Inside Appalachia

For some, winter can be a difficult time -- dark and cold. For others, time outside in the winter is a powerful experience. After everything we’ve been through in the past year, getting outside can be one way to help with the stress. Taking a break from social media and the news, getting bundled up and venturing out into nature, even just for five minutes, can help.  In this episode of Inside Appa...

How can we hold onto traditions in a world that’s always changing? This week on Inside Appalachia, we explore stories about how our history and culture can help us find answers, and ask questions, about the types of future we want to build. Whether it’s learning the recipes of our ancestors, trying to bring back a heritage tree that was nearly wiped out, or rooting for the home team, our future wo...

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re revisiting some of the stories we have reported about economic development. We’ll hear how these projects are doing today, and how the pandemic has impacted these efforts. Lavender An economic development project in southern West Virginia, partly funded by a $1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, planned to grow lavender on former str...

In 2016, our  Inside Appalachia  team began documenting the lives of six Appalachians who were trying to decide if they could find a stable job and keep their roots in Appalachia, or if they’d have to leave home for opportunities elsewhere. This series won first place for “Best Series” from the Public Media Journalists Association (formerly known as the Public Radio News Directors, Inc.). Two of t...

Have you ever noticed how conversations about food can lead us to learn surprising things about each other? In this week’s episode of  Inside Appalachia , we talk about holiday foods. We’ve got recipes for things like cranberry salad, sorghum gingerbread, and pecan pie. But more than recipes, this show is about the power of memory, and tradition. Co-host Caitlin Tan shares her grandmother’s recipe...

If you live in Appalachia, or for that matter, if you’ve ever lived in Appalachia, you are a part of our family. It defines us. This week on Inside Appalachi a we’ll hear about family found in unexpected places — like a West Virginia family who got a letter from a sister in Austria they didn’t even know they had.  And a young man in North Carolina who was inspired to learn old-time music when he s...

What are communities in Appalachia doing to address racism? The death of George Floyd and others at the hands of police sparked hundreds of demonstrations over the summer, and a national reckoning on police reform and systemic racism. Those conversations are happening here in Appalachia, too.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, you’ll hear the story of Iraq War veteran Mark Combs. A few years ago, he recorded his journey as he left Appalachia to become a comedian. He and his friend Cameron tried their luck first in California, then in Colorado. Along the way, homesickness hit Combs especially hard as he struggled to find a place where he felt he belonged. His story is part of a long-...

Juggling work and child care has never been easy, but it’s gotten even more complicated during the coronavirus pandemic. Our child care system is in crisis. The system was patchwork and threadbare before this year. Working parents in the United States face a lot of pressure. And child care workers are often underpaid, overworked, and undervalued. In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia we’ll h...

It’s been quite a stressful couple of months for most of us. For this episode of Inside Appalachia, we wanted to slow down, take a breath, and talk about one of our favorite foods — cookies! We'll get some baking tips on a very special kind of cookie, made with local buckwheat and stone ground flour.

There is a deep connection among generations that holds steady for many families across central Appalachia. Perhaps it’s a combination of shared struggles and enduring repeated cycles of economic boom and bust. Maybe it’s our deep ties to the land that help bind so many of us to our past — after all, these mountains are among the oldest on the planet. While many Appalachians have fled the region i...

Many of us are dreaming about the things we want to do when this pandemic is over — like traveling someplace far away. If you have wanderlust, or the itch to fly, these are not ideal circumstances. But being grounded does give us time to reflect and dream about flights in our future and those in our past. This week on Inside Appalachia, we are listening to an encore episode of a show that aired ov...

Four years ago, 95 percent of Appalachian counties voted for Donald Trump. National journalists parachuted in to try to understand why. But, what did they miss? This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking with voters across Central Appalachia about the issues that matter to them.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is about fierce women — something we have no shortage of here in Appalachia. We’ll hear about the folk music collaboration between Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn. Their new album combines the tones of Appalachia with the melodies of China. We’ll also hear a story about the first transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia, and a 90-year-old...

In Appalachia, we’re all too familiar with black lung disease, and how it takes the breath away from coal miners. For a time, it seemed black lung was going away, thanks to tougher mine safety regulations. Now it's seeing a resurgence. There is another problem that doesn’t seem to have gone away, either, and that is racism. It shows itself in places you never would have thought of, including in th...

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll take a look at a fruit that is unique to Appalachia called the pawpaw. It was nearly forgotten but is coming back as some people are working to keep it alive. We also hear an interview with author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. Her new novel explores the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s history, and the push and pull to leave and return home. And we learn about...

It’s safest to avoid cramped public places, and when you’re hanging out with friends, experts say do it outside. Get some fresh air. We’ve got plenty of that here Inside Appalachia. Even as the weather changes we have an abundance of wildness to explore. And today, we’re celebrating that wildness.

Inside Appalachia reports on how potters, painters, writers, and action-figure makers, are adjusting during the coronavirus pandemic. We remember Elaine Purkey, one of West Virginia's most powerful social activists and musicians, who passed away from COVID-19. And check in with artist Robert Villamagna who is battling COVID-19 himself.

This episode of Inside Appalachia is about returning home. For some people, timing and circumstance force you back. It is only then that you realize how much you missed home. Others spend decades longing to return.

National stories about Appalachia sometimes overlook the people who are working on the ground to solve problems in their communities. This episode of Inside Appalachia highlights the work of several people who are thinking outside the box to find solutions.

What happens when strangers with cameras come to Appalachia? It’s a complicated topic that many Appalachians have strong feelings about. We’re taking another listen to an episode we aired in 2015, but it seems like this issue never goes away.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we are listening back to a show that originally aired in 2018. It’s about poverty. Appalachia is not the only place in America where some people live in extreme poverty. But several communities here are among the poorest.

Human beings are social creatures, but the pandemic is making it difficult to interact with one another. It is also bringing to light just how important human connection is in our lives.

The natural world can be a source of food and medicine along with a place to escape and unwind. There are people who know plants like they’re old friends, complete with stories and histories. These experts can also help guide us to recognize how plants can even help us in times of need.

Many of us are dreaming about the things we want to do when this pandemic is over — like traveling someplace far away. If you have wanderlust, or the itch to fly, these are not ideal circumstances. But being grounded does give us time to reflect and dream about flights in our future and those in our past.