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 heroes, runaway trains and murder ballads.

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 week, Inside Appalachia.

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 a folk hero. 

And we check up on Virginia rapper and producer Byron Mack. 

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 the trade-off is worth it.

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.