Noah Adams

Adams in the backyard of his home in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Before spending over twenty years as a co-host of National Public Radio’s flagship program All Things Considered, Noah Adams hosted a weekly show on WBKY, the University of Kentucky’s college radio station. He often spent weekends exploring the Red River Gorge, which was then, in the early 1970s, under threat of being dammed. 

Adams decided to create a radio documentary on the issue— his first work of long-form journalism. The story, along with other acts of resistance and public outcry, helped bring attention to the subject, and the plan to dam the Gorge eventually lost its momentum. “After that happened,” Adams says, “I became involved in thinking about the power of radio.” 

Adams was born in Ashland, Kentucky, and he never finished college. He believes that his unconventional background helped him contribute something vital to NPR. “I’m a different kind of person, and they opened the door for me and let me in. They need people who understand that there is a vast country out there, and who may know something about Appalachia, West Virginia, North Carolina.” Throughout his tenure at National Public Radio, Adams has worked to bring the voices of rural Americans on the air, including those of Kentucky writers such as Wendell Berry, James Still, Silas House, and Gray Zeitz.

Adams is now based in Yellow Springs, Ohio, along with his wife, Neenah Ellis. He is the author of several books, including Piano Lessons, Far Appalachia, and The Flyers.

Noah Adams’ gardening bench.