United States
A creative storyteller fascinated with the intersection of identity, power, and motivation. Her writing has appeared in The Appalachian Voice and HuffPost Personal, while her ghostwritten work has appeared in The Tennessean, Knoxville News, and other outlets.
She works on the communications team of an environmental nonprofit and serves as the Managing Editor of The Appalachian Voice, a regional news publication founded in 1996. Previously, she served as the Executive Producer of "Energizing Tennessee," a podcast about the latest news and insights from the advanced energy sector.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a writer and editor in Knoxville and Boston, freelancing in higher education, healthcare, energy, emerging technology, and entertainment industries.
Please reach out with any questions to: abby.elaine.hassler@gmail.com.
Learning English is always difficult. But current aggressive approaches to immigration policy are creating more barriers for learners and the programs that serve them than ever before in Appalachia and beyond.
A year and a half after Hurricane Helene, many survivors are still struggling to secure stable housing because of delayed federal funding, financial challenges and bureaucratic red tape.
Many landowners, neighbors and community advocates are contending with the massive buildout of methane gas - dubbed "natural gas" by the fossil fuel industry - in Tennessee. This huge increase in gas infrastructure is driven in large part by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Chrissy Miller is a disaster case manager in Cocke County, Tennessee, who helps survivors of Hurricane Helene access resources, fulfill unmet needs, develop recovery plans and try to make sense of difficult situations. For Miller, who was also impacted by the storm, it's hard to rein in the scope of her work.
On the one-year milestone of Hurricane Helene, communities reflect on the challenges they still face on the long road to recovery. The storm caused significant destruction, but it also exacerbated existing issues. New instances of housing insecurity and mental health concerns bubble to the surface every day - and will for months and years to come.
Hurricane Helene devastated many of Appalachia's most beloved natural areas. Thanks to federal, state and local partners and volunteers, many of these outdoor spaces have reopened. But full recovery is far from over. Current and looming federal budget cuts and policy changes have made already challenging land restoration work even more arduous.
After Hurricane Helene, some organizations are hoping establish long-term community resilience hubs in North Carolina. In an ideal scenario, these hubs would be equipped with renewable infrastructure, such as solar microgrids, to maintain reliable access to electricity in the event of grid outages.
CDFIs serve as 'economic first responders' in Appalachia. A drastic reduction in one of their funding sources could significantly alter or slow down their work providing capital to small business owners, mentorship to entrepreneurs, protections from predatory lending and flexible, fast capital in times of natural disaster.
Agrivoltaics is the practice of using land for both agricultural and solar energy production. It involves traditional ground-mounted solar arrays where panels are elevated or spaced out to allow for crop production, pollinator habitats or grazing. Advocates believe that when done well, the practice can numerous environmental and economic benefits for Appalachian communities.
"It suddenly started to hurt not to talk about it, but I had no vocabulary to communicate what I was going through. I felt like an impostor."