Inside Appalachia

This week, Appalachian Dungeon Fest spotlights the fantastical music of dungeon synth. 

Also, every year, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival stages a formal dance. Organizers rely on a manual that’s been passed down for generations. 

And, small dairy farms are closing across the country. Central Appalachia has been hit hard.  

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

This week — too often, people with mental health challenges or substance use disorder wind up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another way. 

Also, changes to the Endangered Species Act could benefit big business. They could also kill animals like the eastern hellbender. 

And, in troubled times, a West Virginia writer says to find peace in nature. We talk about her collection of essays. 

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

This week, historian Mills Kelly’s love affair with the Appalachian trail started when he was a boy scout. He was 12. 

Also, central Appalachia is known for exporting coal, but it’s losing people, too.  

And, Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque in southwestern Virginia fuses Asian ideas with Appalachian comfort food, like cheesy egg rolls.

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

This week, in author Willie Carver Jr.'s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend.     

Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause.  

And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet. 

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

This week, coal power can be expensive. Utilities run coal-fired power plants harder in the winter and summer when demand is high.  

Also, two films made in West Virginia shot to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts. The state wants to encourage even more movies to be made in West Virginia by helping keep production costs down. 

And an Eastern Kentucky pharmacist serves vegan food for the holidays.

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

Our Common Nature is a podcast from WNYC. It features cellist Yo-Yo Ma and producer Ana Gonzalez, as they explore America and talk to folks like West Virginia coal miners. 

This week, we follow Yo-Yo and his team as they venture into Appalachia. And we talk with Gonzalez about meeting people where they are.   

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

This week, having a very specific talent can lead to a dream job. It’s how cartoonist John Rose got his foot in the door to draw the comic strip Snuffy Smith. 

Also, there are dos and don’ts for treating poison ivy. 

And, a young, old-time musician wants to save her family’s lost ballads. 

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

This week, a new book for young adults. Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire mixes historical fact with spooky Appalachian folklore.  

Also, over 15 years, a photojournalist documented an Ohio family. Now she’s a part of their lives. 

And an experimental guitarist records an album intended as a call to arms. 

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

We meet the woman behind the popular TikTok account “Appalachian Forager.” She makes jam from pawpaw and jewelry from coyote teeth. 

Also, we sit in on a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. 

And, when a West Virginia pastor got assigned to a new church, folks tried to warn him. 

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

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.  

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