Inside Appalachia

Something About The Water In Berkeley Springs There are natural springs all over Appalachia. The deep folds of rock that make up our mountains bring water from the depths to trickle out of our hillsides. That's where many people got their fresh water in the years before indoor plumbing. But in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, people are still filling jugs with spring water to lug back home. Why? Folkways reporter Zack Harold decided to fish around for some answers. Keeping the Fires Lit On The Cass Railroad Since 2019, our folkways team has produced more than 100 stories about Appalachian folklife — that is, traditions that are being passed down from one generation to the next. Passing down those traditions is important. In our story about the Cass Railroad, you’ll meet railroad senior employee Rex Cassell. He passed away during the making of this story. But during his life, he was a crucial part of why visiting the Cass Railroad in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, feels like you’re stepping back in time. Folkways Reporter Lauren Griffin brought us this story. “Lark Ascending” Amid extreme weather events like floods and fires, a new literary genre is emerging, called cli-fi. Short for climate fiction. Cli-fi tells stories about the effects of climate change on people and society. And Appalachian writers are penning their own works in the genre, including one of the region’s premier writers, Kentucky author Silas House. His new novel is “Lark Ascending” which tells the story of a climate refugee from Appalachia.   The Message Behind The Music At “Healing Appalachia” The Healing Appalachia music festival returned to Greenbrier County in September. Headlined by eastern Kentucky’s Tyler Childers, the festival went from a single day to two and included performances by Arlo McKinley, Margot Price and Galactic, among others.  But the festival has a larger mission than just having a good time. Producer Bill Lynch spoke with organizer Charlie Hatcher about what the festival hopes to accomplish. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Appalachian Road Show, The Company Stores, June Carter Cash and Tyler Childers. Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.

Since 2019, Inside Appalachia has brought you stories from our Folkways Reporting Project.  Folkways was created to boost awareness of Appalachian folk traditions and how they’re passed between people. In 2023, we added 25 stories to our growing archive that explore diverse arts, culture, food and people of Appalachia.  This week, look back at some of the past year’s Folkways highlights.

Since 1967, Foxfire has been a storehouse of traditional Appalachian knowledge that still helps people today. It continues to preserve music and history, but part of Foxfire’s heritage has been recording the stories of Appalachian women.  This week, Inside Appalachia, explores Foxfire –its past, present and future.

This week, Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker has a new collection of poetry that looks at Black life in Kentucky before, during, and after the Civil War…We also check in with the people affected by flooding in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.A new collection of essays and poesm remembers the 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky witnessed by writers trapped at the Appalachian Writers Workshop.And bird watching only sounds relaxing. Sometimes, it can get a little wild.

Hurricane Helene dumped nearly 30 inches of rain in parts of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. Communities are reeling from the devastation. We check-in with Lilly Knoepp at Blue Ridge Public Radio in western North Carolina.Also, a new book illustrates the tiny worlds of mountain critters, like a lizard that changes color.And White potters co-opted the African art of face jugs in the 1800s. A modern-day Black potter says his art can’t be replicated. 

Inside Appalachia remembers Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a deep mark on Appalachian culture, and the people who practice and document it.  And, grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive.Plus, it’s not just you. There are more deer than ever these days. A writer explores the long, complicated entwinement of people and our wild kin.  

This week… we talk with a poet about his new collection, titled “If Lost.” He found inspiration for it… by walking around in the woods. .Now is a great time for mushroom hunters to head to the woods and find all kinds of fascinating fungi – even those not meant to be eaten.And, almost everybody has a favorite cup or coffee mug, but how far would you go to replace yours? 

One of America’s greatest contributions to world culture … is hip hop. A new compilation documents what it sounds like across Appalachia. Also people in the region love their local water springs, but in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, they take that dedication to another level.And, congressional Republicans are trying to freeze funding for new mine safety rules. Advocates are concerned. 

Schoolyard games come and go, but for kids in one community, marbles still rule. Also, this year marks the anniversary of some country music milestones, including the 40th anniversary of Floyd, Virginia’s Friday Night Jamboree. And we remember West Virginia’s first person in space, Jon McBride. 

In 2016, a wildfire escaped the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It killed 14 people, injured dozens more and destroyed parts of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We talk with an investigative journalist who has new information on the incident.Also, four decades ago rice seeds from Laos crossed the ocean to California and made their way to a family of Hmong farmers in North Carolina.And the Appalachian trail has been exhaustively hiked, explored and written about, but it’s still got a few secrets left.

During the Great Depression, the river town of Osage, West Virginia was a raucous, little place. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive.Also, after six generations, the struggle to keep a family farm going can be rough.And the Federal program 340B cuts the price of prescription drugs for people who most need them. So, why are attack ads falsely connecting it to border safety?

In the 1930s, hundreds of mostly African American workers died digging the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel. A photographer brings their stories to life in a new book. 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. 

A few people still farm the way folks did before tractors — with horses. We visit with farmers who still rely on a real workhorse.Also, Kentucky artist Lacy Hale’s “No Hate in My Holler” screenprint may never go out of style. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.And a Virginia poet reflects on the importance of spoons and what’s helped his writing. 

Flooding is a recurring problem across Appalachia. This week, we’re taking stock, and looking back on floods that have devastated parts of West Virginia and Kentucky.We explore some of the reasons for floods, as well as the aftermath and the slow recovery that often follows disaster.It’s not all gloom. Even in our hardest moments, there’s always hope. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

A good blanket will keep you warm — but a handmade temperature blanket can convey a message to a loved one. This week, we talk to crocheters who make and share their art.Since 2018, there’s been an explosion of LGBT writing about Appalachia. The editor of the new essay collection “Deviant Hollers” tells us about it and more.  And, there’s an alternative to invasive bamboo, and it’s native to the region and found by rivers.

This week, members of a Ukrainian Catholic church in Wheeling, West Virginia, make pierogies every week. They’re popular with the community, but what makes them so good? Also, Salem, Virginia's Flat Five Studio got its first big break when the Dave Matthews Band was searching for a quiet place to record its first album. We hear the story of a big moment for a small studio.And, a longtime Bigfoot hunter believes his first encounter with the mythical monster happened when he was a kid.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist. We also talk with a children's book author about a school system that suspended its community reading program over concerns about the sex of her book's main character — an oak tree.And, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program is now available in every Kentucky community. We revisit our 2022 interview with the American icon. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we visit with a West Virginia man who shows his love for fishing by building exquisite, handmade fly rods. It’s a long process, but he shares his knowledge with others.We also spill the tea on a classic roadside attraction in Chester, West Virginia.And punk music photographer Chelse Warren takes us into the pit for stories and observations. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Also, if you’re hungry for a pepperoni roll in West Virginia, you can find one at just about any gas station. So — how did they get so popular? We’ll hear one theory.And we check out the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.Hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, old-time music jams aren’t just fun, they’re good for your mental health.Also, the opioid epidemic has changed how we talk about addiction in Appalachia. But it’s not America’s only drug crisis.And, every year, hundreds of people parachute off the 876-foot-tall New River Gorge Bridge for Bridge Day, but not just anyone can do it. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.