t roamed in modern times. And vines from afar start swallowing up hillsides. It’s a special hour on our signal species – a collaboration across the Appalachia + Midsouth Newsroom. We’re listening to Calls from the Wild.

This episode was produced in coordination with the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom.

This month marks 50 years since the premiere of "Harlan County USA."

The Academy Award-winning documentary film shined a light on an eastern Kentucky coal mining community and its fight for a union contract. Today, we hear from director Barbara Kopple, others on the crew, and the miners themselves to talk about the documentary’s lasting impact. From our partners at the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, we present Harlan County USA at 50.

This episode was produced in coordination with the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom.

If you bring up the name Buddy Miller in Nashville’s music circles, you’re likely to get a story about how he’s wonderful to work with — humble, talented, and a great collaborator.

Sometimes he’s in the band. Other times, he helps write the songs. But he’s just as well known for his production chops. It’s one of the reasons he was tapped to serve as executive music producer on the TV show Nashville.

Last month, Buddy released a new self-titled solo album made with friends and collaborators over his five decades in the business and with songs that span multiple genres— gospel, soul, early rock ’n’ roll, and country.

Buddy joins Blake in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about his life, his love, his faith, and his music.

Happy Southern Festival of Books week!

To celebrate, we’ve invited nine local authors to join us to talk about their work. History, memoirs, YA, fantasy, cooking and more, local authors have been busy, busy, busy putting ideas to the page. Today we hear about their work, their process, and what compelled them to write and, in most cases, self-publish their work.

Guests:

• Leslie Cole, MD, author, The Snake and the Tree
• Kem Hinton, author, Nether Land
• Nicholas Knowles, author, The White House of Hickory Valley
• Tommy Lubben, author, Folk Revivalists: Stories from the Most Famous Band You've Never Heard Of
• Susan Hudson McBride, author, Unfinished Business: Looking for Meaning Through the Eyes of a Southern Child
• Mindy Merrell, author, Self-Rising: The Magic Rise Behind Biscuit and Cornbread Culture
• Teddy Minton, author, The Belcourt Theatre: Nashville’s Oldest Neighborhood Cinema
• Dr. Terrance Schofield, author, Black Man in the Mirror
• Shalanda Thompson, author, Around the River Bend: A Memoir of Love During Lockup

Who says politics can't be fun?

Today, independent candidate for governor, Lauren Pinkston, joins us for a one-on-one interview. And a couple of Nashville's political reporters give us the latest on the governor’s race, highlights from our redrawn congressional districts, and a look at what kind of help candidates are getting from out of state.

Plus, an attorney helps us parse the language of constitutional amendments you’ll be voting on. We top this episode off with an IRL ballot party host who shares tips on how to get funding from a nonpartisan group to throw your own ballot party.

This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.

Guests:

• Lauren Pinkston, independent candidate for governor
• Marianna Bacallao, reporter, WPLN
• Adam Friedman, reporter, Tennessee Lookout
• Sara Lederach, host, Sway Ballot Party
• David Raybin, attorney

A lot of family businesses make it to the second generation. Very few make it to the third. So a fifth generation is something special.

We’re looking at our multi-generational businesses in Middle Tennessee, starting with a couple that have reached the end of the line this year. But we’re also going to glean some wisdom from those that have been able to keep the family business afloat — and discuss the value of having the name on the sign match the people in charge. You’ll hear name drops like Levy, Varallo, Boyd, Bass, Bell, Buchi, and Draper. Got a family business to shoutout? Drop it in the chat of the WPLN youtube live stream.

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan.

Guests:

• David Levy, President, Levy's Clothiers
• Bob Bell, Austin and Bell Funeral Home Director
• Corey Hammonds, Chief Operating/Credit Officer, Citizens Bank
• Tony Varallo, former manager, Varallo's restaurant

On June 20, 1940 in Brownsville, TN, Elbert Williams was overheard vowing to register Black voters. Someone reported him to the local police. That night, police seized him from his home, jailed him, and interrogated him.

Three days later, WIlliams' battered body was pulled from the Hatchie River. His killers sent a chilling message to Black citizens: register to vote and die.

Attorney Jim Emison grew up near the Hatchie in a family of lawyers. Yet he never heard Williams’s story. After retiring, Emison made it his mission to bring this largely forgotten early civil rights era murder to light.

Emison joins us to discuss his new book about the case, Murder on the Hatchie, and his West Tennessee roots and the community that kept the murder a secret for decades.

One week ago, Tennessee tried to carry out the execution of Christa Pike. The execution did not go as planned. Pike survived the lethal injection, making her case an unprecedented moment in the history of capital punishment.

Today, we’re bringing together a death row chaplain, a policy expert from the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center, and two journalists who witnessed the execution. We’ll discuss the latest on Pike’s condition and case, as well as the broader legal, ethical and policy questions surrounding the death penalty.

And we want to hear from you. Did what happened to Christa Pike change your perspective on capital punishment — or strengthen your viewpoint?

This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.

Guests:

• Steven Hale, criminal justice reporter, The Nashville Banner; author, Death Row Welcomes You
• Rev. Tim Holton, Tennessee death row chaplain; family of murdered victims & the executed murderer
• Robin Maher, executive director, Death Penalty Information Center
• Catherine Sweeney, reporter, Nashville Public Radio

Headliner: Journalist JP Olsen on his Nashville Scene cover story about missing immigrant labor.

Newsmaker: Luthier Manuel Delgado on new incentives approved by the Metro Council for "legacy" small businesses.

Tastemakers: Maestro Leonard Slatkin and classical music commentator Colleen Wheelahan on saving the Nashville Symphony.

The sightings are becoming more common — a Waymo out in the wild.

And more are on the way. Waymo and Lyft announced a joint partnership with rideshare liaison Flexdrive at an unveiling on Thursday, October 1. The partnership includes an 80,000-square-foot facility near the Nashville International Airport. Workers at the facility will clean, inspect, and repair autonomous vehicles on a 24/7 basis.

But the public sentiment around self-driving vehicles is still unclear. Many refuse to set foot in one, yet Waymo insists hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers have used them. In this episode, we'll speak with reporters about public sentiment, the technology that makes AV's (autonomous vehicles) possible, and how emerging technologies influence public policy.

Stream the full episode at https://www.youtube.com/@wpln.

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan.

Guests:

• Sarah Grace Taylor, Nashville Banner Reporter
• Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED Transportation Reporter
• Josh Deepan, Multimedia Producer, This Is Nashville

Part coach. Part minister. Part social strategist. Anne-Marie Zanzel is all of those things because it’s what she needed when she came out in middle age.

Before the life changing thought, “I think I’m gay", she worked as a hospice chaplain and helped lead churches. But what she really needed was someone who could help guide her through a period she refers to as “the messy middle.” So she became the thing that she needed – a coming out coach. Today we hear her story and how her work still feels a lot like ministry.

Why don’t Tennesseans vote at the same rates as people in other states?

The Center for Politics breaks turnout down by congressional district, and the map tells a striking story: Tennessee, along with Alabama and Mississippi, trails much of the country.

We’ll hear from some of you, plus Vanderbilt pollster Joshua Clinton and felony voting-rights restoration advocate Rahim Buford.

First though, we start the hour with a Christa Pike execution update and then Democrat Jerri Green, who joins us live to talk about her campaign for governor and the voters she’ll need to turn out on Election Day.

This episode was produced by Blake Farmer and Mary Mancini.

RSVP now for the live panel discussion “Does My Vote Even Count?” with Nashville Public Radio on Oct. 6, 2026.

Guests:

• Rahim Buford, founder, Unheard Voices Outreach
• Dr. Josh Clinton, co-director, Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions (Vanderbilt poll)
• Jerri Green, Democratic Party nominee for Governor

Today, Mayor Freddie O’Connell joins us in the studio to take our questions—and yours.

We’ll ask him about the Nashville Symphony’s financial struggles and the state law that would cut the Metro Council in half. Plus, we’ll ask what’s in part four of the city’s just-released capital spending plan.

If you have a question for the mayor, the phones are open at 615-760-2000.

At the end of the hour, Tasha A.F. Lemley hears from three women who knew Christa Pike on death row. A federal appeals court ordered a last-minute stay of execution just one hour before she was scheduled to die by lethal injection the morning of September 30, 2026. We’ll provide the latest updates.

This episode was produced by Tasha A.F. Lemley and Mary Mancini.

Guests

• Freddie O'Connell, Mayor, Metro Nashville and Davidson County