Podcast - Inside Appalachia Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Podcast - Inside Appalachia Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Telling West Virginia's Story

Episodes

May 2, 2025

This week, officials are scrutinizing a supermax prison in Wise County, Virginia, after inmate complaints and a visit by a state lawmaker. Also, laid-off federal worker warns the Trump administration’s mass firings could make a big difference for coal miners. And, every year, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival stages a formal dance. Organizers rely on a manual that’s been passed down for generations.

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This week, some politicians and coal companies call themselves friends of coal, but one journalist says they don’t seem to be friends of coal miners. Also, what not to do if you get poison ivy. And, pepperoni rolls were a staple in the coal mines. But public schools might be why they caught on.

The post Coal And Coal Miners, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, we head to the woods for a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. And the woman behind the popular TikTok account “Appalachian Forager” makes jam from pawpaws and jewelry from coyote teeth. We also visit the Alleghany Highlands, where mountain maple syrup traditions are changing with the times.

The post Springtime Arrives, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, a new book looks into the toxic legacy of a huge industrial disaster in TN. Also, rock climbing gear wears out. But it can still live on as art. And, an eastern KY pharmacist serves vegan food for the holidays.

The post ‘Valley So Low,’ Climbing Crafts And Vegan Cooking, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags. Climbers have also been working to make West Virginia's New River Gorge more inclusive. And a master craftsman, who makes one of a kind whitewater paddles remembers some advice.

The post Encore: The Climbing Climate And Paddle Making, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virginia Public...

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This week on Inside Appalachia, Aaron Dowdy of alt country band Fust took an outside path to becoming a songwriter Also, egg prices are up. Some folks are talking about raising backyard chickens.
And, Helvetia, West Virginia’s old world Fasnacht festival continues to grow, in part because of an online video game. Organizers are OK with it.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, during a pandemic, where do you give birth? Also, we’ll have the story of a family that
cultivated an heirloom tomato in West Virginia. It took a lot of work. And, a musical tradition brought people together — even when they couldn’t gather in person.

The post Looking Back At 2020, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, it’s been five years since the COVID-19 lockdowns. An album made during that time is getting a re-release on vinyl. Also, a Kentucky tattoo artist practices traditional tattooing and traditional music. He says they’re not too different. And, what keeps people so fascinated with cryptids?

The post ‘Don’t Get Dead,’ Tattoos And Cryptids, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virgin...

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This week on Inside Appalachia, a beloved West Virginia hotdog restaurant closed in 2018. An annual tribute sale gives people a chance to relive its glory days. Also, West Virginia town can trace its beginnings to the first place its founders lived — a giant stump. And, a few people still farm the way folks did before tractors — with horses.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, in the 1930s, hundreds of mostly Black workers died digging the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel. A photographer brings their stories to life. Also, when Jerry Machen began making art from old carpets in Tennessee, his wife Linda wasn’t impressed. And, a new exhibit shares the cultures of Indigenous people who call Appalachia home.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk with East Tennessee’s Amythyst Kiah. Her new album contemplates the cosmos. Also, hair salons are important gathering places where Black women can find community. And West Virginia poet Torli Bush uses story to tackle tough subjects.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. Also, an Asheville musician’s latest guitar album is a call to arms. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.

The post Hare Krishna Kitchens In W.Va., Soul Food And A Musician’s Call To Arms, Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Vir...

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This week on Inside Appalachia, we visit a summer camp that’s part of the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan. Also, during the Great Depression, Osage, West Virginia was a raucous river town. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive. And, the author of an upcoming graphic novel about pipeline fighters has a message for people outside the region.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. Also, corporate greed has been gobbling up newspapers for years. Now, some of those same companies are taking a bite out of mobile home parks. They’re raising rents and letting repairs slide. And, as the Mountain Valley Pipeline nears completion, people who live near it say g...

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This week on Inside Appalachia, we speak with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can't spell. And, one of the most common animals to get hit by cars are possums. But, there’s a kind of animal rescue called pouch picking. We talk with author Laura Jackson.

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This week on Inside Appalachia, a West Virginia baker draws on her Finnish heritage to make a different kind of cinnamon roll. Also, for nearly a century, some of Appalachia’s best wood carvers have trained at a North Carolina folk school. Newcomers are still welcomed in to come learn the craft. And, we have a conversation with Kentucky poet Willie Carver Jr.

The post The Sweet Story Of Finnamon Buns, Inside Appalachia appeared fir...

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This week, a talented, young folk singer looks for the balance between making music and making a living. Also, after six generations, keeping the family farm going can be rough. We hear the story of the Wakefield family in Pennsylvania, which has farmed for six generations. And the Hellbender Salamander is the largest amphibian in... View Article

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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 Commission, a part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on... View Article

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This week on Inside Appalachia, a look back at some of the stories that shaped the show in 2024, like the story of an abandoned Fairmont Brine site in Marion County, West Virginia. It was a common hangout spot, but there’s a hidden danger. Also, food deserts are places where it’s hard to find nutritious food. Like disenfranchised neighborhoods in East Knoxville, TN. And, not all bamboo is invasive. In fact, there’s a species native...

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This week on Inside Appalachia, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick. Also, family recipes bring generations together. But what happens when you’ve got grandma’s potato candy recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements? And a new book explores the magical dark side of nature.

The post Holiday Favorites From Inside Appalachia appeared first on West Virginia Public Broa...

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