Inside Appalachia

This week, we begin our journey through Appalachia in Floyd, Virginia, at the Friday Night Jamboree. 

We’ll also check in with volunteers from across the country who are coming together to help those in Eastern Kentucky dealing with flood damage. 

And we’ll learn about the people who worked toward securing women the right to vote.

All that and more this week 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, we’ll travel to some of the most beautiful spots in Appalachia to find wildflowers, like Dolly Sods and the Canaan Valley of West Virginia. And we wonder -- are these areas becoming too popular? Those stories and more this week 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 sought to expand social welfare, and some localities were eager for the money, while others resisted the designation. The boundaries and definition of Appalachia can now only be changed by an act of Congress.

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,” continues the conversation about the opioid epidemic. 

All that and more this week as we journey Inside Appalachia.

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, who designed her iconic “No Hate In My Holler” screenprint five years ago. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.

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 workers that look like them.

Appalachian PRIDE

Following one of the opinions written in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, State legislatures across the Ohio Valley are considering anti-LGBTQ policies, while people across Appalachia took part in celebrations during LGBTQ Pride Month in June. Katie Myers with the Ohio Valley Resource got reactions and spoke to residents.

Indigenous Peoples Gather In W.Va. To Discuss The Environment

High schoolers with Indigenous backgrounds came from all over the country to the Eastern Panhandle this summer for a leadership congress. They talked about conservation, Native identity, and the growing effects of climate change. Shepherd Snyder has more.

Greyhound Racing Series Continues

In 2023, West Virginia will be home to the last two remaining greyhound racetracks in the United States.

Reporter Randy Yohe breaks down the government policies that sustain dog racing, and considers its future in the state at a time when it’s dying everywhere else.

Canaries Out Of The Coal Mine

As old coal mines are restored, they’ve been repurposed for an increasingly broad number of new uses. In Pennsylvania, reclaimed mine land is being used for an art project involving birds.

Kara Holsapple and Jacqui Sieber of the Allegheny Front have more.

Feeding The Hungry In Appalachia’s Food Deserts

Supply chain issues and rising gas prices are making it harder for people to get food. As David Adkins reports, local entrepreneurs are looking to meet the demand.

A Ray Of Hope

Mountain View Solar, a solar installation company in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, is training and hiring people in recovery from substance use disorder. Shepherd Snyder has more.

Serious About Seed Saving

During the pandemic, millions of Americans turned to gardening. In Appalachia, people have long saved heirloom seeds that have been passed down for generations. Today, that tradition continues, partly through organizations like seed libraries and community gardens that collect these seeds to save them from being lost. Folkways reporter Rachel Greene spent time in Ashe County, North Carolina — talking to the people giving new life to old seeds.