Inside Appalachia

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.

This week, the music of West Virginia songwriter Ella Hanshaw. Her music is getting rediscovered thanks to her grandchildren.  Also, a pair of potters in western North Carolina forego commercial clay to work with clay that’s wild .   And we make a trip to West Virginia’s Hillbilly Hotdogs for its infamous Homewrecker Hotdog Challenge.

This week, an international photographer turns his lens toward home.  Also, after Hurricane Helene, whitewater rafting guides are adapting to diminished business and changed rivers. And, we remember Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a mark on mountain culture, and the people who practice and document it.  

This week, dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia.  Also, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist.   And the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.

People with mental health challenges or substance use disorder often end up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another path. Also, one year after the Mountain Valley Pipeline went into service, people who live directly in the pipeline’s path have received compensation. But not everyone. And, the Sacred Harp songbook gets an update for the first time since the early ‘90s. You'll hear these st...

For 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game night for teens. It can get a little wacky. We also remember renowned Tennessee luthier, Jean Horner. Whose fiddles were played at Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. His shop was a destination for fiddle fanatics. And a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitche...

This week, a hospital in Western North Carolina was bought out. Residents say the quality of care has gone down.   Also, an immersion school in North Carolina is trying to revitalize the Cherokee language with the help of a printmaking class. And a pair of artists follow cicada hatchings to make art from their shells.    You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia .

This week, a West Virginia man is reviving an historic Black coal camp through farming. Also, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage. And, the Reverend George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia, was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered on Juneteenth through his poetry. You'll hear these stories and more this week,...

Textbooks have long left out an important piece of labor history that happened here in the mountains --the Mine Wars. Now, there's a book out that's written for teenagers. Also, when flooding devastates a community, people can find solace through faith and through song. And we remember songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler, who passed away last year. Dozens of musicians have covered his songs, including Jo...

Cicadas are emerging again. They’re an important food source for wildlife—and even some people. We talk with an expert and a fan of these bugs. Also, morel mushrooms are a forager’s delight, but don’t shortcut cleaning them. We follow along with mushroom hunters and talk to a chef.  And, sinkholes can cause a lot of damage. But they’re also fascinating. 

The Appalachian Prison Book Project has been sending books to incarcerated people for nearly 20 years. Its most popular book is the dictionary.  Also, the Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning.   And, crossing a river by ferry can be a special experience, and hard to come by. On the Ohio River, a retiring ferry captain passes th...