Tangled stories. Rooted in community.
Kudzu Project community storytelling podcast: Voices and conversations you haven’t heard before. Weirdly beautiful. Sublimely gritty. Always real.
Welcome to the Kudzu Project
Like the vine it’s named for, stories spread, twist, and tangle their way through the South — binding people together in unexpected ways. The Kudzu Project aims to capture those stories. Real voices. Real places. Real experiences. Weirdly beautiful, sublimely gritty, and completely authentic.
Introduction to the Kudzu Project
About the podcast
Everyone has a story worth hearing. These unknown sagas live in basements, on porches, down backroads, and in the voices of people who can’t always get a microphone. The Kudzu Project exists to capture those stories. Like the vine itself, they spread in unexpected directions — weaving together the beautiful, the messy, and the unforgettable. This is not a polished highlight reel. This is the real thing: the voices of everyday people, artists, workers, leaders, neighbors, dreamers … and heroes. We want to tell the stories that make you laugh, think, cry, and nod along because you’ve been there too.
Meet the host
Hi, I’m Nick Lucey — a photojournalist, marketer, and former TV host who’s spent a career chasing stories. The Kudzu Project is my way of sharing the voices, history, and spirit of our community with you.
Why are we doing this?
We believe stories matter. They connect us, shape us, and remind us that we’re not alone. Too often, the voices of regular people — the people who carry history, humor, heartbreak, and hope — never get heard. The Kudzu Project is here to change all of that. Our mission is to record, preserve, and amplify authentic stories so they won’t be lost. Every episode is rooted in community and grown from the ground up.
Share your story: 3 options
This isn’t just our project. It’s yours, too. We want to invite you to add your voice, in the way that feels right for you. There are three ways to get involved:
1.) Submit your story, let us read it.
Have a story to tell, but don’t want to be on the mic yourself? Too busy? Too shy? Too nervous? No worries. Submit your story, and we may read it on our podcast.
2.) Submit your story, get interviewed.
Want to tell your story in your own words? Fill out the story submission form, and we may be in touch to schedule a conversation for a future episode.
3.) Submit someone else’s story for them.
Know someone whose story deserves to be heard? Perhaps they’re too humble… Nominate them! We’ll reach out and invite them to share their story with us.
Kudzu Project Story Submission
We’d love to hear your story. Please fill out the form below. Your story may be read on our podcast, and if we feel it’s a strong fit, we may reach out to schedule a future interview.
Who do we think we are?
The Kudzu Project is created by storytellers with roots in journalism, photography, video, television, and design. Our background spans newsrooms, studios, and creative fields where telling the truth and capturing the moment were always at the heart of the work.
As former journalists and media makers, we know the best stories rarely come from press releases or headlines. They live in neighborhoods, along backroads, and in the everyday experiences that shape a community. Our mission is to seek out those voices, share them with honesty, and create a space where stories — weirdly beautiful, sublimely gritty, and completely real — can be heard.
Meet the sponsor
The Kudzu Project is brought to you by the Lucey Agency, a full-service marketing company based in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Feelin’ old school?
Want to send us your story via a handwritten or typed letter? We won’t fault you for wanting to kick it old school, boomer. You can send it snail mail to Kudzu Project, PO Box 6053, Hendersonville NC 28792. We promise we’ll read it, and if it’s interesting enough, read it on our podcast!
Community Roots: Stories Across Appalachia
Community Roots is our living atlas of Appalachian places—short, read-in-one-sitting profiles that braid history, mystery, and modern life. Each page uncovers a town’s landmarks and legends, the makers and music, and the resilient people whose voices define these mountains. Wander from quiet hollers to bustling ridge-line cities and see how front-porch stories become the region’s connective tissue. Dive in below and pick a community to explore—the next great story is just over the ridge.