Inside Appalachia

What is Appalachia? We’re giving our entire Inside Appalachia episode over to this question this week, 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 — and West Virginia’s the only state entirely inside Appalachia. T hat leaves so much room for...

This week — too often, people with mental health challenges or substance use disorder wind up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another way. Also, changes to the Endangered Species Act could benefit big business. They could also kill animals like the eastern hellbender. And, in troubled times, a West Virginia writer says to find peace in nature. We talk about her collection of essays.  You'...

This week, a look back at 2025. We met some fascinating people, like Aaron Dowdy of country rock band Fust.  Alos, central Appalachia continued to recover from Hurricane Helene. From the beginning, the recovery brought people together. And we made a trip to Hillbilly Hotdog to take on The Homewrecker.

This week, Inside Appalachia dives into the holidays. We go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick. Also, family recipes bring generations together. But what happens when you’ve got grandma’s potato candy recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements?  And, a new book explores the magical dark side of nature. 

This week, when you’re the only doctor in a rural mountain county, you’ve got to think ahead to keep your practice going.  Also, a West Virginia baker draws on her Finnish heritage to make a different kind of cinnamon roll. And if you bought a live-cut Christmas tree this year, there’s a good chance it came from Appalachia.

This week, a poet and musician draws inspiration from a distant family connection to the Grand Ole Opry’s Little Jimmy Dickens. Also, for 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game for teens. It can get wacky. And, a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina found her calling before she could drive a car. 

This week, one thing about Appalachians: we can get competitive.  We’re proud of our local food. Love a good hunt. And enjoy competition with friends.   We learn the rules and celebrate our victories. But there’s more to competing than just winning or losing. In this show, we’ll also meet competitors who are keepers of beloved Appalachian traditions. 

Our Common Nature is a new podcast from WNYC. It features cellist Yo-Yo Ma and producer Ana Gonzalez, as they explore America and talk to folks like West Virginia coal miners. This week, we follow Yo-Yo and his team as they venture into Appalachia. And we talk with Gonzalez about meeting people where they are.  

This week, the cost of health insurance is going up in 2026. Millions of people are faced with sticker shock. Also, a mountain farmer kept an encrypted diary for years. It’s unclear whether he would have wanted that code to ever be cracked.  And, a beloved West Virginia hot dog restaurant closed in 2018. An annual tribute sale gives people a chance to relive its glory days.

This week 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 folk...

This week, central Appalachia is known for exporting coal. But it's losing people, too.  Also, folk singer Ginny Hawker grew up singing the hymns of the Primitive Baptist Church, but she didn’t think of performing until she got a little boost from Appalachian icon Hazel Dickens.  And, the chef of an award-winning Asheville restaurant was shaped by memories of growing up in West Virginia.

Just in time for Halloween, a suite of spooky tales to make your skin crawl.   Also, tales of the supernatural. And, ghost stories galore. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia .

This week, a new novel about two girls and an astronomy textbook draws inspiration from one of the quietest places in West Virginia. Also, author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle talks about growing up as part of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. And, a Kentucky tattoo artist practices traditional tattooing and traditional music. He says they’re not too different. 

We explore the story of the first Mothman sightings, as written by a small-town journalist in 1966. Also, every year, hundreds of people celebrate Bridge Day by parachuting from the 876-foot-tall New River Gorge bridge. But not just anyone can do it.  And, the Columbus Washboard Company used to make washboards for laundry. Now, people use them to make music. You’ll hear these stories and more this...

This week, it’s been a year since Hurricane Helene barreled into central Appalachia. The storm caused floods and landslides. The disaster changed the shape of rivers. It also took lives and upended entire communities, but from the beginning, the recovery brought people together. Also, country music’s Rob McNurlin grew up with traditional music in Eastern Kentucky. His friend Marty Stuart says he’s...

This week, COVID-19 exposed the contempt society has for marginalized people. The author of a new book says these folks are anything but passive. Also, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags. And, the online world of Appalachian memes, and what they tell us about the folks who live here. 

This week, for nearly a century, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival has staged a formal dance. Organizers rely on a manual that’s been passed down for generations.  Also, abortion is illegal in most cases in Tennessee. So, what happens after a birth? A photographer followed one mother for a year.  And new prisons are touted as a way to bring jobs to former coal communities. Not everybody agrees...

Hop aboard the Cass Scenic Railroad for a visit with the people who keep the steam trains running. Also, we head to the woods and take a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. And, the makers of Angelo's Old World Italian Sausage still use a century-old family recipe. Customers love it.  You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia .

This week, we remember Rex Stephenson. He’s known for his stage performances of the Jack Tales, which have captivated school kids since the 70s.  Also, keeping the family farm going after six generations can be rough. And, some parts of southern Appalachia still practice the tradition of keeping up community gravesites for Decoration Day.

This week, the federal government has taken back millions of dollars set aside for public radio stations. Allegheny Mountain Radio is among the rural stations fighting to stay on the air. Also, a book by a West Virginia artist illustrates the tiny worlds of mountain critters, like a lizard that changes color. And, geocaching gets folks outside to play detective and find hidden treasures.

This week, we speak with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. The labor struggle culminated in the largest armed uprising since the Civil War. Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can’t spell. Froemel’s stories are drawn from small town life. And, one of the most common animals to get hit by cars are opossums....

This week, a Tennessee DJ takes us on a tour of Appalachian punk and metal. Also, Appalachian culture is enriched by its immigrants. We explore the fusion of West Virginia and Japan.  And Appalachia isn’t all punk rock and Japanese food. There’s also string band music.

In troubled times, the outdoors can offer peace. We talk with a West Virginia writer about her new collection of essays.  Also, modern technology makes firing pottery a lot easier, but some potters in North Carolina still do it the old way.  And, East Tennessee’s Amythyst Kiah’s latest album contemplates the cosmos.

This week — after a disaster, can comics help set the record straight? We talk with the founder of the Appalachian Comics Project. Also, in Western North Carolina, a new generation of Cherokee potters are keeping old traditions, while shaping a modern practice all their own.  And … schoolyard games come and go, but for kids in one community, marbles still rule. 

During a pandemic, where do you give birth? Also, we’ll have the story of a family that cultivated an heirloom tomato in West Virginia. It took a lot of work.  And, a musical tradition brought people together — even when they couldn’t gather in person.