WMMT Public Affairs & Podcasts

As a result of lawsuits filed across the country in the wake of the opioid crisis, some $1 billion in opioid settlement money will be coming into Kentucky, between now and 2038.

But according to a new report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, of this settlement money that’s come into Kentucky counties and communities so far, as of the end of last fiscal year, some 90% of it has *not* actually been spent. Meaning that this funding—which is supposed to be used to help directly address the effects of opioid crisis in communities, like so many of ours in EKY, that have been devastated by it—is, so far, mostly just sitting there.

In this edition of Mountain Talk, we dive into this opioid settlement money: what’s going on with it right now, and how advocates think it could go to best use in KY & EKY communities, to help make a real & lasting recovery.

First, we speak with Ashley Spalding, of the Ky. Center for Economic Policy, who helped put together this new report on the settlement money, to get a handle on what’s happening with this pot of funding right now, across Kentucky. Then, we hear from EKY advocate Amanda Hall, to learn more about what’s going on with this $ in East Kentucky in particular, and what she, as a local community member, would love to see happen with it.



Then, we hear about someplace that some advocates say could be a model for how this settlement money could go to truly help KY communities: the Letcher County Hub, one of six recovery centers sponsored by KY River District Health Department. Through interviews with Hub staffers Amanda Parker and Jamie Madden, we hear about how the Hub has become a one-stop-shop that serves people across the spectrum, from active addiction to active recovery. We also hear Amanda’s & Jamie’s personal stories of overcoming addiction in their own lives, and how their personal recovery journeys fuel their work at the Hub every day.

(MUSIC in this show includes selections from: J.P. & Annadeene Fraley, from the June Appal Records release “Galleynipper”; Andrew Boarman, from the June Appal release “Mountain State Music”; Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive; and Glenn Jones & Laura Baird, also from the Free Music Archive.)

(MOUNTAIN TALK airdates this week: Wed, 9/30, 8 p.m. (SPECIAL); Thurs, 9/1, 6 p.m.; Sun, 9/4, 12 p.m.; Monday, 9/5, 11 a.m.)

Back in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th attacks, when the whole of America was trying to make sense out of what had just happened, and how to feel about it, the great Kentucky writer, artist, and activist Wendell Berry wrote an essay articulating his thoughts, and reflections, on 9/11. This essay was called "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear," and in honor of the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11th this weekend—and in honor of Wendell himself, whom we lost earlier this month, at age 92—we begin this edition of WMMT's Mountain Talk with Wendell himself, reading this essay. (This reading comes from an Appalshop film also called "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear," directed by Herb E. Smith, and you can watch the whole film, which also includes extended interviews with Wendell, on Appalshop's Youtube page.)

Then: in honor of Labor Day, we spend the second half of our show hearing about a brave set of local workers who fought—literally—for decent, humane working conditions, and the right to join a union: Appalachian coal miners of the early 1900's. In this shortened version of an episode of Mountain Talk from 2018, we hear about the West Virginia Mine Wars, and specifically, the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, which went down as the largest labor uprising in American history.

At Blair Mountain, thousands of local miners—and their families—took up arms against the coal companies, the "gun thugs" hired by the companies to fight the miners, and, in the end, the United States Military itself, which was sent in to quell the miners' rebellion. This segment was originally produced by former WMMT producer Rae Garringer, and features interviews with several folks involved with founding the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, WV, as well as clips from the Appalshop Archive from union miner Nimrod Workman, who took part in the Battle of Blair Mountain. (Nimrod was also a recording artist on our own June Appal Records, as well as the subject of an Appalshop film, called "To Fit My Own Category," which you can see clips from on our Youtube page.)

As a final note, to hear more from Wendell Berry, check out our Mountain Talk archives: we devoted our whole show to him last week, featuring poems, readings, & reflections from Wendell from the Appalshop Archive.

(MUSIC in this show comes from: Paul David Smith, Debbie Grim, and Will Keys, from the compilation album "Banjer Days," on our own June Appal Records; from Charlie Stamper, from "Glory to the Meetinghouse," also on June Appal; from Glenn Jones & Laura Baird, from the Free Music Archive; and from Don Bikoff, also from the Free Music Archive.)

Appalshop joins with so, so many in mourning the loss of Wendell Berry, who passed away this past week, at age 92. In his honor, in this edition of WMMT’s Mountain Talk, we spend our whole show with Wendell, through material we are lucky enough to have here, at the Appalshop Archive.

First: Wendell’s longtime farm sits on the banks of the Kentucky River, in Henry County, in central Kentucky. Which of course meant he was downstream from us here at the headwaters of the Kentucky River, in Letcher County. But back in 1984, Wendell came upstream, to Whitesburg, to give a poetry reading here at Appalshop, and the theme of this reading was all about the Kentucky River— and what it means for all of us to be upstream and downstream from each other. In a rebroadcast of a segment we first put together for National Poetry Month this past Spring, for the first half of today's show, we hear a set of clips from that event, including Wendell reading the poems “The Heron,” “The Old Elm Tree by the River,” “The Slip,” “To What Listens,” selections from “Window Poems,” and more.

Then: while he became nationally known as a writer, Wendell was also, famously, a farmer. And especially in living so close to the land, Wendell was a consistent, outspoken activist around environmental issues, including fiercely opposing the growth of large-scale, corporate, industrial-grade farming, which has largely replaced the smaller-scale farms of our country’s past. And back in 1977, Wendell took part in a unique, public debate on this very topic with Earl Butz, who’d served as Secretary of Agriculture for presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Butz was a supporter of this shift to industrial-scale agriculture, infamously telling farmers to “get big or get out,” and in this special set of clips from this debate, which was held at Indiana University, we hear Wendell describe his farm, as well as some of his philosophy when it comes to farming (particularly his deeply-held belief in the importance of community, and working together with your neighbors), and then we hear a spirited, lively exchange between Wendell and an audience member who expresses some serious doubt about Wendell's ideas.

Finally: to close the show, we head back to Whitesburg, for one more clip from Wendell’s 1984 reading here at Appalshop— a piece called “July, 1773,” a poetic adaptation of journals from the McAfee Expedition up the Kentucky River in the 1770’s.

To hear, in full, the debate with Earl Butz, check out the Appalshop Archive’s youtube page. And to hear more from this 1984 reading, you can head to www.appalshoparchive.org, and search for Wendell Berry.

(MUSIC in today’s show includes selections from: John McCutcheon, from “The Wind That Shakes The Barley,” on June Appal Records; Andrew Boarman, from “Mountain State Music,” also on June Appal; and Glenn Jones & Laura Baird, from the Free Music Archive.

PHOTO CREDIT - CC 2.0, by Ann Thompson, for the On Being Project, a photo of Wendell & his wife Tanya Amyx Berry.)

In this edition of WMMT’s Mountain Talk, we visit with the master piedmont blues guitar player Etta Baker, who, despite coming from North Carolina, was no stranger to us here in Whitesburg.

First, we hear an audio documentary feature about Etta, featuring interviews & music alike. This piece was produced by Rachel Anne Goodman as part of WMMT’s former multi-part documentary series Southern Songbirds, which profiles women in country & traditional music.


Then. Etta was a frequent guest performer at our annual Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival, having made the trip over for Seedtime several times. And in the second half of our show today, we hear a series of clips from Etta’s 1997 Seedtime performance, recorded live, right here in Whitesburg. In these clips, in addition to playing tunes, Etta was interviewed onstage by folklorist & musician Michael Kline. And this performance was made extra-special by a rare and truly fantastic treat—Etta not only plays the blues in the way that only she can, but for the close of this show, she also *sings* the blues too.

If you’re a fan of country music, you might’ve heard of the 1927 recording sessions that happened in Bristol, Tennessee. Those sessions have been called 'The Big Bang of Country Music,' as they featured the very first recordings from artists that would go on to major fame, like Jimmie Rodgers, and The Carter Family. But according to a recent article from the National Endowment for the Humanities, of the 50 some-odd musicians who recorded in Bristol for those sessions, only about a dozen were women. And so almost from the very beginning of what we know of as country music, the stories of many of the women who have played a huge role in it—playing it, pushing it forward, passing it on—have been overlooked.

To help shine a light on some of these hugely-influential & deeply-talented women, back in the 1990’s, we here at WMMT produced a multi-part documentary series, Southern Songbirds, which profiles some of the women artists who have been integral to country & old-time music over the years. Produced by Rachel Anne Goodman, each episode of Southern Songbirds focuses on a different artist, and in this edition of Mountain Talk, we bring you two of those episodes, each featuring visits with unique, formidable, and influential Appalachian banjo players: Ola Belle Reed, of western North Carolina, and Matokie Slaughter, of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Back in 1995, WMMT put together a remarkable—and comprehensive—14-part radio series spotlighting different women writers from all across Appalachia. We called it 'Tell it on the Mountain,' and each episode of the series features extended visits with mountain writers, including readings, interviews, and biographical notes. These shows were produced by then-WMMT producer Maxine Kenny, and the series was hosted by the incomparable Nikki Giovanni.

And this week on Mountain Talk, we hear two episodes from the Tell it on the Mountain series: first, we visit with West Virginia novelist & fiction writer Denise Giardina (author of the novels Storming Heaven, The Unquiet Earth, & more); and then, with the novelist & fiction writer Sharyn McCrumb, of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia (author of the 'Ballad' series of Appalachian-set novels, among many other works).

And for a quick PS: while these episodes were originally just released on cassette tape, Appalshop will be digitally re-releasing this whole series soon. So, keep an ear out! As a whole, it’s an incredible document, and a real treasure trove of readings and reflections from a massively-talented gaggle of mountain writers.

(Music this week includes selections from from Paul David Smith & Will Keys, from the June Appal Records release "Banjer Days"; and from Andrew Boarman, from the June Appal release "Mountain State Music.")

“I was losing all kinds of weight, and didn’t know why,” says Josh Stanley, of Letcher County, in this episode of WMMT’s Mountain Talk. It turned out he had type 2 diabetes—with an A1C, or blood glucose level, above 14, which is dangerously high—and hadn’t known it. “And I’ve only got one functioning kidney, too," Josh says. "I didn’t know it affected your kidneys. I didn’t know anything about any of that.”

And here in the mountains, sadly, Josh is not alone in having gotten a surprise diagnosis of diabetes. East Kentucky has higher rates of type 2 than the state and national averages, and many of those diagnosed don’t actually know they’re diabetic until they get the news. And then, if you do get diagnosed, it can be hard to know how to take the first step— especially if you don’t have a ton of knowledge about how diabetes actually works in your body, or all of the different ways it can affect your health.

To help raise awareness about type 2 in our region, for the past several years, WMMT has been producing an ongoing storytelling series about diabetes here in East Kentucky. Called Prevent Diabetes EKY, this series has featured a wide range of local people sharing their stories of managing type 2, including what’s worked for them, what’s been tricky, and what it’s all felt like.

And in this episode of Mountain Talk, we hear from a patchwork of nine local voices who we've spoken to for this project, all of whom have type 2. We start with highlights from a diabetes listening session we held recently at the Hemphill Community Center in Letcher County, Ky., which features comments from local residents Patricia Sturgill, Josh Stanley, and Anna Bates (pictured, L-R). Then, we hear a selection of clips from across the past couple years of our project, featuring six voices from all over the region sharing about their diabetes journeys.

As a final note, if all of these interviewees have anything in common, it’s urging listeners to stay on top of your health: to go to the doctor, to get your A1C levels tested, to get your eyes & kidneys checked. You could be in Josh’s boat of having diabetes, and not even knowing it. But, as our interview subjects also say in this show, even if you do have diabetes, there are so many ways to control it, and to keep it from controlling you.

As a FINAL final note, for more stories like this, check out our project website: www.preventdiabeteseky.org

(MUSIC in this show comes from The Luke Smathers String Band, from the June Appal Records release "Mountain Swing"; from Andrew Boarman, from the June Appal release "Mountain State Music"; and from Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)

“Just facing it,” says Perry County resident Jenny Williams, when asked what it took for her to take the first step towards managing type 2 diabetes after she'd been diagnosed. “Just facing the fact that I’m not the only one that’s diagnosed with this. And life goes on. You’ve just got to own up [to it], and do what you’ve got to do.”

As part of WMMT’s ongoing storytelling series Prevent Diabetes EKY, we recently attended a monthly diabetes education class put on by ARH in Perry County. There, we spoke with three local residents, who all have diabetes (Jenny Williams, Evelyn Wood, and Nina Patrick, all pictured here), about what it’s been like for them to manage type 2 in the mountains— what’s been tricky, what’s been helpful, and what it’s all felt like. And we begin this edition of WMMT’s Mountain Talk with a selection of their comments.

Then, the very first family string band to ever cut a record of their music just so happened to come from right over the mountain from us here in Whitesburg: the Powers Family band of Scott County, Virginia. For the second half of the show, we hear a profile of the Powers Family—particularly sisters Orpha, Carrie, and Ada Powers— through an installment of the former WMMT series Southern Songbirds, which documents & spotlights women in country & traditional music.

(MUSIC in this show, apart from tunes from the Powers Family in the 2nd half, comes from: John McCutcheon, from the June Appal Records release “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”; from Andrew Boarman, from the June Appal release “Mountain State Music”; and from Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)

“I think the women made up the folksongs,” says West Virginia storyteller & ballad-singer Phyllis Marks, in this edition of WMMT’s Mountain Talk. “Because I think the men was out horsing around. And the women probably had to rock the cradle and churn their butter with one hand and sing to the other children... and they’d hear these stories, and they’d put a tune to ‘em.”

And this episode of our show features extended visits with two multitalented Appalachian women, both of whom have served as vital tradition-bearers of mountain culture. First, we hear from western North Carolina ballad-singer, storyteller, musician, and songwriter Sheila Kay Adams, through a series of clips from her performance at our annual Seedtime on the Cumberland festival in 1992. Then, we visit with the one-of-a-kind West Virginia storyteller and ballad-singer Phyllis Marks, through an episode of the former WMMT series Southern Songbirds, which features interviews with Phyllis alongside recordings of her singing & telling stories alike.

(MUSIC in this show, apart from performances by Sheila Kay Adams & Phyllis Marks, includes selections by The Luke Smathers String Band, from the June Appal Records release "Mountain Swing"; by Andrew Boarman, from the June Appal release "Mountain State Music"; and by Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)

Every summer, since 1987, we here at Appalshop have put on a one-of-a-kind community festival of mountain music & art right here in Whitesburg, which we call Seedtime on the Cumberland. In honor of this year’s festival, which took place this past weekend—and which was our 40th (!) annual Seedtime—for this episode of Mountain Talk, we put together some memorable Seedtime performances from over the years.


Now, this show is by *no* means definitive: when you put on a festival like this for 40 years, you’re going to have a lot of amazing stuff to choose from. But in this episode, you'll hear some memorable Seedtime performances from the Appalshop Archive that happened to recently catch our eye (and/or our ear): clips from Morgan Sexton's first-ever (!) public performance at Seedtime in 1988; Jean & Edna Ritchie, singing together in 1994, and bringing us some exceptionally special sibling harmony; renowned Piedmont Blues guitar masters Etta Baker & John Jackson, who took the Seedtime stage together in 1997; clips from The Local Honeys' set from 2016; a storytelling performance by Angie DeBord from 2014; Ethel Caffie-Austin in 1991; Nimrod & Molly Workman in 1989; and Rich & the Po’ Folk in 2014.

As a final note, many of the Seedtime sets that these performances are drawn from are available to hear (or watch), in full, and for free, at www.appalshoparchive.org. And as a FINAL final note, thank you, so deeply, to everyone who joined us at Seedtime this year. We had an incredible time, and we hope you, did, too.

(Apart from Seedtime performances, music in this show includes selections from: Andrew Boarman, from the June Appal Records release "Mountain State Music"; and by Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)