Upper Valley Vibes – Details, episodes & analysis

Hi Alex Torpey here, your host of Upper Valley Vibes.

In this episode, I take a walk on the rail trail in Lebanon with Josh Crane of Norwich, Vermont. Josh is the Senior Producer and Managing Editor of the really great podcast Brave Little State that many of you have probably heard of, published by Vermont Public. Before joining Brave Little State and moving to the Upper Valley in 2021, Josh spent years reporting and producing podcasts at WBUR in Boston.

I asked him to talk in large part because of a great episode he did for Brave Little State about the Upper Valley where he talked to some local legends like Steve Taylor in Plainfield and Rob Gurwitt of Daybreak and many more.  We actually don't end up getting too far down that rabbit hole about the history of the Upper Valley in this episode, but  if you're interested in the history of the phrase "Upper Valley," the newspaper wars, who thinks what boundaries are where and a lot more about what makes the Upper Valley unique, that Brave Little State episode is definitely worth checking out and is linked below.

In this episode on Upper Valley Vibes, Josh and I talk a bit about the Upper Valley, important dynamics about small, trusting communities and how that might influence politics and policy, the role of journalism in local civics, the value of local ownership and accountability, what he hears from meeting people around Vermont through Brave Little State, and importantly, who has the best town fair in the Upper Valley.

Thanks for engaging in what's happening in your community. If you enjoy what you hear please share with a friend.

Show notes:

• Brave Little state episode on the Upper Valley: https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2024-02-23/the-newspaper-war-that-shaped-the-upper-valley
• Ask a question to Brave little State: https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state
• Daybreak Newsletter: https://daybreak.news
• Interview on Hanover Happenings with Rob Gurwitt: https://hanoverhappenings.castos.com/episodes/a-conversation-with-rob-gurwitt-of-daybreak-about-news-trust-new-england-democracy-community-and-more
• Interview on Hanover Happenings with NH and VT Secretaries of State: https://hanoverhappenings.castos.com/episodes/nh-and-vt-secretaries-of-state-visit-hanover-to-talk-civics-elections-and-public-trust

Hi everyone my name is Alex Torpey, your host of the new Upper Valley Vibes podcast.

As we get this thing going I wanted to share a little bit about my goals for the podcast, and first, share a little of my background so you all can get to know where I’m coming from and the perspective that will be part of this podcast. I think it's important to know about the context of people who we listen to, read, etc, and hope you'll join me to hear a bit about what informs my mindset.

Do you know someone who is up to some interesting things around the Upper Valley? Reach out to me at alex@rethinklocal.us!

I can't wait to bring you interesting stories of people doing amazing things in their communities around the Upper Valley.

Show links: 

• The free nonpartisan guide we created (Featured on NHPR!) for increasing engagement at Town Meeting: https://rethinklocal.us/resources-town-meeting-turnout-and-engagement/
• Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alextorpey/
• Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alextorpey/
• Hanover Happenings podcast: Hanoverhappenings.com.