Seeing the Unseen: Inside YNST Magazine’s Mission to Spotlight Appalachian Creativity

In the heart of Appalachia, a new narrative is taking shape—one rooted in creativity, collaboration, and community pride. At the center of it all is YNST Magazine, an independent print publication founded by Adam Payne and a collective of young storytellers determined to showcase the vibrant arts and culture of the region.

The seeds for YNST were planted during Adam’s final year at West Virginia University, where he was completing his master’s degree. Alongside a tight-knit group of friends and fellow creatives from WVU’s student-run Mirage Magazine, he saw an opportunity to carry forward the energy they had cultivated in college into a new, mission-driven project.

“As a band of journalism students and artists, we spent four years together harnessing a love for storytelling and a knack for the more creative side of journalism,” said Adam. “So as young professionals and recent grads, we decided not to kill the passion we had been brewing and turn it into the mission-driven work we do now with YNST.”

But passion alone wasn’t the only thing that made YNST possible. Adam credits his time working at WVU’s LaunchLab, an innovation center for student entrepreneurs, with giving him the tools to turn a creative idea into a sustainable business.

“We were like the Shark Tank of the school,” he said. “Some of that business knowledge rubbed off, and I felt emboldened to actually start a business and go the entrepreneurial route.”

Initially, the team considered a broader pop culture and lifestyle angle. But as they dug deeper, a clearer purpose emerged: to showcase the vibrant, diverse, and often underrepresented modern Appalachian arts scene. “It became clear that we could best serve the creative community we were immersed in by spotlighting the too often unseen and unsung positive stories of Appalachia and its vibrant arts and culture.”

It didn’t take long for the right folks to gather around Adam’s team and their mission. Today, YNST has grown to include hired editors, interns, illustrators, and a dozen freelance writers and photographers from across the region.

The momentum around YNST continued to build after an early win at Show of Hands, a community crowd-funding event in Wheeling, West Virginia. Show of Hands attendees pay $5 (or more) to attend and vote for local Wheeling businesses they believe in.

“We were honored to even participate, but winning really validated that folks believed in this idea,” Adam said. “They saw a future in it. They felt like it was worthy of investment, long-term. It really helped kickstart our energy and passion as we first launched.”

From the start, Adam and his team knew that Appalachia’s creative spirit was alive and thriving, even if it wasn’t always reflected in mainstream narratives. What surprised them, however, was the incredible diversity of subcultures they discovered within a relatively tight geographic area.

“What we could have never predicted is just how interesting the subcultures within the region would prove to be, and the diversity of experience despite only a few hundred miles separating all of these stories,” he said.

Maintaining an independent print publication is no small feat, especially in an era dominated by digital media. But Payne believes print still holds a unique and necessary place. “We are on the cusp of a revival for print media as folks are tired of the constant inundation of information from screens,” he said. With SO MUCH being broadcast at us every day, Adam thinks people place value on the longevity and engagement physical mediums provide.

“We knew when talking about art and culture in such a niche subsect of the world, there is real value in being able to see, hold, touch and engage with people's artwork and stories through print that just can't be replicated through a screen,” he said. “We hope each issue of YNST feels more like a lasting snapshot of culture — a micro-coffee table book folks can keep, read, admire and show others for years to come.”

While YNST’s roots are planted in West Virginia, Adam said they try their darndest to encompass as much of the Appalachian region as possible, sometimes thinking of Appalachia more as a cultural identity and less as the geographic confines that define it.

“Our core team is all from West Virgina originally, so occasionally our stories still feel centered in the Mountain State as a driving heartbeat, but with every issue we try and continue to expand our reach to include as many different places and people as possible.”

One of the ways YNST sets itself apart is through its community-driven model. Each issue is shaped by rolling submissions of artwork, photography, creative writing, and even feature stories from contributors across the region. “We let the community inform and shape the look, feel, and content of each issue,” Adam explained. With its intentional positivity, focus on the arts, and youthful edge, YNST offers something fresh and vital to the Appalachian media landscape.

As for what’s next? Adam hints that Issue 08, still under wraps, may be the most exciting installment yet. Beyond the magazine itself, the team is also expanding into curating gallery shows and collaborating on events throughout the region. “We are just excited to continue growing, expand our reach further into southern Appalachia, and continue to pursue projects that align with our mission!”

In a region often mischaracterized or misunderstood, YNST stands as a bold, beautiful reminder: There is so much more to see—if you know where to look. 👁️‍🗨️