Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, we hear from a radiologist in eastern Kentucky who says he’s seeing a rise in cases of black lung among young coal miners.   We’ll also the first part of a new series from reporters Randy Yohe and Chris Shulz about the dog racing industry in West Virginia. Then, we’ll travel to Monaca, Pennsylvania where Shell plans to begin operations at its massive ethane cracker...

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.  And, we’ll hear about a team of entomologists who documented dozens of new s...

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 from the war with Russia. And, we’ll learn about what doctors are saying about medical cannabis in the Mountain State,...

On this week’s encore episode of Inside Appalachia , we’re dedicating the show to children's authors. Hear from Cynthia Rylant, author of “When I Was Young In The Mountains,” “Messy Larry” author David J. Perri and storytelling champion Bil Lepp reading from his children's book “The Princess And The Pickup Truck.” We’ll also hear Lyn Ford -- a professional storyteller and children's educator -- te...

Today, we’re dedicating our entire show to the art of telling stories- out loud, in front of audiences. We’ll hear five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, Bil Lepp, learn how music duo Anna and Elizabeth met and began performing their harmonies, using something known as a crankie. And we’ll travel to the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough Tennessee to hear a man remi...

This week, we’ll meet a man who has struggled with substance use disorder. Now, he’s a recovery coach. We’ll also meet a woman who started a farm and culinary training program to help people in recovery. And childhood friends who first started singing together 70 years ago show why it’s never too late to begin again … You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

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 fo...

This week, we begin our journey throughout Appalachia in Floyd County, Virginia, home of Earl White. White is working to amplify the often-overlooked participation of Black musicians in old-time music. Then, we’ll travel back to the early 20th century, when nurse Mary Breckenridge launched a midwifery program in Eastern Kentucky. That program would become known across the world for its positive im...

This week, we’re airing an encore episode of Inside Appalachia . We’ll meet a man who makes wooden turkey calls, not ordinary turkey calls. Painter Brian Aliff doesn’t call himself an artist, but he intricately paints his turkey calls, which are now collectors’ items. We’ll also meet people who make wooden paddles by hand and custom-decorate each one, and a man who repairs cuckoo clocks. Finally,...

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia , we’ll hear about Black musicians and luthiers who are reclaiming the banjo -- an instrument with deep roots in Africa and a difficult history in The United States. We’ll also hear about The Bristol Sessions —  recording sessions known for bringing country music out of the hollers and onto  radios, and for making stars of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter F...

This week’s episode is all about ballad singers and storytellers. We’ll hear an interview with West Virginia native Becca Spence Dobias who wrote a novel called ‘On Home.’ And co-host Mason Adams sits down with ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle, who grew up in Rural Retreat, Virginia. As longtime performers and new parents, she and her husband took to Facebook Live, posting weekly livestreams of lu...

This week on Inside Appalachia we’ll visit a luthier’s shop where old instruments get new life, and hear about a new comedy film set in Beckley, West Virginia. We’ll also hear from author Neema Avashia, whose new book is "Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer And Indian In A Mountain Place."  Comedy Film Set In Beckley, West Virginia The upcoming slapstick comedy “Ambrosia” is set in a quirky bed an...

What is Appalachia? This week, we’re re-airing a December 2021 episode that seeks to answer this question, with stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh.  Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt, even the Northeast. Politically, it encompasses 423 counties across 13 states — West Virginia is the only state entirely inside Appalachia.   That leaves so much room...

The downturn of coal in Harlan County, Kentucky has led to an exodus of Black residents in search of work. This week on Inside Appalachia , we listen back to our conversation with William Turner, whose book about growing up in a vibrant Black community in eastern Kentucky just won the Weatherford Award for nonfiction from the Appalachian Studies Association.  We’ll also give another listen to a co...

This week on Inside Appalachia , we’ll hear how women in the mountains spearhead movements to battle racial injustice, defend healthy communities and fight for the rights of all Appalachians.  We’ll talk with the author of a book called “To Live Here You Have To Fight,” hear from podcaster Anna Sale and visit a camp that teaches young people to play rock music. Women aren’t front and center in acc...

Lawmakers across Appalachia are debating how issues of race are taught in public schools, but the U.S. isn’t the only country with an unsettling history to deal with.  In Germany, teachers are mandated to include lessons about one of their nation’s darkest chapters — the Holocaust. This week on Inside Appalachia , we look at those discussions, and hear from people in Germany, about how they teach...

If you think about one dish that has sustained generations of Appalachian people, what comes to mind? When we put the question on social media, many listeners replied with the same answer: a simple bowl of soup beans and a slice of corn bread. This week on Inside Appalachia , we’ll look at the origin of beans and cornbread. And we’ll meet a woman in Moorefield, West Virginia, who makes pinto beans...

The Russian invasion in Ukraine is sending shockwaves throughout the world. Did you know that the geography and culture of the people who live in the mountains of southwest Ukraine have a lot in common with Appalachia? Google images of the Carpathian mountains and you’ll see stunning images that look very similar to views in our own backyard.  A group of scholars in Appalachia and in Ukraine notic...

This week on Inside Appalachia , we’ll hear from residents in Kentucky who were denied aid. We’ll also hear a special documentary about the Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972, one of the worst catastrophes in U.S. history.

Think back to your American history class. We all learned about the Civil War, but what did you learn about the years after the war ended? On Inside Appalachia this week, we’ll hear how that history parallels events today. We’ll also learn about a women’s mountain biking group called the Roanoke Valley Riveters, how a dance company in Asheville has adapted during the pandemic, and hear about a pod...

Valentine’s Day gets a lot of flack for being sappy, cliché or just a marketing ploy by card and chocolate companies. But we tend to think there is more to it than that. So, for this episode of Inside Appalachia , we asked our listeners for their best Appalachian love stories. We’ll also talk with a biologist and a philosopher on whether animals can feel love. We'll also hear conversations about g...

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia features stories about a West Virginia black metal band that plays songs about local history. We’ll also hear how folks are helping make skiing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing more accessible to people in West Virginia. And while labor struggles in Appalachia historically included coal miners, we’ll hear how other workers in other industries have att...

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is packed with stories from across central Appalachia, featuring creative people who are finding ways to address a wide-range of problems. We’ll hear how urban farmers in Pittsburgh are helping fight food insecurity, and how two musicians in North Carolina are finding help for people in addiction. We’ll learn why homelessness is on the rise in parts of Appa...

Schools are facing unprecedented staff shortages – here in Appalachia and across the country. In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia , we’ll hear what teachers and schools are up against, and what solutions could help keep more educators from burning out. We’ll also hear what could bring more teachers home to teach in the communities where they grew up.

For some, winter can be a difficult time -- dark and cold. For others, time outside in the winter is a powerful experience. Getting outside can also be one way to help with the stress. In this episode of Inside Appalachia , we’ll go outside into a cold, crisp forest on a winter hike.  We’ll also learn about a group of Italian immigrants who escaped religious persecution and moved to the mountains...