Inside Appalachia

This week, before emancipation, Appalachia provided pathways to freedom for enslaved people trying to escape bondage. A new project identifies more than two dozen previously unknown underground railroad sites. Also, the Fly Around Music & Arts Festival in North Carolina was inspired by the hard work that followed Hurricane Helene. And, a ballad about floods recorded a generation ago still provides solace for people today.You'll hear these stories and more, Inside Appalachia. 

This week, in the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer.Also, Kentucky’s poet laureate lives down the road from what has been called the country’s most lethal cryptid. Attempts to spot it have led to deaths. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who's passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, some folks are working to preserve the memory of Bristol, Virginia’s Black Bottom, a largely African American community wiped out by urban renewal. Also, small food producers embrace digital technology for the humble farm stand. And Kudzu, it’s coming for us.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, ballads tell stories about all kinds of real-life events, but after Hurricane Helene, one group of ballad singers felt some topics were still too raw. Also, the author of a new book on ancient Ohio credits a former grad student with introducing him to the region’s mysterious earthworks. And, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. 

This week, we’re revisiting a show featuring storytellers out loud in front of audiences. Folks like five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, Bil Lepp.Also, musicians Anna and Elizabeth, whose storytelling used something known as a crankie.And, we’ll head to the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, some of the stories on our show inspired college student art — including a vivid image of a bear smashing a clarinet.Also, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. And, COVID-19 exposed the contempt society has for marginalized people. One author says, these folks are anything but passive. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, a new roleplaying game gives folks in the workplace a chance to be a mythical Appalachian monster. Southeast Ohio’s Nelsonville Music Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in June. We talk with the founder about what keeps people coming back. And members of a Ukrainian Catholic church in Wheeling, West Virginia, make pierogies for their community every week. What makes them so good?  You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. 

This week, Hurricane Helene devastated central Appalachia and disrupted the lives of people in recovery. In West Virginia, fur trapping continues, even in the 21st Century. And baseball is America’s past-time. One league is making the game more inclusive.You'll hear these stories and more this week, 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. 

What is Appalachia? We’re giving our entire Inside Appalachia episode over to this question this week, with stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh.Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt, even the Northeast. Politically, it encompasses 423 counties across 13 states — and West Virginia’s the only state entirely inside Appalachia.That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation. This week, we ask people from five Appalachian states if they feel like they’re in Appalachia.

This week, one thing about Appalachians: we can get competitive. We’re proud of our local food. Love a good hunt. And enjoy competition with friends.  We learn the rules and celebrate our victories.But there’s more to competing than just winning or losing. In this show, we’ll also meet competitors who are keepers of beloved Appalachian traditions. 

This week Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads - how they tell stories and connect us to the past. These old tunes can mean so much. They can tap into difficult emotions and give feelings space to be heard. Some songs may even be too uncomfortable to sing.In this special episode with guest co-host, ballad singer Saro Lynch-Thomason, we explore songs about lawbreaking folk heroes, runaway trains and murder ballads.

This week, we turned our entire episode over to the question, “What is Appalachia?” With stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh, we asked people across our region whether they consider themselves to be Appalachian. 

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads -- how they tell stories and connect us to the past. These old tunes can mean so much. They can tap into difficult emotions and give feelings space to be heard. Some songs may even be too uncomfortable to sing.In this special episode with guest co-host, ballad singer Saro Lynch-Thomason, we explore songs about lawbreaking folk heroes, runaway trains and murder ballads.

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 Commision, 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. Politically, Appalachia encompasses 423 counties across 13 states — and West Virginia’s the only state entirely inside the region. That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation, as well as many different views on what Appalachia really is. For Inside Appalachia, we turned our entire episode over to the question, “What is Appalachia?” With stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh, we asked people across our region whether they consider themselves to be Appalachian.

Appalachians love to compete. Whether it’s recreational league softball, a turkey calling contest or workplace chili cookoffs, Mountain folks are in it to win it. But there’s more to competing than just winning or losing. In this show, we’ll meet competitors who are also keepers of beloved Appalachian traditions.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads — how they tell stories and connect us to the past. These old tunes can mean so much. They can tap into difficult emotions and give feelings space to be heard. Some songs may even be too uncomfortable to sing. In this special episode with guest co-host, ballad singer Saro Lynch-Thomason, we explore songs about lawbreaking folk heroes, runaway trains and murder ballads.