Inside Appalachia

This week, we explore aspects of rock climbing in central Appalachia, including efforts to make it more inclusive. We also meet a special paddle maker.

This week, we visit Neng, Jr.'s in Asheville, talk with hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis and learn about Ramadan in West Virginia.

This week, we revisit award-winning stories from 2023.

This week, we visit with a couple who met in a coal mine and became woodcarvers. We talk NASCAR with Leonard Wood and take a spin around the hilly streets of Morgantown on a bicyle.

This week, we learn about some of the uses for violets outside of the flower garden and talk about a book ban in Virginia.

This week, we present one of our most popular episodes. It's all about traditional ballands and how they connect us to the past.

This week, we learn about the Seeing Hand Association and a fight between residents of a mobile home park and the company that bought up the land.

This week, host Mason Adams visits with a protester he interviewed in the early days of the Mountain Valley Pipeline's construction and a renaissance fair potter gets her mojo back.

This week, we dive into the discussion about what is Appalachia in this encore special.

This week, we remember educator, author and Appalachian music champion Travis Stimeling. We also learn more about our relationship with deer.

This week, we meet the Brasstown Carvers, speak with Kentucky educator and poet Willie Carver and take a trip to the Applachian neighborhood of Cabbagetown.

This week, we visit WVSU during homecoming and experience step dancing and talk to Justin Nobel about radioactive waste at fracking brine sites and teenagers.

This week, we explore the vigorous and varied competitive spirit of Appalachia.

This week, AppHarvest began with big ideas for the future of farming and Appalachia, but came crashing down. We also explore a restaurant in West Virginia that's a home away from home for Japanese students and we look into fish frys in Charleston, West Virginia.

This week, we talk with investigative reporter Tyler Whetstone about the 2016 wildfire that damaged Gatlrinburg and killed 14. We visit a rice farm in western North Carolina and hear about efforts to put an endangered salamander in West Virginia on the endangered species list.

This week, we visit former football rivals who've embraced a new school and new football team. We also meet a second generation luthier and sample frijoles charros.

This week, we explore the resurgence of black lung.

This week, we look back at some of our Folkways Reporter Project stories. We visit the Flat 5 Studio, hang out with a taxidermist and learn about African Face Jugs.

This week, we talk about the past, present and future of Foxfire.

This week, we look back at some highlights from Inside Appalachia, including a few favorite stories.

This week, we learn about wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina, visit with a folk art matriarch in eastern Kentucky and try to get the recipe for Grandma's potato candy.

.This week, we learn about inclusive climbing, weeding out racist and sexist names in rock climing and meet a master craftsman.

This week, we talk with Open Head Takes Photos, a hardcore/punk music photographer, learn about the struggles of a model train club in West Virginia and hear about Kentucky's Moonshine trail.

This week, we revisit our 2022 holiday show, which included special dishes and holiday wishes.

This week, we travel to the Johnson City Zine Fest, learn about a movement to make square dancing more inclusive and discuss playng the spoons.

This week, we talk with Karly Hartzman from the rock band Wednesday, meet a woman who is trying to patch together more quilters and we visit with the Alabama Astronaut.

This week, we hunt for wild mushrooms and learn about soul food. We also learn about a new marker acknowleding an old-time music icon.

This week, we explore wildlowers, traditional arts and turkey calls.

This week, we discuss Appalachian science fiction and horror with Roanoke based publisher, Mike Allen, hear stories of the supernatural and learn about the spiritualist movement in West Virginia.

This week,we discuss technology with writer and digital activist Cory Doctorow, learn about fish fries in Charleston, WV and talk with Appalchian writer Anne Pancake.

This week, WV Native Rae Garringer tells us about their project to record the stories of LGBTQ people in rural areas and we talk with an Appalachian Village Witch.

This week, we talk to Howard Berkes and learn more about the rise of black lung cases in Appalachia.

This week, Tarot cards tell us about the lore and spirit of Pittsburgh. We also talk with writer Ron Rash about Appalachia and growing old.

This week, we talk about the pioneering spirit of Appalachia in a new film, look for bog turtles and meet a champion rock skipper.

This week, we dive into the discussion about what is Appalachia in this encore special.

This week, we hear the poetry of the Dickerson family which speaks of the African-American experience in Western Virginia for most of the 20th Century and we hear about the resurgene of black lung.

This week, we learn about how the sausage got made for Angelos Old World Italian Sausage, hear about water troubles we didn't expect and take a trip to the "Peerless City."

This week, we visit Flat Five Studio in Salem, Virginia, take a trip to newly protected old growth forest in West Virginia and follow the conversation about cuts at WVU.

This week, we explore the vigorous and varied competitive spirit of Appalachia.

This week, we learn more about the lore of the pepperoni roll in West Virginia, visit with hikers who gobble half gallons of ice cream and take a trip to the World's Largest Teapot.

This week, we visit with West Virginia trappers to learn about the fur trade in the 21st Century. We also meet a county fair champion who keeps racking up the blue ribbons and has released a cookbook of some of her favorites. And we hear an update on the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Construction has begun again, but some people wonder if it’s even needed. These stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, Inside Appalachia revisits flood stories from 2016 and 2022. We also look at flood recovering and trying to fix some of the reasons why floods happen in some communities.

This week, a Ukrainian musician reflects on what music means during wartime. And there’s a growing number of a certain kind of blood-sucking arachnid — and diseases that come with it.  We also sit in on one of the natural wonders of the Great Smoky Mountains. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we talk to the creators of a true crime podcast about a missing person from Morgantown. We hear about verticle farming and a millipede named for one of the biggest popstars on the planet.

This week, we visit a Virginia cemetery that suffered from neglect during segregation. We also speak with author Neema Avashia and remember WWII hero Woody Williams.

This week, we spent time with a mastercraftsman who makes old-style fly fishing rods. We learn about West Virginia's path to statehood and talk baseball with minor league announer Tim Hagerty.

This week, we talk books, writing and more with Appalachian authors and poets.

This week, we look at struggles with local journalism and how journalists and media companies are adapting. We also visit with the creator of The Porch Beers zine.

This week, we learn about beekeeping in West Virginia, talk with artist Lacy Hale and find out about the migration of armadillos to Appalachia

This week, we talk with one of the founders of Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, NC and learn about the evolving syrup business along the West Virginia/Virginia border.

This week, we talk to the producers of "King Coal," a documentary by Elaine McMillion Sheldon. We also visit a taxidermist in North Carolina and learn about why this season's allergies might be worse than usual.

This week, we learn about the history of African Face Jars in America from the middle of the 19th Century to today. We also get an update on flood recovery in eastern Kentucky and talk with West Virginia poet Doug Van Gundy.

This week, we talk about traditional ballads and the stories that connect us to the past.

This week, we meet a class that included Inside Appalachia in a writing project. We consider the banjo's past, present and future --and we talk about a mural in Kentucky that caused a stir.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we speak with an author about grief rituals, a podcaster about the religious music of snake handling churches, and we explore best practices to prepare for retirement.

This week, we showcase three of our stories that took home awards during the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters Competition.

This week, we talk to a journalist about the landslides that come with flooding and the right language to talk about climate change. We also speak with an author of a book about gardening by astrological signs.

This week, we learn a little about carpet art in Tennesee, try some eccletic barbecue in rural Virginia and find out about a plan to make more butchers in West Virginia.

This week, we take with one of America’s most accomplished hikers, Jennifer Pharr Davis. We also discuss the 50 year anniversary of the Augusta Heritage Center and revist steel drums in Appalachia.

This week, we hear about recreating a family recipe you've never tried and talk with Ohio's Poet Laureate.

This week, we talk with the author of a recent book about two murders near the Appalachian trail. We also sample Yugoslavian fish stew in Charleston, WV and talk with the Poet Laureate of Blair County, PA.

Hear how people all over Appalachia find ways to get in a little friendly competition. It's not all sports.

This week, we talk to the BBC's Philip Reevell and reporter Katie Myers about the floods of Eastern Kentucky and meet a family of flood survivors who found solace through faith.

This week, we explore the migration of a Mexican dish to Ohio and the effect of climate change on fruit trees in the south and Appalachia. We also revisit an interview with Kentucky's poet laureate.

This week, we visit a Model Train Club, hear about how a segregated cemetery was reclaimed and learn about the plans for the Appalachian Writer's Workshop in Kentucky.

This week on Inside Appalachia, amid recent hospital closures, Appalachian women are having to travel farther and farther to give birth.

A teen tries to bring books to kids in book desert. The discussion for how to care for aging parents continues and we revisit an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

This week, we hear about handling a heckler, caring for aging parents and the importance of agriculture from Miss West Virginia. We also talk with the poet laureate of WV. and

We learn about a millipede named after Taylor Swift. A farm in Pennsylvania builds upward and a podcast revisits Morgantown, WV in the 1980s.

This week, author Mesha Maren and West Virginians helping Ukrainian refugees.

We visit the last washboard company in the United States, talk about the Porch Beers zine and launch a new feature called "Lore."

Exploring community and Communion wafers at Lost Creek Farm. Learning about faith traditions with cookies in Appalachia.

We talk with investigative reporter Justin Nobel about radioactive hazards in the natural gas industry and learn about an Appalachian connection to the NFL.

This week, we’ll meet a man who has struggled with substance use disorder. Now, he’s a recovery coach and meet a woman who started a farm and culinary training program to help people in recovery.

Inside Appalachia Looks Back At 2022: From Historic Floods To Dolly Parton

Talking Folklife and Hotdogs and The Asian Appalachian Experience

Talking "Y'all Means All" And Visiting With A Gospel Guitar Player

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads -- how they tell stories and connect us to the past.

This week, we talk to a podcaster about the church music of snake-handling churches and learn about traditional animal hide tannning.

Cabbagetown, The Mothman And Spiritualists

This week, we travel to Charleston, West Virginia, to learn about the importance of funeral singers to Black communities. We’ll also hear about a new tool whose maker believes he can help save thousands of lives from fatal opioid overdoses. And we talk with author Barbara Kingsolver about the influence of Appalachia in her books.

This week, we bring back our special Halloween episode of Inside Appalachia from 2021. It’s packed with ghost stories and mysteries from across the region.

This week, we’re visiting Berkeley Springs where we sample healing waters from a natural spring so good that even George Washington traveled to check it out. We’ll also visit the Cass Scenic Railroad in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Tourists come from all around to ride its antique trains. And there’s a crew of experts who keep ‘em running. And we speak with Kentucky author Silas House about his new novel. It’s part of a growing genre called climate fiction. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

Welcome Inside Appalachia. We’re glad you’re here to join us on our weekly journey through some of the thirteen Appalachian states. This week, we’re learning about an unexpected immigrant to central Appalachia – the armadillo.

This week, we begin our journey through Appalachia in Floyd, Virginia, at the Friday Night Jamboree.

We’ll meet a man who makes wooden turkey calls, not ordinary turkey calls. Painter Brian Aliff doesn’t call himself an artist, but he intricately paints his turkey calls, which are now collectors’ items.

This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021.

This week, we’re visiting the Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky, whose cultural archives were damaged by historic flooding.

Our first stop this week is in Charleston, W.Va. where we’re sitting down with the inimitable Dolly Parton.

One thing we know to be true about Appalachians: we love to compete.

Inside Appalachia is 20 years old this month — we celebrate the anniversary by taking a look back with Inside Appalachia founders Giles Snyder and Beth Vorhees.

On this week’s episode, we begin our journey through Appalachia in the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping.

On this week’s episode, we begin our journey through Appalachia by way of Lviv, Ukraine to learn about their version of an Appalchian dulcimer.

This week on Inside Appalachia, amid recent hospital closures, Appalachian women are having to travel farther and farther to give birth. 

This week, on Inside Appalachia, we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia, and learn how racial segregation followed some people to the grave. Also, we continue our series on greyhound racing. Most states have closed down their race tracks. So, what’s the future of the sport in West Virginia?

This week on Inside Appalachia, we listen to stories from 2021 that tackle everything from the challenges that came with virtual schooling to using poetry to change public perception.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we hear from a radiologist in eastern Kentucky who says he’s seeing a rise in cases of black lung among young coal miners. We’ll also the first part of a new series from reporters Randy Yohe and Chris Shulz about the dog racing industry in West Virginia.

We’ll hear about a podcast that remembers the back to the land movement in West Virginia during the 1970s and 1980s -- as well as a mysterious disappearance.

On this week’s episode, we’re journeying far and wide through Appalachia and beyond.

On this week’s encore episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re dedicating the show to children's authors.

This week is is all about Appalachian storytelling, featuring a tale by TV host, author and West Virginia Liars’ Contest winner, Bil Lepp

This week, we’ll meet a man who has struggled with substance use disorder. Now, he’s a recovery coach and meet a woman who started a farm and culinary training program to help people in recovery.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads -- how they tell stories and connect us to the past.

This week, we begin our journey throughout Appalachia in Floyd County, Virginia, home of Earl White. White is working to amplify the often-overlooked participation of Black musicians in old-time music.

This week, we’re airing an encore episode of Inside Appalachia. We’ll meet a man who makes wooden turkey calls, not ordinary turkey calls. Painter Brian Aliff doesn’t call himself an artist, but he intricately paints his turkey calls, which are now collectors’ items. We’ll also meet people who make wooden paddles by hand and custom-decorate each one, and a man who repairs cuckoo clocks. Finally, we’ll travel to some of the most beautiful spots in Appalachia to find wildflowers, like Dolly Sods and the Canaan Valley of West Virginia. And we wonder -- are these areas becoming too popular? Those stories and more this week Inside Appalachia.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear about Black musicians and luthiers who are reclaiming the banjo -- an instrument with deep roots in Africa and a difficult history in The United States

This week’s episode is all about ballad singers and storytellers.

This week on Inside Appalachia we’ll visit a luthier’s shop where old instruments get new life, and hear about a new comedy film set in Beckley, West Virginia. We’ll also hear from author Neema Avashia, whose new book is "Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer And Indian In A Mountain Place."

What is Appalachia? This week, we’re re-airing a December 2021 episode that seeks to answer this question, with stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh.

The downturn of coal in Harlan County, Kentucky has led to an exodus of Black residents in search of work. This week on Inside Appalachia, we listen back to our conversation with William Turner, whose book about growing up in a vibrant Black community in eastern Kentucky just won the Weatherford Award for nonfiction from the Appalachian Studies Association.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear how women in the mountains spearhead movements to battle racial injustice, defend healthy communities and fight for the rights of all Appalachians. We’ll talk with the author of a book called “To Live Here You Have To Fight,” hear from podcaster Anna Sale and visit a camp that teaches young people to play rock music.

Lawmakers across Appalachia are debating how issues of race are taught in public schools, but the U.S. isn’t the only country with an unsettling history to deal with. In Germany, teachers are mandated to include lessons about one of their nation’s darkest chapters — the Holocaust.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll look at the origin of beans and cornbread. And we’ll meet a woman in Moorefield, West Virginia, who makes pinto beans in her restaurant, Pupuseria Emerita. Emerita Sorto grew up in Honduras. In addition to serving traditional Appalachian food, she also cooks traditional Honduran and Salvadoran food at her restaurant. We’ll also learn about a new board game based on West Virginia foods and local monsters, like Mothman, and hear about a hemp business in West Virginia that’s run by three generations of West Virginia women. We’ll also talk with bear photographer, Bill Lea.

The Russian invasion in Ukraine is sending shockwaves throughout the world. Did you know that the geography and culture of the people who live in the mountains of southwest Ukraine have a lot in common with Appalachia? Google images of the Carpathian mountains and you’ll see stunning images that look very similar to views in our own backyard. 

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear from residents in Kentucky who were denied aid. We’ll also hear a special documentary about the Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972, one of the worst catastrophes in U.S. history.

Think back to your American history class. We all learned about the Civil War, but what did you learn about the years after the war ended? On Inside Appalachia this week, we’ll hear how that history parallels events today.

Valentine’s Day gets a lot of flack for being sappy, cliche or just a marketing ploy by card and chocolate companies. But we tend to think there is more to it than that. So, for this episode of Inside Appalachia, we asked our listeners for their best Appalachian love stories.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia features stories about a West Virginia black metal band that plays songs about local history. We’ll also hear how folks are helping make skiing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing more accessible to people in West Virginia. And while labor struggles in Appalachia historically included coal miners, we’ll hear how other workers in other industries have attempted to unionize in the past year.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is packed with stories from across central Appalachia, featuring creative people who are finding ways to address a wide-range of problems.

Schools are facing unprecedented staff shortages – here in Appalachia and across the country. In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear what teachers and schools are up against, and what solutions could help keep more educators from burning out.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll go outside into a cold, crisp forest on a winter hike. And we’ll also delight in one town's twist on the classic West Virginia slaw dog — the “Marmet yellow slaw dog.”

People in coal country are pleading for help as coal’s decline accelerates. This week on Inside Appalachia, we explore the economic and health impacts coal has had on coal communities in Appalachia. We’ll talk about the past and the future of this industry, through the lens of its labor history, to the climate crisis. And we’ll hear from members of Indigenous communities on how they feel about the future of coal.

In the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear stories from creators across Appalachia and how they process their lives through their art, including songwriting, photography and self-published zines. We’ll talk with a climber who challenged the climbing community to rename racist and sexist route names, and won. Also in this episode, West Virginia singer and songwriter John R. Miller brings us up-to-speed on his new album.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we explore stories about the power of memory and tradition. Listeners across Appalachia share some of their favorite traditions, and our reporters and hosts share some of our family traditions, too. We’ve got recipes for things like cranberry salad and sorghum gingerbread. Reporter Zack Harold tells us how his family began a unique tradition of hunting for Easter eggs on Christmas Eve. We travel to a farm in Bluefield, Virginia, where goats sing along to Christmas carols, played on an organ.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia we hear a roundup of some of our region’s news, from recovery efforts in Kentucky following devastating tornadoes, to how infrastructure funding from Congress could benefit communities in Appalachia. We’ll also hear from teenagers in Western North Carolina share poetry about how they see themselves and their identities.

Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt, 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 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 only be changed by an act of Congress.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia explores stories about families, friends, and how people on opposite ends of the political spectrum connect through music, food and conversations about tough topics. We’ll hear the story of one of the world’s best fiddlers, Clark Kessinger, from St. Albans, West Virginia. We’ll learn how he inspired his nephew, Robin Kessinger, to play the guitar. We’ll also talk about how East African immigrant communities in a small town in West Virginia are connecting back to their home traditions through coffee ceremonies.

The story of Appalachia can’t be summarized in one book, one article or one movie. Our region goes beyond just ill-considered stereotypes. This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll learn about people who are digging beneath the surface, telling authentic stories about life in Appalachia. From women who are writing a new TV show about the realities of overcoming addiction and finding recovery, to a community theater company in Harlan County, Kentucky, that produced a play called “Shift Change.” It confronts racism, and neighbors who stand on opposite sides of politics. In this episode we’ll also hear from writers, playwrights, filmmakers and storytellers who confront the complexities of life here in Appalachia. They share why we should be proud of these complexities, and be willing to learn something new about Appalachia — even those of us who live here.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear how women in the mountains spearheaded movements to battle racial injustice, defend healthy communities, and fight for the rights of all Appalachians. We’ll talk with the author of a book called “To Live Here You Have To Fight,” hear from podcaster Anna Sale, and visit a camp that teaches young people to play rock music.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we'll hear what happens when a family with roots in Mexico and in Appalachia combines its cultural identities through music. And we have a story about a park in southwestern Virginia that was created during the Jim Crow-era as one of the only recreation areas in central Appalachia for Black residents. Green Pastures eventually fell into disrepair, but now it's seeing a makeover as one of Virginia’s newest state parks. We’ll also hear how investigative reporters in Pittsburgh brought to light safety concerns in low-income housing. Writer Marie Manilla tells us why she identifies as an "urban Appalachian" and why she feels drawn to push against stereotypes of her region and her people.

This week’s episode is all about ballad singers and storytellers.

A few weeks ago, we asked listeners to share your favorite spooky stories from across Appalachia. This week’s special Halloween episode of Inside Appalachia is packed with ghost stories and mysteries from across the region.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear the story of a world-renowned steelpan drum maker from Trinidad who built instruments in a former coal mining town in West Virginia, and inspired others to learn his craft. We'll also talk with a man who treks hundreds of miles to seek out long-lost varieties of heirloom apples.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking with the creators of the “Black in Appalachia” podcast about their recent mountain road trip through the coalfields.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we speak with William Turner, whose new book looks at growing up in a vibrant Black community during Harlan’s boom years.

People in coal country are pleading for help as the coal industry nears the end of its long decline. This week on Inside Appalachia, we explore the economic and health impacts coal has had on communities in Appalachia.

One of the biggest storytelling festivals in the world is right here in Appalachia. Each October, storytellers and audiences of all ages gather at the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

This week, we’ve pulled a few gems from our archive. We’re listening back to some of our favorite Inside Appalachia stories from the past year.

Right now, Congress is debating spending trillions of dollars to boost the country’s infrastructure. That covers roads and bridges, of course, but also what’s being called “soft infrastructure” — things like childcare.

In the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear stories from creators across Appalachia and how they process their lives through their art.

This week's episode of Inside Appalachia is an encore episode filled with rich storytelling and cross-cultural collaborations.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we talk with students, educators, life coaches and psychologists about what can help more young people stay in school, and get trained so they can get jobs, and stay in Appalachia.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is all about how we interact with water and our rivers.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ve got an eclectic mix of stories from across central Appalachia.

This week’s episode is all about ballad singers and storytellers.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we listen to an encore episode about places in Appalachia that are drawing visitors and newcomers, sometimes at a cost.

The story of Appalachia can’t be summarized in one book, one article or one movie. Our region goes beyond just ill-considered stereotypes.

The natural world can be a source of food and medicine along with a place to escape and unwind. There are people who know plants like they’re old friends, complete with stories and histories. These experts can also help guide us to recognize how plants can even help us in times of need.

In the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll meet a man who makes wooden turkey calls. However, these aren’t ordinary turkey calls — they’re hand-crafted and feature intricate paintings. We'll also travel to some of the most beautiful spots in Appalachia to find wildflowers — Dolly Sods and the Canaan Valley of West Virginia.

When people talk about Appalachian music, banjos and fiddles are often the first things to come to mind. But what about hip-hop?

The pandemic continues to inspire more people to go outside. One result? They’ve found more baby animals. This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear how everyday folks have helped rescue a record number of baby owls.

Over Memorial Day weekend, airports across the country reported the highest numbers of people flying in more than a year. As more of us are dreaming once again of flight, we thought this would be a good time to listen back to an episode of Inside Appalachia that originally aired last summer. We’ll hear stories about flight: legendary aviators, fighter pilots, and a plane ride that didn’t quite go as planned.

Our Inside Appalachia team recently won several awards for our reporting. This week, we’re listening back to some of these stories, including one about the John Denver classic, “Take Me Home Country Roads,” which was first recorded 50 years ago in 1971.

This week we're revisiting an episode of Inside Appalachia that features children's authors in and from our region.

Many oil and gas workers come into contact with a fracking byproduct called brine. The gas industry says it’s safe. But is it really? This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll talk with reporter Justin Nobel, who says some workers are being exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity, which could be making them, and their families, sick. And, as we head into garden season, we’ll check in with an update on a mystery about mortgage-lifter tomatoes.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll talk with West Virginia native, Anna Sale. And we’ll hear from teenagers in Charleston who lost their friend to gun violence. We’ll hear the history behind Mother’s Day, and we’ll go on a nature hike with biologists who are restoring wetlands for frogs and salamanders.

In this era, kids spend so much time looking at screens. This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll meet a storyteller and songwriter who inspires kids to get outside and explore nature. And we visit a former strip mine where Elk are being reintroduced. This episode explores stories about humans and nature, and what experiencing the outdoors means to different people.

Lots of rural communities in Appalachia also have unsafe drinking water. This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear from people in Appalachia who are trying to bring clean drinking water to their friends and neighbors. President Joe Biden’s “American Jobs Plan” includes billions of dollars that would go to fixing water systems, but will it be enough to fix the underlying issues? And will it make a difference in the lives of the poorest, most vulnerable people?

This week's episode of Inside Appalachia is a mix of rich storytelling and cross-cultural collaborations. What happens when a musician from Belarus gets together with Appalachian folk musicians? And we’ll talk with Affrilachian writer Crystal Wilkinson, who has just been named Kentucky’s Poet Laureate. You'll hear these stories, and more, in this episode.

We have a packed episode of Inside Appalachia this week, stuffed with stories of family strife and struggle, revolutionary artists fighting against stereotypes, legendary lawbreakers, matriarchal moonshiners and the badmen of one of Appalachia’s biggest battles — the Baldwin-Felts detectives.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk with folks who are planting seeds of change — literally and figuratively. While many are finding joy through their gardens and food work, there are some people in Appalachia who are going through some of the most challenging times of their lives.

The pandemic has reshaped our world in many ways. Can you remember what life was like before you wore a mask to the grocery store? This has been a historic year for so many people, and we wanted to mark the moment. Let’s be clear, the pandemic isn’t over yet. People are still getting sick, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, 70 percent of the U.S. population has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; only 16.4 percent are fully vaccinated. And frankly, we still face months and years of recovery. But it’s good to think back on how far we’ve come. In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we check back in with some of the people we've had on our show over the past year, and hear how they're doing now.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia features several children's authors, including Cynthia Rylant, who wrote "When I Was Young In The Mountains." It also includes David Perri, author of "Messy Larry," Bil Lepp reading from his recent children's book "The Princess and The Pickup Truck," and Lyn Ford, a professional storyteller and children's educator, telling a story she wrote called "The Old Woman and Death." And while these stories were written for children, like many children's stories, each have messages for all of us, including grown-ups.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re dedicating our show to the art of live storytelling. We’ll learn how musicians Anna and Elizabeth first met and how they incorporated the use of “crankies” into their songs. We’ll also travel to the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee where storyteller Michael Reno Harrell shared a story about his mother’s extended family.

In this week's episode of Inside Appalachia, we'll explore stories about places in Appalachia that are drawing visitors and newcomers, sometimes at a cost. We’ll hear from folks who have moved to our region during the pandemic, and we’ll hear how this trend is putting pressure on the housing market here, making it more expensive for people in some parts of Appalachia to buy a home. And West Virginia’s New River Gorge was recently designated as a National Park. That change will likely attract even more visitors — but it will also cut hunting rights in part of the park. Even with these changes, there remain stalwarts across Appalachia, places that hang on even as the world around them transforms. We’ll learn about a restaurant in downtown Roanoke that has remained open more than 90 years.

Decades after HIV was first discovered, there’s still discrimination. In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we hear from several people here in Appalachia who are living with HIV. We also look back at why a needle exchange program in Charleston, West Virginia, was shut down in 2018 amid public outcry. Three years later, the city is now at the center of the most alarming outbreak of HIV in the nation.

Human beings are social creatures and the pandemic is taking a toll on all of us in one way or another. It’s also bringing to light just how important human connection is in our lives.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re sharing stories about people with passions like poetry, music, or making hot dogs, and have touched others with their dedication to their craft.

Valentine’s Day gets a lot of flack for being sappy, cliche or just a marketing ploy by card and chocolate companies. But we tend to think there is more to it than that. So, for this episode of Inside Appalachia, we asked our listeners for their best Appalachian love stories.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia looks at some of the divides the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed, starting with how it’s affecting people without stable homes.

Scratch the surface of most any grassroots movement in Appalachia, past or present, and you’ll find women at its heart. Strong women feature prominently throughout Appalachian history, and they continue to push the region forward today.

For some, winter can be a difficult time -- dark and cold. For others, time outside in the winter is a powerful experience. After everything we’ve been through in the past year, getting outside can be one way to help with the stress.

How can we hold onto traditions in a world that’s always changing? This week on Inside Appalachia, we explore stories about how our history and culture can help us find answers, and ask questions, about the types of future we want to build.

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re revisiting some of the stories we have reported about economic development. We’ll hear how these projects are doing today, and how the pandemic has impacted these efforts.

In 2016, our Inside Appalachia team began documenting the lives of six Appalachians who were trying to decide if they could find a stable job and keep their roots in Appalachia, or if they’d have to leave home for opportunities elsewhere. Two of the people we followed in this series are Colt Brogan and Crystal Snyder. Both grew up in West Virginia, and they were passionate about finding a way to stay in Appalachia.

In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we talk about holiday foods. We’ve got recipes for things like cranberry salad, sorghum gingerbread, and pecan pie. But more than recipes, this show is about the power of memory, and tradition.

If you live in Appalachia, or for that matter, if you’ve ever lived in Appalachia, you are a part of our family. It defines us. This week on Inside Appalachia we’ll hear about family found in unexpected places.

What are communities in Appalachia doing to address racism? The death of George…

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, you’ll hear the story of Iraq War veteran…

Juggling work and child care has never been easy, but it’s gotten even more…

It’s been quite a stressful couple of months for most of us. For this episode…

There is a deep connection among generations that holds steady for many…

Many of us are dreaming about the things we want to do when this pandemic is…

Four years ago, 95 percent of Appalachian counties voted for Donald Trump.…

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is about fierce women — something we…

In Appalachia, we’re all too familiar with black lung disease, and how it takes…

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll take a look at a fruit that is…

It’s safest to avoid cramped public places, and when you’re hanging out with…

Inside Appalachia reports on how potters, painters, writers, and action-figure…

This episode of Inside Appalachia is about returning home. For some people,…

National stories about Appalachia sometimes overlook the people who are working…

What happens when strangers with cameras come to Appalachia? It’s a complicated…

In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we are listening back to a show that…

Human beings are social creatures, but the pandemic is making it difficult to…

The natural world can be a source of food and medicine along with a place to…

Many of us are dreaming about the things we want to do when this pandemic is…

One could spend a lifetime learning about Appalachia, and just scratch the…