Inside Appalachia

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is about fierce women — something we have no shortage of here in Appalachia.We’ll hear about the folk music collaboration between Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn. Their new album combines the tones of Appalachia with the melodies of China. We’ll also hear a story about the first transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia, and a 90-year-old newspaper publisher who is still hard at work each week.

In Appalachia, we’re all too familiar with black lung disease, and how it takes the breath away from coal miners. For a time, it seemed black lung was going away, thanks to tougher mine safety regulations. Now it's seeing a resurgence.There is another problem that doesn’t seem to have gone away, either, and that is racism. It shows itself in places you never would have thought of, including in the names given to rock climbing routes in West Virginia’s New River Gorge.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll take a look at a fruit that is unique to Appalachia called the pawpaw. It was nearly forgotten but is coming back as some people are working to keep it alive. We also hear an interview with author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. Her new novel explores the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s history, and the push and pull to leave and return home. And we learn about a group of rock climbers who are trying to rename climbing routes that bear racist and sexist names.

It’s safest to avoid cramped public places, and when you’re hanging out with friends, experts say do it outside. Get some fresh air. We’ve got plenty of that here Inside Appalachia. Even as the weather changes we have an abundance of wildness to explore. And today, we’re celebrating that wildness.

Inside Appalachia reports on how potters, painters, writers, and action-figure makers, are adjusting during the coronavirus pandemic. We remember Elaine Purkey, one of West Virginia's most powerful social activists and musicians, who passed away from COVID-19. And check in with artist Robert Villamagna who is battling COVID-19 himself.

This episode of Inside Appalachia is about returning home. For some people, timing and circumstance force you back. It is only then that you realize how much you missed home. Others spend decades longing to return.

National stories about Appalachia sometimes overlook the people who are working on the ground to solve problems in their communities. This episode of Inside Appalachia highlights the work of several people who are thinking outside the box to find solutions.

What happens when strangers with cameras come to Appalachia? It’s a complicated topic that many Appalachians have strong feelings about. We’re taking another listen to an episode we aired in 2015, but it seems like this issue never goes away.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we are listening back to a show that originally aired in 2018. It’s about poverty. Appalachia is not the only place in America where some people live in extreme poverty. But several communities here are among the poorest.