Inside Appalachia

The chef of an award-winning Asheville restaurant says he was shaped by memories of growing up in West Virginia.  The Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning.  And a West Virginia community grapples with its population of feral cats. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia .

Morel mushrooms are a forager’s delight, but don’t shortcut cleaning them. As flood relief continues from Hurricane Helene — a musician raises money with a song inspired by West Virginia’s 2016 floods. And, not every pumpkin gets to be a jack-o-lantern. Some are used in science experiments instead.

After Helene, an Asheville guitar maker grapples with how to help her neighborhood when there’s so much need.  A church in West Virginia is helping turn unwanted guns into garden tools. And, for writer Wei Tchou, it took leaving her home in East Tennessee to start seeing herself in a new way.   

Rock climbing gear eventually wears out, but it can still live on as art.  Also, the response to Hurricane Helene shows us some of the best in people. Neighbors are helping neighbors.  And surfing in West Virginia. Yeah, that’s a real a thing.

Submitted for your approval, we have a selection of spooky tales for Halloween and beyond. We have scary stories read by acclaimed sci-fi and horror authors, tales of the supernatural, and we might know someone who says they’ve seen a ghost. 

Textbooks have long left out an important piece of labor history that happened here in the mountains. Now, a new young adult book fills in some of what might have been missed about the Mine Wars. 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 month. Dozens of musicians have covere...

This week, Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker has a new collection of poetry that looks at Black life in Kentucky before, during, and after the Civil War… We also check in with the people affected by flooding in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. A new collection of essays and poesm remembers the 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky witnessed by writers trapped at the Appalachian Writers Works...

Hurricane Helene dumped nearly 30 inches of rain in parts of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. Communities are reeling from the devastation. We check-in with Lilly Knoepp at Blue Ridge Public Radio in western North Carolina. Also, a new book illustrates the tiny worlds of mountain critters, like a lizard that changes color. And White potters co-opted the African art of face jugs in the 18...

Inside Appalachia remembers Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a deep mark on Appalachian culture, and the people who practice and document it.   And, grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive. Plus, it’s not just you. There are more deer than ever these days. A writer explores the long, complicated entwinement of people an...

This week… we talk with a poet about his new collection, titled “If Lost.” He found inspiration for it… by walking around in the woods. . Now is a great time for mushroom hunters to head to the woods and find all kinds of fascinating fungi – even those not meant to be eaten. And, almost everybody has a favorite cup or coffee mug, but how far would you go to replace yours? 

One of America’s greatest contributions to world culture … is hip hop. A new compilation documents what it sounds like across Appalachia.  Also people in the region love their local water springs, but in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, they take that dedication to another level. And, congressional Republicans are trying to freeze funding for new mine safety rules. Advocates are concerned. 

Schoolyard games come and go, but for kids in one community, marbles still rule.  Also, this year marks the anniversary of some country music milestones, including the 40th anniversary of Floyd, Virginia’s Friday Night Jamboree.  And we remember West Virginia’s first person in space, Jon McBride. 

In 2016, a wildfire escaped the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It killed 14 people, injured dozens more and destroyed parts of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We talk with an investigative journalist who has new information on the incident. Also, four decades ago rice seeds from Laos crossed the ocean to California and made their way to a family of Hmong farmers in North Carolina. And the Appal...

During the Great Depression, the river town of Osage, West Virginia was a raucous, little place. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive. Also, after six generations, the struggle to keep a family farm going can be rough. And the Federal program 340B cuts the price of prescription drugs for people who most need them. So, why are attack ads falsely connecting it to border safety?

In the 1930s, hundreds of mostly African American workers died digging the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel. A photographer brings their stories to life in a new book.  Also, when Jerry Machen began making art from old carpets in Tennessee, his wife Linda wasn’t impressed.  And, a new exhibit shares the cultures of Indigenous people who call Appalachia home. 

A few people still farm the way folks did before tractors — with horses. We visit with farmers who still rely on a real workhorse. Also, Kentucky artist Lacy Hale’s “No Hate in My Holler” screenprint may never go out of style. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message. And a Virginia poet reflects on the importance of spoons and what’s helped his writing. 

Flooding is a recurring problem across Appalachia. This week, we’re taking stock, and looking back on floods that have devastated parts of West Virginia and Kentucky. We explore some of the reasons for floods, as well as the aftermath and the slow recovery that often follows disaster. It’s not all gloom. Even in our hardest moments, there’s always hope.  You’ll hear these stories and more this wee...

A good blanket will keep you warm — but a handmade temperature blanket can convey a message to a loved one. This week, we talk to crocheters who make and share their art. Since 2018, there’s been an explosion of LGBT writing about Appalachia. The editor of the new essay collection “Deviant Hollers” tells us about it and more.   And, there’s an alternative to invasive bamboo, and it’s native to the...

This week, members of a Ukrainian Catholic church in Wheeling, West Virginia, make pierogies every week. They’re popular with the community, but what makes them so good?  Also, Salem, Virginia's Flat Five Studio got its first big break when the Dave Matthews Band was searching for a quiet place to record its first album. We hear the story of a big moment for a small studio. And, a longtime Bigfoot...

This week, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist.  We also talk with a children's book author about a school system that suspended its community reading program over concerns about the sex of her book's main character — an oak tree. And, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program is now available in every Kentucky community. We revisit our...

This week, we visit with a West Virginia man who shows his love for fishing by building exquisite, handmade fly rods. It’s a long process, but he shares his knowledge with others. We also spill the tea on a classic roadside attraction in Chester, West Virginia. And punk music photographer Chelse Warren takes us into the pit for stories and observations.  You'll hear these stories and more this wee...

This week, dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia.  Also, if you’re hungry for a pepperoni roll in West Virginia, you can find one at just about any gas station. So — how did they get so popular? We’ll hear one theory. And we check out the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man wh...

This week, old-time music jams aren’t just fun, they’re good for your mental health. Also, the opioid epidemic has changed how we talk about addiction in Appalachia. But it’s not America’s only drug crisis. And, every year, hundreds of people parachute off the 876-foot-tall New River Gorge Bridge for Bridge Day, but not just anyone can do it.  You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside A...

This week, hip hop started in New York and took root in places like West Virginia. We explore some of the history of the music and where it is today. Also, food deserts are places where it’s hard to find nutritious food, but they’re found in more than just rural counties in Appalachia. Food deserts are also in disenfranchised neighborhoods, like in East Knoxville.  And, the Reverend George Mills D...

This week, we visit with West Virginia trappers to learn about the fur trade in the 21st century. We also meet a county fair champion who keeps racking up the blue ribbons and has released a cookbook of some of her favorites.  And we hear an update on the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Construction has begun again, but some people wonder if it’s even needed.  These stories and more this week, Inside Ap...