This week, 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, Tennes…

This week, 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. You'll hear these stories and…

This week, the online world of Appalachian memes — and what they tell us about folks who live here. Also, parts of West Virginia have been radio silent since the 1950s for scientists to monitor the skies. So, what does that mean for first responders in an emergency? And winter holidays are here. We’ve got some tips to keep the festivities from goin…

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 to his deck hand. And Hurricane Helene destroyed roads and knocked out power and cell service across western North Carolina. But there was still a way to keep people in touch. You'll hear these stories and more th…

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. In This Episode: What Is Foxfire? …

The chef of an award-winning Asheville restaurant says he was shaped by memories of growing up in West Virginia. The Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. And a West Virginia community grapples with its population of feral cats. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Insi…

Morel mushrooms are a forager’s delight, but don’t shortcut cleaning them. As flood relief continues from Hurricane Helene — a musician raises money with a song inspired by West Virginia’s 2016 floods. And, not every pumpkin gets to be a jack-o-lantern. Some are used in science experiments instead. In This Episode: More About Morels Raising Flood R…

After Helene, an Asheville guitar maker grapples with how to help her neighborhood when there’s so much need. A church in West Virginia is helping turn unwanted guns into garden tools. And, for writer Wei Tchou, it took leaving her home in East Tennessee to start seeing herself in a new way. In This Episode Catching Up With Luthier Jayne Henderson …

Rock climbing gear eventually wears out, but it can still live on as art. Also, the response to Hurricane Helene shows us some of the best in people. Neighbors are helping neighbors. And surfing in West Virginia. Yeah, that’s a real a thing. In This Episode: Crafter Turns Climbing Gear Into Cozy Crafts Neighbors Helping Neighbors After Flooding Sur…

Submitted for your approval, we have a selection of spooky tales for Halloween and beyond. We have scary stories read by acclaimed sci-fi and horror authors, tales of the supernatural, and we might know someone who says they’ve seen a ghost. All this and more this week, Inside Appalachia. In This Episode: Mike Allen And “The Button Bin” Molly Born …

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 passe…

Frank X Walker is a Kentucky poet who in 1991 became a founding member of the Affrilachian poets. Walker says the word “Affrilachia” “spoke to the union of Appalachian identity and the region’s African-American culture and history.” Walker has a new book, Load in Nine Times. Inside Appalachia host Mason Adams recently spoke with him about it. This …

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 poems remembers the 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky witnessed b…

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 potte…

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 explore…

This week, a poet talks about his new collection, “If Lost.” He found inspiration for it by walking around in the woods. . Also, 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…

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 mi…

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 This Episode Marble Madness Lives On In Boone Count…

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…

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 att…

This conversation originally aired in the August 5, 2022 episode of Inside Appalachia. A mural in Pound, Virginia, depicts Nancy Mullins Shores — a longtime midwife who delivered many of the town’s residents in the 20th century. The mural was designed and painted by Lacy Hale, an eastern Kentucky artist known for painting murals across central Appa…

Lacy Hale’s art is decorating more of Appalachia's landscapes. The eastern Kentucky artist is probably best known for “No Hate in My Holler,” a screenprint she designed in 2017 that has spread across Appalachia on TV shirts, tote bags and billboards. Hale is also painting a growing number of murals adorning mountain communities. One memorialized a …

A few people still farm the way folks did before tractors. We visit with farmers who still rely on real workhorses to get their work done. 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 imp…

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 …

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 alterna…