Narrative Arts and EPIC Carteret Present

Coastal Connections

A Coastal Youth Media Project Exploring Isolation, Third Places, and Community in Carteret County

Listen Now or Scroll to Learn More About the Project

This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with administration by the Arts Council of Carteret County.

What do fishing piers, barber shops, tea rooms, and libraries have in common?

They’re all third places: spaces outside home and work that help us build relationships, feel a sense of belonging, and stay connected.

This summer, a team of young people from Carteret County came together to explore these vital spaces, interviewing local business owners, librarians, artists, and each other. The result is Coastal Connections, a moving, often funny, and inspiring podcast episode on community, connection, and what it means to belong.

Listen Now or Scroll to Meet the Team

Meet the Storytellers

Friday, August 22 | 3:00–4:00 PM
White Rabbit Café, Downtown Morehead City

No more seating available currently. Please contact [email protected] to be added to the waiting list.

Hear from the youth production team, business leaders featured in the episode, and audience members like you in a live conversation about third places and loneliness in Carteret County. Light refreshments provided by the White Rabbit Café.

Listen Now or Scroll to Visit the Featured Third Places

Ashlynn Pudenz
Ashlynn Pudenz
Ashlynn Pudenz volunteers on her school’s announcement team and with band program leadership activities and fundraisers. She provides critical marketing support at Crystal Coast Ghost Tours.
Jasper Kelley
Jasper Kelley
Jasper Kelley thrills audiences at Carteret Community Theatre and Elysian Players with a repertoire that includes razor fine comic timing, emotional gravitas, and a killer vocal range.
Laurel Henry
Laurel Henry
Laurel Henry founded Ocean Stars Review, a digital litmag with a global team, between shifts at Grandmaster Dong’s Martial Arts and stellar local theatrical performances.
Sarah Baldwin
Sarah Baldwin
Sarah Baldwin, a trendsetting musician and dancer, cultivates true connections in local third spaces like Cru and Historic Grounds, and she’s helping orchestrate the upcoming community event WeirdFest.
Zac Heironimus
Zac Heironimus
Zac Heironimus is an emerging streamer and podcaster who uses his natural charisma to connect with new people through creative hobbies like scubadiving and DECA leadership events.
Olivia Van Sickle
Olivia Van Sickle
Olivia Van Sickle, Coastal Connections Assistant Producer, is a rising star in film production with a background in biology and a future in whatever she decides to do because she’s brilliant.

featured third places & their people

In order of appearance

Patrons and Partners

Coastal Connections is a Coastal Youth Media Project by Narrative Arts in partnership with EPIC Carteret, a Planck Length Publishing podcast. It was hosted by the Morehead City Library and funded by the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, through a grant distributed by the Arts Council of Carteret County, with additional support from local third space businesses. Go team!

Coming Soon

This fall, visit the Morehead City Library to check out a copy of the Coastal Connections Zine & Audio Walking Tour, an interactive way to explore our community’s third places through photos, quotes, and on-location sound clips. We’ll even leave a third space in the margins for you to share your thoughts!

Be the first to know when the zine is available for checkout!

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