Inside Appalachia

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 week, Inside Appalachia.

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 region and found by rivers.

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 hunter believes his first encounter with the mythical monster happened when he was a kid.

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

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 2022 interview with the American icon. 

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

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 week, Inside Appalachia.

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 who put it there.

Hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

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 Appalachia.