Inside Appalachia

This week, we’re joined by Lilly Knoepp, regional reporter at Blue Ridge Public Radio in Western North Carolina. Boom and bust cycles for coal, timber and textiles are nothing new to Appalachia. Today we’re seeing another industry struggle –local journalism.   Some newspapers have scaled back or disappeared entirely, but journalism isn’t dying. Journalists are adapting and some are reinventing wha...

This week, we head to the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping. And, it’s been over six years since Kentucky artist Lacy Hale designed her iconic “No Hate in My Holler” screenprint. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message. We also take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad and explore some one-of-a-kind getaways in West Virginia. You’ll...

This week… Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina has put out some of the hottest indie rock records of the year. We talked with one of its co-founders. We also visit the Allegheny Highlands, where Appalachia’s maple syrup traditions are changing with the times. And, poet Lacy Snapp introduces us to east Tennessee’s poetry scene. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appal...

This week, a high school football game, a street festival, and a kids' classroom are all settings in a new film about how coal mining shapes Appalachian culture. We also learn about the results of a new survey showing alarming mental health trends in Appalachia’s LGBTQ community. And we meet a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina who was just a teenager when she found her calling. You’ll h...

This week, we learn about the history of African Face Jars in America from the middle of the 19th Century to today. We also get an update on flood recovery in eastern Kentucky and talk with West Virginia poet Doug Van Gundy.

This week on Inside Appalachia , we’re talking about traditional ballads — how they tell stories and connect us to the past. These old tunes can mean so much. They can tap into difficult emotions and give feelings space to be heard. Some songs may even be too uncomfortable to sing. In this special episode with guest co-host, ballad singer Saro Lynch-Thomason, we explore songs about lawbreaking fol...

This week, a southern Ohio college writing class recently learned about the idea of Appalachian identity and then told us what they thought. Kentucky has a new poet laureate. We listen back to a 2020 conversation with author Silas House, about growing up in the mountains. And in Harlan Kentucky, a mural sparked strong opinions over possums. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appa...

This week, we speak with the author of a new book about grief rituals and how they’re practiced here in the mountains. We also talk with podcaster Abe Partridge about an Appalachian art that goes unheard by most people – the religious music of snake handling churches.  And, a new study recently found a majority of Americans are not on track to comfortably pay for retirement. We checked in with the...

This week, we listen back to three award-winning Folkways stories from last year. First, we visit a luthier’s shop, where old musical instruments get new life. We also take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad and meet the expert crew who keeps its antique trains running. And we learn what draws people from hours away to Floyd, Virginia’s weekly Friday Night Jamboree. You’ll hear these stories and m...

After last year’s flooding in Eastern Kentucky, some people had trouble getting insurance reimbursement. But it wasn’t just flood waters that destroyed homes. The rains also brought landslides.  We visit with scientists in North Carolina, who explain how the language we use can lead to misunderstandings about climate change. And, in Appalachia, farmers have long planted their gardens by celestial...

This week, we visit with Jerry Machen of Kingsport, Tennessee. When he first started making art from old carpets, his wife Linda wasn’t impressed. We also meet the devoted family and friends of Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque, who rallied behind the acclaimed Appalachian restaurant during a hard time. And, it used to be that every grocery store had a trained butcher behind the counter. But that’s not the ca...

This week, we step on the Appalachian Trail with one of America’s most accomplished hikers, Jennifer Pharr Davis. We also talk to the director of the Augusta Heritage Center. Each summer, dozens of students attend workshops to learn traditional skills. This year, the center is turning 50. We’ll also visit the steel drum capital of America – which, believe it or not, is right here in Appalachia. Yo...

Family recipes are a way to connect generations, but what happens when you’ve got grandma’s recipe and it doesn’t have exact measurements? We also talk with Ohio poet laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour about Appalachia, poems — and getting published. And we revisit a story about an attraction at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there. You’ll hear these stories and mor...

This week, we look back at a shocking crime near the Appalachian Trail and speak to the author of a book that re-examines the case. We also sample a beloved Lenten staple made in Charleston, West Virginia. It’s a Yugoslavian fish stew that has a little bit of everything. And we talk with the poet laureate of Blair County, Pennyslvania, who invented the demi-sonnet. You’ll hear these stories and mo...

Appalachians love to compete. Whether it’s rec league softball, a turkey calling contest or workplace chili cookoffs… Mountain folks are in it to win it. But there’s more to competing than just winning or losing. In this show, we’ll also meet competitors who are also keepers of beloved Appalachian traditions.

This week, we talk to the BBC’s Philip Reevell and reporter Kaitie Myers about a recent documentary that looks at Kentucky flood recovery through the eyes of local reporter Katie Myers. She not only covered the disaster but was also part of the cleanup effort. We also meet a family who survived the flood and found solace through faith and song. And we meet Kentucky actress Caroline Clay. She stars...

This week, climate change is changing what grows in Appalachia, and where. Some peach varieties usually found in Georgia are moving north. We also learn how the bean dish frijoles charros made its way from northern Mexico — to Appalachian Ohio. And we revisit our interview with Crystal Wilkinson, who was appointed Kentucky poet laureate in 2021. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside...

This week, we hop a tiny train to discover the miniature wonders of a West Virginia model railroad club that now faces an uncertain future. We also visit Madison, West Virginia - a former coal community that's looking to reinvent itself.  And we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation extended from cradle to the grave. You’ll hear these stories and more this week,...

This week on Inside Appalachia, amid recent hospital closures, Appalachian women are having to travel farther and farther to give birth. Maternal Medicine In The Mountains We’ll talk with reporter Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven about maternal health care deserts in western North Carolina and hear a report from Crystal Good, about what options Black families in West Virginia have for finding birth worke...

This week, we meet a West Virginia high-school student whose love of reading inspired her to bring books to young children. We also check in on people who were displaced by historic flooding in Kentucky. What’s happening now that we’re deep into winter? And we find advice for people navigating the difficulties of caring for aging parents. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appala...

For working comedians, mean-spirited hecklers are part of the job. But what happens when someone gets angry enough to throw a beer? And, West Virginia poet laureate Marc Harshman had his own experience with an intimidating gig. We also hear some advice for people caring for aging relatives. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week on Inside Appalachia , we go back to school with West Virginia women who are training to fill the shortage of construction jobs. And, EMTs and first responders take care of Appalachian communities, but who’s watching out for them? We’ll also talk with country music star Morgan Wade about what it’s like to play in Nashville one week and then return to your hometown stage the next.

This week on Inside Appalachia , we’ll hear about a farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that can grow a lot of agriculture on one acre of a former industrial site. We’ll also hear about a podcast that remembers the back to the land movement in West Virginia during the 1970s and 1980s — as well as a mysterious disappearance.

On this week’s episode, we’re journeying far and wide through Appalachia and beyond. Author Mesha Maren takes us from the hills of West Virginia to the Texas/Mexico border — the land of the Luchador. We’ll also hear about what West Virginians are doing to help Ukrainian refugees. And, we’ll learn about what doctors are saying about medical cannabis in the Mountain State — where it's now available...

This week on Inside Appalachia, we venture to southern Ohio to visit the last remaining washboard maker in the U.S. Its washboard’s aren’t just for laundry — but for music. And people come there to jam.  We also speak with Elliott Stewart, who makes the zine Porch Beers. The zine tracks his life and travels, like his move from West Virginia and back again. And we revisit our 20th anniversary celeb...