Inside Appalachia West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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- Society & Culture
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Inside Appalachia tells the stories of our people, and how they live today. The show is an audio tour of our rich history, food, music and culture.
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A Tale Of Treenware And A NASCAR Legend, Inside Appalachia
This week, a pair of former miners found love shoveling coal and shaped a life making wooden spoons. We learn about treenware.
Also, NASCAR Hall of Famer Leonard Wood shares stories, and a bit of advice.
And, group bike rides are a way to socialize and get outside. But here in Appalachia, newcomers are met with steep hills. -
The Herbal Magic Of Violets And A Book Ban In Virginia, Inside Appalachia
Spring wildflowers are in bloom, and some of the most common species play an important role in herbal medicine. This week, we learn about some of the ways people use violets.
What’s your favorite style of egg roll? An acclaimed, out-of-the-way restaurant in Pounding Mill, Virginia bends culinary genres and uses an unexpected ingredient.
And, more and more school boards are pulling books from library shelves. We’ll speak with a reporter in a Virginia county where 57 titles were yanked. -
ENCORE: True Stories Behind Folk Heroes, Runaway Trains And Murder Ballads
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. -
Chair Caning And A Housing Fight, Inside Appalachia
This week, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning.
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 government officials are ignoring their concerns about pollution.
You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. -
Remembering And Revisiting Resistance To The Mountain Valley Pipeline, Inside Appalachia
Red Terry’s property in Bent Mountain, Virginia, is in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. She says the place was beautiful, but she's worried about the dangers of the pipeline not far from her home.
Plus, almost everybody has a favorite cup or coffee mug, but how far would you go to replace it? One woman would go pretty far.
And… we explore an effort in western Virginia to make old-time music more available to Black musicians.
You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. -
Encore: What Is Appalachia? We Asked People From Around The Region. Here’s What They Said
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.
Customer Reviews
Beautifully done and extremely educational
I have been looking for a podcast that is both informative and entertaining, and I have finally found the one. From Dollywood to how the music of Appalachia evolved to deep cultural and political issues, this podcast hits every nail on the head. Inside Appalachia has the high quality production unique to public broadcasting and is so comprehensive and detailed in its work. Everything from the music to the interviews to the topics is well thought out, and I have learned so much. I can’t recommend this podcast enough!
Hit or miss podcast
I love most of the stories, but some times they are a little “woke”.
Why Northern Accents?
I appreciate this podcast and stories are good but I’m beginning to wonder if they are all made up. Where’s my accent? My/our southern accent?
Most everyone on here sounds like they are from the north, Midwest, or California.
Us Appalachian folks speak differently than most folks on this podcast and it’s quite disheartening. A true Appalachian podcast would have folks who speak like we do with an accent as us, not one from somewhere else; think Dolly Parton.
As north as southern Ohio and as west as Indiana, the southern accent still lives and it’s not at all being portrayed. It’s like story telling to people who are interested, never lived here, and thus the crew must conjure up the stories with accents understood…everywhere but here. Not cool at all. Our southern speak is being so left out and is completely disheartening.