Area journalist Laura Hackett joined BPR in June 2023, with a dedication to service and mission-driven work for the community she calls home.
Get to know Laura and find out what she's up to when not covering city council and county commission meetings or affordable housing.
Team BPR: Tell us about yourself, Laura.
Laura: I’m BPR’s Asheville and Buncombe County reporter. I’ve lived in Asheville since 2017 and before joining the team here, worked at several other publications in town, including Mountain Xpress and AVLtoday.
A few of my beats include city and county government, public safety, and affordable housing. I love being a reporter and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do this work for my community.
Team BPR: What attracts you to work in public media and for Blue Ridge Public Radio?
Laura: I think that everyone should have the opportunity to get engaged with what’s happening in their community, and I believe that BPR provides a great service for all of Western North Carolina in its mission to share fair, inclusive, and curiosity-driven stories.
Beyond the mission-driven work, I choose to work at BPR because I love our team. My colleagues have a high standard of editorial integrity and respect for our community – not to mention, they are also cool and hilarious.
Team BPR: When you’re not behind the mic or working on a story, what do you enjoy doing?
Laura: Cooking is a huge passion of mine. I have dozens of cookbooks piled in my home office and I love testing out new techniques in the kitchen, exploring Asheville’s markets for inspiration, and riffing off whatever random ingredients happen to be in my fridge.
I love having friends and family over for homecooked meals and cocktails. Since I have a very energetic hound dog, I also spend a lot of time at the French Broad River dog park and on Asheville’s local greenways and trail systems.
Team BPR: What are you currently reading?
Laura: I just finished the novel Yellowface by R.F. Huang – which was an absolutely wild ride -- and now I’m reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I’m also working my way through the latest edition of The Atlantic.
