Matt Peiken
Former Arts ProducerMatt Peiken was BPR’s first full-time arts journalist.
He spent his entire career covering arts and culture. He spent 10 years at the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota writing profiles, opinion columns, and trend stories on visual, literary and performing arts. At WCPO Television in Cincinnati, Ohio, he produced videos and created podcasts for WCPO.com about area artists and cultural events. Returning to Minnesota, he created an independent online arts television series, 3-Minute Egg, which he expanded into a weekly broadcast series on Twin Cities Public Television.
Matt has served as a regional editor for Patch.com, part of a national network of hyperlocal news sites. He was also the Managing Editor of the Walker Magazine, the bimonthly publication of the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis.
Matt says he was drawn to Blue Ridge Public Radio and Asheville for the opportunity to produce public radio journalism in a region that is renowned for its creative community. He’s especially interested in forming partnerships across Western North Carolina that shine a light on regional artists for new audiences. He received his Bachelor of Arts in journalism at California State University – Fresno, and was the recipient of a National Arts Journalism Program Fellowship and a Poynter Institute Fellowship.
Email: mpeiken@bpr.org
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Jackson's autobiographical one-woman show, “Rising of the Necessary Diva," is a mix of music and storytelling. -
Pack Square Plaza has a winding, checkered history. City planners want to center the coming redesign around the stories and concerns of Black residents. -
Erin Hallagan Clare opened Story Parlor last spring as a handful of other venues closed, fulfilling a longtime dream—opening a dependable co-op space dedicated to storytelling. -
"Where is Our Prague Spring?” is a sensory tour of Runyon’s lived experiences in the mountains of Western North Carolina. -
Fairview writer Lee Stockdale recounts several decades of memories in his new collection of poetry, titled "Gorilla.” -
On and around the former Vance Monument’s pedestal are sculpture, video projection, and fragments of audio interviews with people who are or have been without housing. -
One of the most lauded performers at the past two LEAF Festivals, Jordan Scheffer is leaning into the music and inspiration of Black artists. -
"Moonshine" is the fourth album Hartley has released as Nightlands. -
Callan White and Jennifer Gatti co-star in "Roommate" at NC Stage through Oct. 30 -
Performances and workshops for the upcoming festival run October 20-23 at Lake Eden in Black Mountain.
