Sarah Hume

BOYD’S STATION Mary Withers FELLOW - 2022 | Denison University - 2022

There have been so many incredible moments here, but one that continues to stick with me was during my first few weeks in Harrison County. I was beginning to meet and live with the other Boyd's Station fellows. Sitting in the Main Cup working at the same table with them, I wrote an introduction piece about myself for the Democrat. Nervousness settled in as I visualized the county reading my words for the first time. I asked the photojournalists to read it over. Not only did they encourage me, but they gave thoughtful feedback. Boyd's Station puts you in the company of good journalists and good people, and for that, I'm forever grateful.

This project has been incredibly important so far in both my personal and professional journey. I've noticed that with the support of mentors and the other fellows, as well as having the chance to go out into the community every single day, I'm becoming a more confident journalist and a more confident person. I feel more comfortable reaching out to members of the community and have been able to take the time to build relationships. As far as how this project impacts Harrison County, I've found that it reminds the community that they are important. Sometimes rural counties can be overlooked, but archiving and writing about daily life is not only compelling but essential. I hope that Boyd's Station continues to empower members of the community to recognize that Harrison County's stories matter state and nationwide.

After spending a few months in Harrison County, I'm continually more motivated to pursue stories as we've had practice making our own schedules and deciding who to interview. I'm becoming more thoughtful about timing, understanding that there's a push and pull to getting enough material to write an article, but knowing that there has to be a cut off point because stories can go on forever.

I'll be applying for a scholarship to pursue a Masters program in the UK, and will soon be applying for jobs at magazines or nonprofits that call for journalistic writing. Especially after my time with Boyd's Station, it's very important to me that I work as part of a community. Working on my Boyd's Station stories have strengthened my interest in topics like environmental public safety and Indigenous rights in states without federal recognition for tribes. I plan to continue writing about these issues no matter where I land.

Sarah Hume, the 2022 Boyd’s Station Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient, graduated from Denison University with a bachelor's degree, International/Global Studies and Narrative Journalism in 2022.

Kentucky’s Family Cemeteries | Sarah Hume | Published in the Louisville Courier Journal on Dec. 4, 2022

View the entire project online at the Louisville Courier Journal

Low-head dams across Kentucky, around the nation kill hundreds | Sarah Hume | Published in the Louisville Courier Journal on Dec. 4, 2022

View the entire project online at the Louisville Courier Journal

First Days Reflections | Sarah Hume | Published in the Cynthiana Democrat on July 7, 2022

I got my first chigger bites on Wednesday, six days after I drove into Harrison County. I’d never seen perfectly circular red bumps like that before. Where I’m from, every bug bite is the work of a mosquito. I only noticed them when another Boyd’s Station fellow pointed to my ankles.

“Don’t itch them,” she told me. When she was little, her mom would put clear nail polish over her worst bites. Rub them if you have to, use Epsom salts if they get really bad.

Treating chigger bites is just one of many things for me to learn. For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in the suburbs in Michigan. There was a line of stores on my way to school and a crowded highway to Detroit near my house. Every place worth going was a 15 minute drive.

Here, I plan for 30 or more. I slow down at each curve, checking for loose gravel. I pull over when I spot historical markers. I think of where my feet will be going during the day and what shoes I should wear. I picture hands touching the earth throughout generations of farming and cultivation.

My name is Sarah Hume and I’m this summer’s Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellow for Boyd’s Station. I grew up in Farmington Hills and recently graduated from Denison University in Ohio.
I started doing journalism in college because true-life storytelling fascinated me. The best part is that it allows me to be curious and listen to people for a living. What struck me about Boyd’s Station when I applied was its emphasis on community, and I’m now experiencing that.

I couldn’t have anticipated that I would soon be writing this article in The Main Cup, sitting next to a hand-drawn picture of hearts and the words “nice to meet you” in marker from a third grade girl I met when I walked inside.

The hardest part of writing about Cynthiana is capturing this kind of magic without breaking it. There’s subtlety to these daily moments. You can’t be too cliche when describing them, lest they seem unreal.

So I’ve been on the lookout for how to express them. On my fourth day here, I went to the library to kill time before Melissa Whalen’s yoga class. I picked a book off the shelf and, like I usually do, read the first and last page. Though I don’t remember the title, I do remember the last few words.

Small mercies, it said.

It’s a good phrase to describe what I’m finding here. A red stop light allowing me to look at the sunset on the hills for a few more minutes. Two girls herding goats towards their family’s barn before dark. Gnats circling in patterns near the porch light. Someone calling me over to see fireflies blinking in the trees and saying, very kindly, take all the time you need here to look.

Small mercies like this first piqued my interest in journalism. They’re everyday beauties. They make us human. Leaving traces of daily life behind for the future is important.

A recent trip to Pompeii, a town preserved in time by a volcanic eruption which was a few hours from Rome, reminded me of this.

Painted birds and carved inscriptions on the walls indicate well-loved homes, even thousands of years later. Not just the capital city, not just the big buildings, not just the world-changing events. But regular people. How they lived in their neighborhood, and how we live in ours, matters. I am honored to work with Boyd’s Station to help capture Harrison County’s stories.

The kindness I’ve felt in this county and at Boyd’s Station is profound. While some small mercies in life are fragile, I don’t think this is one of them. It is deeply rooted here.

It’s been an absolute pleasure to meet so many of you during my first week. I can’t wait to keep meeting folks as I go. If you see me around, feel free to say hi!