Inside Appalachia

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 speak with William Turner, whose new book looks at growing up in a vibrant Black community during Harlan’s boom years. 

People in coal country are pleading for help as the coal industry nears the end of its long decline. This week on Inside Appalachia, we explore the economic and health impacts coal has had on communities in Appalachia. We’ll talk about the past and the future of this industry through the lens of its labor history to its future amid tough talks about the world’s climate crisis. And, we’ll meet a woman who entered the male-dominated coal industry. She tells us why she stayed, despite resistance from her family.

One of the biggest storytelling festivals in the world is right here in Appalachia. Each October, storytellers and audiences of all ages gather at the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. This year, because of the pandemic, the festival is going virtual. It takes place the first weekend in October. We thought it was a fitting time to listen back to an episode of Inside Appalachia — which is all about the art of live storytelling. We’ll hear five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, Bil Lepp. We’ll also learn how musicians Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrellefirst met and how they incorporated the use of “crankies” into their songs. And storyteller Michael Reno Harrell shares a story about his mother’s extended family.

This week, we’ve pulled a few gems from our archive. We’re listening back to some of our favorite Inside Appalachia stories from the past year. We’ll go on a hike in one of Appalachia’s most gorgeous wild places — West Virginia’s Canaan Valley. We’ll also meet musicians who are growing Appalachia’s hip-hop scene. Those stories and more in this best-of episode of Inside Appalachia.

Right now, Congress is debating spending trillions of dollars to boost the country’s infrastructure. That covers roads and bridges, of course, but also what’s being called “soft infrastructure” — things like childcare.

During the pandemic, parents have faced pressures and decisions unlike any before in human history. How do you balance it all, and maintain positivity, in the midst of all these challenges? For many mothers, we’re not just talking about parenting questions — but also how to balance that against work. 

This week on Inside Appalachia, we meet parents like Megan Hullinger, a single mom with four kids in Pocahontas County. It took her nearly three years to get a spot at a childcare center for her son Nathan. 

Also in this episode, we’ll hear how indigenous people whose ancestors were forced out of Appalachia are reconnecting with their food heritage through pawpaws. Joel Barnes is one of the major guardians of Shawnee culture and language in the present day. Barnes, who is a tribal member, lives in Miami, Oklahoma, and is the language and archives director for the Shawnee Tribe. Barnes said that the Shawnee marked time by phases of the moon, and they used the fruit to mark one of those phases.

"The word for pawpaw is ha'siminikiisfwa. That means pawpaw month. It's the month of September," Barnes said. "That literally means pawpaw moon. That moon would indicate that was the time the pawpaws were ripe and it was time to go pick them and probably also indicated, 'Hey, we're getting close to winter.'"

In the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear stories from creators across Appalachia and how they process their lives through their art. Everything from songwriting, to photography, to self-published zines. Suzie Kelly has been making zines for more than 20 years. She talks about how DIY publishing can connect people in unexpected ways. 

“Maybe a kid in California finds an Appalachian zine and decides to move to Appalachia,” Kelly told Inside Appalachia co-host Mason Adams. 

And there’s a new edition of a guidebook that lists climbing routes in the New River Gorge. We’ll talk to a climber who challenged the climbing community to rename racist and sexist route names — and won. Also in this episode, West Virginia singer and songwriter John R. Miller brings us up-to-speed on his new album… a lot has changed in his life in the last few years.

This week's episode of Inside Appalachia is an encore episode filled with rich storytelling and cross-cultural collaborations. What happens when a musician from Belarus gets together with Appalachian folk musicians? And we’ll talk with Affrilachian writer Crystal Wilkinson, who has been named this year’s Kentucky Poet Laureate. You'll hear these stories and more in this episode.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we talk with students, educators, life coaches and psychologists about what can help more young people stay in school, and get trained so they can get jobs, and stay in Appalachia.

We meet Sharell Harmon, who works for a nonprofit called Youth Build, training  young people with hands-on skills so they can get jobs to help them get a job.  Harmon was a participant in the program seven years ago. “I went from being homeless, a college dropout,” Harmon recalled. “And now I'm a college graduate. And, I'm going to buy my first house this year.”

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is all about how we interact with water and our rivers. We’ll hear from people who make their living on the water -- like Marvin L. Wooten, a longtime river boat captain. He started working in the riverboat industry in 1979. “I got two job offers the same day, and I took this job,” Wooten said. “My dad always said the river will always be there. So that’s what I’ve chosen to make my living at.”

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ve got an eclectic mix of stories from across central Appalachia. We check in with residents in Kentucky who are struggling with the aftermath of devastating floods there five months ago. We also learn about the dark history of Eugenics in Virginia. We’ll talk with author Elizabeth Catte. You might remember her as the author of “What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia.”