Inside Appalachia

Inside Appalachia episodes:

• 04.22.2024

  A Tale Of Treenware And A NASCAR Legend, Inside Appalachia

  This week, a pair of former miners found love shoveling coal and shaped a life making wooden spoons. We learn about treenware. Also, NASCAR Hall of Famer Leonard Wood shares stories, and a bit of advice. And, group bike rides are a...

  
• 04.15.2024

  The Herbal Magic Of Violets And A Book Ban In Virginia, Inside Appalachia

  Spring wildflowers are in bloom, and some of the most common species play an important role in herbal medicine. This week, we learn about some of the ways people use violets. What’s your favorite style of egg roll? An acclaimed, out-of-the-way...

  
• 04.08.2024

  ENCORE: True Stories Behind Folk Heroes, Runaway Trains And Murder Ballads

  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....

  
• 04.01.2024

  Chair Caning And A Housing Fight, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning.   Corporate greed has been gobbling up newspapers for years. Now, some of those same companies are taking a...

  
• 03.25.2024

  Remembering And Revisiting Resistance To The Mountain Valley Pipeline, Inside Appalachia

  Red Terry’s property in Bent Mountain, Virginia, is in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. She says the place was beautiful, but she's worried about the dangers of the pipeline not far from her home. Plus, almost everybody has a...

  
• 03.18.2024

  Encore: What Is Appalachia? We Asked People From Around The Region. Here’s What They Said

  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...

  
• 03.11.2024

  Remembering Travis Stimeling And The Age Of Deer, Inside Appalachia

  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...

  
• 03.04.2024

  Brasstown Carvers, Willie Carver And Cabbagetown, Inside Appalachia

  For nearly a century, some of the best wood carvers in Appalachia have trained at a folk school in North Carolina. The Brasstown Carvers still welcome newcomers to come learn the craft. In 2021, Willie Carver was named Kentucky’s Teacher of...

  
• 02.26.2024

  Step Dancing At WVSU And Radioactive Brine, Inside Appalachia

  Step shows are a tradition at many historically Black universities, including schools in Appalachia. We hear about one that’s part of West Virginia State University’s annual homecoming celebration.  Abandoned industrial sites have long been a magnet for people to explore and...

  
• 02.19.2024

  Encore: The Love Of Competition, Inside Appalachia

  Appalachians love to compete. Whether it’s recreational league softball, a turkey calling contest or workplace chili cookoffs, Mountain folks are in it to win it. But there’s more to competing than just winning or losing. In this show, we’ll meet competitors who...

  
• 02.12.2024

  The Fall Of AppHarvest, Inside Appalachia

  When the farming start-up, AppHarvest, launched in Kentucky, it promised good jobs in coal country — but some workers called it a grueling hell on earth. We also explore an island of Japanese culture in West Virginia called Yama.  And fish fries...

  
• 02.05.2024

  The Gatlinburg Fire Of 2016, Inside Appalachia

  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...

  
• 01.29.2024

  Cougars Football and EJ Henderson Guitars, Inside Appalachia

  Alleghany and Covington high schools were rivals for decades. But now, they’ve merged. This week, we head to a home football game and learn how it’s going.  Also, the daughter of a legendary guitar maker didn’t set out to take up her...

  
• 01.22.2024

  Encore: The Rise of Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

  Black lung disease is back. In fact, it never went away. Now, younger and younger miners are living with a particularly nasty form of black lung disease.  Regulators and the coal industry have known about the problem for decades — but...

  
• 01.15.2024

  Folkways Highlights Of 2023, Inside Appalachia

  Since 2019, Inside Appalachia has brought you stories from our Folkways Reporting Project.  Folkways was created to boost awareness of Appalachian folk traditions and how they’re passed between people. In 2023, we added 25 stories to our growing archive that explore...

  
• 01.08.2024

  Celebrating Foxfire, Inside Appalachia

  Since 1967, Foxfire has been a storehouse of traditional Appalachian knowledge that still helps people today. It continues to preserve music and history, but part of Foxfire’s heritage has been recording the stories of Appalachian women.  This week, Inside Appalachia, explores Foxfire...

  
• 01.01.2024

  Looking Back at 2023, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we return to some of our favorite stories from 2023. Appalachia saw challenge and calamity, but people found joy … and strength. We learn about how an old family tradition is connecting with a new generation –and we find...

  
• 12.25.2023

  Wassailing, Folk Art and Grandma's Potato Candy, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick. We also visit Kentucky’s Minnie Adkins. She’s had a long career as a folk artist, which began with a pocket knife.  And, family recipes...

  
• 12.18.2023

  The Climbing Climate and Paddle Making, Inside Appalachia

  This week, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags... Climbers have also been working to make the New River Gorge more inclusive. And a master craftsman, who makes one of a...

  
• 12.11.2023

  Open Head Takes Photos, Model Trains And The Kentucky Moonshine Trail, Inside Appalachia

  This week, punk music photographer Chelse Warren takes us into the pit. We hop a tiny train to discover the miniature wonders of a West Virginia model railroad. Then, we journey to eastern Kentucky, where they’re reclaiming their bootlegging heritage...

  
• 12.04.2023

  A 2022 Holiday Encore, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we usher in the season of lights with our holiday show from 2022. James Beard-nominated West Virginia chefs Mike Costello and Amy Dawson serve up special dishes with stories behind them. We visit an old-fashioned toy shop whose...

  
• 11.27.2023

  Inclusive Square Dancing, Zine Fest And Playing The Spoons, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we pick up a little light reading at the Johnson City Zine Fest. And… Grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive. Also, the perils of playing the spoons. You’ll hear these stories...

  
• 11.20.2023

  The Rock Band Wednesday, Quilting and The Moonshine Messiah, Inside Appalachia

  This week, Karly Hartzman of Asheville indie rock band Wednesday, talks about songwriting, place and spending a lot of time with a band on tour.  We also meet Emily Jones Hudson, who started a workshop to try and reinvigorate quilting in...

  
• 11.13.2023

  Mushroom Mania, Soul Food and Aunt Jeanie, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we head to the woods and take a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. We also break bread and talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece, Brooklynn. And we’ll...

  
• 11.06.2023

  ENCORE: Wildflowers, Paddle Makers, Turkey Calls — And More Inside Appalachia

  We'll meet a man who makes wooden turkey calls, but these aren’t just any 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...

  
• 10.30.2023

  Spooky Tales And Sci-Fi, Inside Appalachia

  Just in time for Halloween, we have a suite of spooky tales to make your skin crawl. We talk science fiction with Roanoke, Virginia-based writer and publisher Mike Allen, hear tales of the supernatural and learn about spiritualists coming to West...

  
• 10.23.2023

  Fish Fry Tradition, Ann Pancake And The Internet, Inside Appalachia

  Can the internet rebuild Appalachia? We ask sci-fi novelist and tech writer Cory Doctorow.   Also, fish fries have been a staple in Charleston, West Virginia’s Black community for generations. We learn more about them. And, hop on board the Cass Scenic Railroad...

  
• 10.16.2023

  Rural LGBTQ Voices And An Appalachian Village Witch, Inside Appalachia

  This week, Rae Garringer felt isolated growing up and thought they were the only queer person in a small town. But they learned otherwise. Now they are collecting and sharing the stories of rural LGBTQ people from across the country. Also, surface...

  
• 10.09.2023

  The Rise Of Advanced Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

  Black lung disease is back. In fact, it never went away. Now, younger and younger miners are living with a particularly nasty form of black lung disease.  Regulators and the coal industry have known about the problem for decades — but...

  
• 10.02.2023

  Appalachian Tarot Cards And Ron Rash, Inside Appalachia

  This week, a Pittsburgh artist channels the Steel City’s mythology and struggles — into tarot cards. Western North Carolina author Ron Rash shares his thoughts on writing about Appalachians. And we hear about efforts in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to return a...

  
• 09.25.2023

  O Pioneer, Turtle Travels And Throwing Rocks, Inside Appalachia

  Appalachians are often called mountaineers — but are they also "pioneers?" A new documentary reckons with what it means… to be a pioneer. In Michigan, an Appalachian mountain man competes in a championship tournament, for skipping stones — and we wade...

  
• 09.18.2023

  Encore: What Is Appalachia? We Asked People From Around The Region. Here’s What They Said

  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...

  
• 09.11.2023

  Celebrating A Tradition Of Poets And Discussing The Resurgence Of Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

  Rev. George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered today through his poetry. And a new wave of black lung disease is ravaging Appalachia. We’ll hear more from a black lung town hall...

  
• 09.04.2023

  Family Recipes, Water Trouble and "Peerless City," Inside Appalachia

  This week, a Virginia Tech researcher challenges deeply held ideas about the purity of natural springs. Also, meet the folks behind Angelos Old World Italian Sausage. They still use a family recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation for...

  
• 08.28.2023

  Flat Five Studio, Old Growth Forests And Trouble at WVU, Inside Appalachia

  This week, Inside Appalachia drops by Flat Five Studio in Salem, Virginia. It had a reputation for recording bluegrass bands, but caught a big break in the early 1990s when the Dave Matthews Band needed a quiet place to record...

  
• 08.21.2023

  Encore: The Love Of Competition, Inside Appalachia

  Appalachians love to compete. Whether it’s recreational league softball, a turkey calling contest or workplace chili cookoffs, Mountain folks are in it to win it. But there’s more to competing than just winning or losing. In this show, we’ll meet competitors who...

  
• 08.14.2023

  Pepperoni Rolls, Ice Cream and The World's Largest Teapot, Inside Appalachia

  If you’re hungry for a pepperoni roll in West Virginia, you can find one at just about any gas station, but how did they get so popular?  In Pennsylvania, the lure of one particular sweet treat gives hikers on the Appalachian...

  
• 08.07.2023

  Fur Trapping In W.Va. And A Blue Ribbon Winner, Inside Appalachia

  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...

  
• 07.31.2023

  Remembering Floods And Recovering From Disaster, Inside Appalachia

  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...

  
• 07.24.2023

  Following Up With A Ukrainian Musician And Smoky Mountain Firefly Magic, Inside Appalachia

  This week, a Ukrainian musician reflects on what music means during wartime. And there’s a growing number of a certain kind of blood-sucking arachnid — and diseases that come with it.  We also sit in on one of the natural wonders of...

  
• 07.17.2023

  Encore: Millipedes And Taylor Swift, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we visit a farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that can grow on one acre what other farms grow on 100 acres. We also hear about a podcast that remembers the "Back to the Land" movement of the 1970s and ‘80s...

  
• 07.10.2023

  Remembering Woody Williams And Volunteers Save Segregated Cemetery, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation followed some people to the grave. We also hear from Neema Avashia, author of the celebrated memoir, "Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer And Indian In A Mountain...

  
• 07.03.2023

  Old School Fly Fishing Rods And Minor League Baseball Lore, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we meet a craftsman who builds exquisite, handmade fly rods and shares his love of fishing with others. We also talk about Appalachia’s nurse shortage. Experts say tackling racism could help attract and keep more nurses. We also hear stories...

  
• 06.26.2023

  Summer Reading Suggestions, Inside Appalachia

  Inside Appalachia loves books and writers –and if you’re looking for summer book recommendations, we’ve got a bunch. It’s our summer reading episode, featuring some of our favorite notable author interviews from over the past several months.  You’ll hear these stories...

  
• 06.19.2023

  The Changing Media Landscape, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we’re joined by Lilly Knoepp, regional reporter at Blue Ridge Public Radio in Western North Carolina. Boom and bust cycles for coal, timber and textiles are nothing new to Appalachia. Today we’re seeing another industry struggle –local journalism.  Some newspapers...

  
• 06.12.2023

  The Buzz About Bees and No Hate in My Hollar, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we head to the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping. And, it’s been over six years since Kentucky artist Lacy Hale designed her iconic “No Hate in My Holler” screenprint. Appalachians are...

  
• 06.05.2023

  Drop of Sun Studios and Appalachian Syrup, Inside Appalachia

  This week… Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina has put out some of the hottest indie rock records of the year. We talked with one of its co-founders. We also visit the Allegheny Highlands, where Appalachia’s maple syrup traditions...

  
• 05.29.2023

  The Reign Of 'King Coal,' Inside Appalachia

  This week, a high school football game, a street festival, and a kids' classroom are all settings in a new film about how coal mining shapes Appalachian culture. We also learn about the results of a new survey showing alarming mental...

  
• 05.22.2023

  The African Art of Face Jugs, Inside Appalachia

  This week, we learn about the history of African Face Jars in America from the middle of the 19th Century to today. We also get an update on flood recovery in eastern Kentucky and talk with West Virginia poet Doug...

  
• 05.15.2023

  Encore: True Stories Behind Folk Heroes, Runaway Trains And Murder Ballads

  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....