Podcast - Inside Appalachia Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

This week, the music of West Virginia songwriter Ella Hanshaw and, thanks in part to her grandchildren, the discovery of some old tapes that led to a new release. Also, a pair of potters in western North Carolina forego commercial clay to work with clay that’s wild. And, we make a trip to West Virginia’s Hillbilly Hotdogs for its infamous "Homewrecker Hotdog Challenge."

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This week, an international photographer turns his lens toward home. Also, after Hurricane Helene, whitewater rafting guides are adapting to diminished business and changed rivers. And, we remember Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a mark on mountain culture and the people who practice and document it.  

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This week, Inside Appalachia, dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Also, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist. And, the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.

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This week, people with mental health challenges or substance use disorder often end up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another way. Also, one year after the Mountain Valley Pipeline went into service, people who live directly in the pipeline’s path have received compensation. But not everyone. And, the Sacred Harp songbook gets an update for the first time since the early 1990s.

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This week, for 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game night for teens. It can get a little wacky. Also, we remember renowned Tennessee luthier, Jean Horner, whose fiddles were played at Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. And, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens.

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This week, Inside Appalachia,, a hospital in Western North Carolina was bought out. Residents say the quality of care has gone down. Also, an immersion school in North Carolina is trying to revitalize the Cherokee language with the help of a printmaking class. And, a pair of artists follow cicada hatchings to make art from their shells.   

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This week, Inside Appalachia, a West Virginia man is reviving a Black coal camp through farming. Also, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage. And, the Reverend George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia, was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered during Juneteenth through his poetry.

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This week, textbooks have long left out an important piece of labor history that happened here in the mountains. Now, a new young adult book fills in some of what might have been missed about the Mine Wars. Also, when flooding devastates a community, people can find solace through faith and through song. And, we remember songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler, who passed away last month. Dozens of musicians have covered his songs including K...

This week, cicadas are emerging again. They’re an important food source for wildlife — and even some people. Also, morel mushrooms are a forager’s delight, but don’t shortcut cleaning them. We follow along with mushroom hunters and talk to a chef. And, sinkholes can cause a lot of damage. But they’re also fascinating.

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This week, Inside Appalachia, the Appalachian Prison Book Project has been sending books to incarcerated people for nearly 20 years. Its most popular book is the dictionary. Also, the Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. And, crossing a river by ferry can be a special experience, and hard to come by. On the Ohio River, a retiring ferry captain passes the torch ...

This week on Inside Appalachia, the setting for a new novel is a communal society founded by freed people in North Carolina. It was a real place called The Kingdom of the Happy Land. Also, when a West Virginia pastor got assigned to a new church, some folks tried to warn him. And, the online world of Appalachian memes — and what they tell us about folks who live here. 

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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 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.

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