Our State

5 days ago | ourstate.com | Kathleen Purvis

On rare summer afternoons when I was allowed to play inside instead of being banished to the backyard after breakfast, I got to witness my mother’s strange ritual. Sometime after lunch, she would pull the drapes closed over the open windows. Then she’d strip off her house dress down to her slip — modest, but cooler. She’d unfold the ironing board with a screech of its metal legs, plug in the electric iron, and wait for the hiss of steam to signal that it was hot enough.

1 week ago | ourstate.com | Jason Frye

Whether you live here or visit for a few days a year, North Carolina’s coast has a way of growing on you, of bringing you back for more. More meals with the ones you love, more hours to laze away by the shore, more moments of wonder. There’s no bottle big enough to hold all of that, but what if there were something so much a part of this place that every time you saw it, you were transported in a blink to blissful moments under a Carolina blue sky?

2 weeks ago | ourstate.com | Mark Kemp

North Carolina, Noted: Tune in as Senior Editor Mark Kemp immerses readers and listeners in the roots and rhythms of North Carolina, discovering how gospel choirs and radio shows, beach music and bluegrass, mariachi and marching bands all contribute to the soundtrack of our state. Click here to read the story from our July 2025 issue. Click below to hear Mark read his column aloud. Our Storytellers podcast brings the pages of the magazine to life, featuring the voices of six Our State writers.

2 weeks ago | ourstate.com | Sheri Castle |Eliza Benbow

Listen as the pages of the magazine come to life in the Storytellers podcast showcasing the voices of six Our State writers. Each podcast episode features a writer reading their column aloud, allowing each distinct voice to shine. Click below to listen to Sheri read her column aloud.

2 weeks ago | ourstate.com | Sheri Castle

From Our State’s A Taste of Our State series. Click here to read or listen to contributor Sheri Castle’s column from the July 2025 issue. Sweet corn peaks in the hottest part of summer. But boy is it ever sweet and juicy, almost like ripe fruit, which is why it makes incredible ice cream that hits the spot on a sweltering day. It’s not a typical flavor of homemade ice cream — another of summer’s best indulgences — but it could become a new classic.