Inside Appalachia

This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust belt and even the Northeast. The Appalachian Regional Commission defined the boundaries for Appalachia in 1965 with the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission, a part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was legislation that sough...

This week, we’re visiting the Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky, whose cultural archives were damaged by historic flooding. Then we’ll head over to Pounding Mill Virginia to learn the secrets behind Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque, an award-winning fusion restaurant. We’ll also hear from Beth Macy, author of “Dopesick,” which became the basis for a Hulu miniseries. Her latest book, “Raising Lazarus,” co...

Our first stop this week is in Charleston, W.Va. where we’re sitting down with the inimitable Dolly Parton. She recently visited W.Va. to celebrate her children’s book program, Imagination Library. We’ll also talk to the owner of a Charleston abattre who developed a butchering apprenticeship program.

One thing we know to be true about Appalachians: we love to compete. But there’s more to a competition than winning. In this week’s Inside Appalachia , we meet competitors who are also keepers of beloved regional traditions.

Inside Appalachia is 20 years old this month — we celebrate the anniversary by taking a look back with Inside Appalachia founders Giles Snyder and Beth Vorhees.

On this week’s episode, we begin our journey through Appalachia in the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping.  We’ll also revisit our interview with Pocahontas County, West Virginia native Trevor Hammons. The young banjo player decided to carry on his family’s traditions of storytelling, wild lore and old time music.  Then, we’ll check in with Kentucky artist Lacy Hale...

On this week’s episode, we begin our journey through Appalachia by way of Lviv, Ukraine to learn about their version of an Appalchian dulcimer. We’ll make a roadside stop to revisit the theme park throwback Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. And, we’ll swing by Lexington, Kentucky to visit the newly appointed United States Poet Laureate, Ada Limón.

This week on Inside Appalachia, amid recent hospital closures, Appalachian women are having to travel farther and farther to give birth. Maternal Medicine In The Mountains We’ll talk with reporter Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven about maternal health care deserts in western North Carolina and hear a report from Crystal Good, about what options Black families in West Virginia have for finding birth worke...

This week, on Inside Appalachia , we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia, and learn how racial segregation followed some people to the grave. Also, we continue our series on greyhound racing. Most states have closed down their race tracks. So, what’s the future of the sport in West Virginia? And we’ll revisit a conversation with America’s last World War II Medal of Honor recipient — Hershel “W...

This week on Inside Appalachia , we listen to stories from 2021 that tackle everything from the challenges that came with virtual schooling to using poetry to change public perception.  Matriarchal Moonshiners Legend has it Mahalia Mullins once beat 30 men in a wrestling match and sold them all whiskey afterwards. Mullins was born in 1824 into a poor family and died a folk hero. The cabin where sh...

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...