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. 

We’ll also revisit our interview with Pocahontas County, West Virginia native Trevor Hammons. The young banjo player decided to carry on his family’s traditions of storytelling, wild lore and old time music. 

Then, we’ll check in with Kentucky artist Lacy Hale, who designed her iconic “No Hate In My Holler” screenprint five years ago. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.

Banjos, Buzzing Bees And No Hate In My Holler

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.We’ll make a roadside stop to revisit the theme park throwback Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. And, we’ll swing by Lexington, Kentucky to visit the newly appointed United States Poet Laureate, Ada Limón.

Hammered Dulcimers And Roadside Dinosaurs

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

Maternal Medicine In The Mountains

We’ll talk with reporter Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven about maternal health care deserts in western North Carolina and hear a report from Crystal Good, about what options Black families in West Virginia have for finding birth workers that look like them.

Appalachian PRIDE

Following one of the opinions written in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, State legislatures across the Ohio Valley are considering anti-LGBTQ policies, while people across Appalachia took part in celebrations during LGBTQ Pride Month in June. Katie Myers with the Ohio Valley Resource got reactions and spoke to residents.

Indigenous Peoples Gather In W.Va. To Discuss The Environment

High schoolers with Indigenous backgrounds came from all over the country to the Eastern Panhandle this summer for a leadership congress. They talked about conservation, Native identity, and the growing effects of climate change. Shepherd Snyder has more.

Greyhound Racing Series Continues

In 2023, West Virginia will be home to the last two remaining greyhound racetracks in the United States.

Reporter Randy Yohe breaks down the government policies that sustain dog racing, and considers its future in the state at a time when it’s dying everywhere else.

Canaries Out Of The Coal Mine

As old coal mines are restored, they’ve been repurposed for an increasingly broad number of new uses. In Pennsylvania, reclaimed mine land is being used for an art project involving birds.

Kara Holsapple and Jacqui Sieber of the Allegheny Front have more.

Feeding The Hungry In Appalachia’s Food Deserts

Supply chain issues and rising gas prices are making it harder for people to get food. As David Adkins reports, local entrepreneurs are looking to meet the demand.

A Ray Of Hope

Mountain View Solar, a solar installation company in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, is training and hiring people in recovery from substance use disorder. Shepherd Snyder has more.

Serious About Seed Saving

During the pandemic, millions of Americans turned to gardening. In Appalachia, people have long saved heirloom seeds that have been passed down for generations. Today, that tradition continues, partly through organizations like seed libraries and community gardens that collect these seeds to save them from being lost. Folkways reporter Rachel Greene spent time in Ashe County, North Carolina — talking to the people giving new life to old seeds.

Maternal Care Deserts And Seed Saving Inside Appalachia

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?

And we’ll revisit a conversation with America’s last World War II Medal of Honor recipient — Hershel “Woody” Williams, who died recently at the age of 98.

A Conversation With An American Hero

Last year, for Veterans Day, Us & Them host Trey Kay talked with Williams about his time in the military. Memorial services were held for Williams over the July 4th weekend, with public visitation held at Capitol Rotunda in Charleston.

You can hear the entire Us & Them podcast episode. It’s called “Last Man Honored.” Find it at wv public dog org, or through your favorite podcast app. 

Reactions In Appalachia About Roe v. Wade

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves across the country — including here in Appalachia. WEKU reporter Stan Ingold brought us reactions from Kentucky. 

Trouble With Plastic

Shell is expected to begin operations this summer at its ethane cracker plant on the Ohio River. The plant will use natural gas to make tiny plastic pellets — which can wind up in waterways. For StateImpact Pennsylvania, the Allegheny Front’s Julie Grant took a boat ride with people surveying the river for plastic. 

Water Woes Everywhere

According to the U.S. Census, more than a million and a half people in the U.S. live without running water or flush toilets. But a recent study found the number was a lot higher. Jessica Lilly recently spoke with George McGraw, CEO of Dig Deep — a water advocacy organization that took a closer look at the numbers. 

Covering More Ground About Greyhound Racing

By the end of the year, West Virginia will be the only state that still has a greyhound racetrack. One of the biggest questions driving the national push to end greyhound racing — is can the sport be run in a humane way? Or is it inhumane by its very definition? Reporter Chris Shulz took us to a veterinarian’s office and a breeder’s farm.

Healing Through The Hills

Herbal remedies have been experiencing a nationwide renaissance for several years now. But here in Appalachia, those remedies have been a path to wellness and independence for centuries. From Tennessee, Folkways reporter Heather Duncan has more.

That story originally aired last summer, as part of our Folkways Reporting Project. The project documents arts and culture across the region. You can hear all of our Folkways stories at wvpublic dot org. 

Righting A Wrong

America has a history of segregating Black and white people — in restaurants, schools, buses … even in death. For decades, graves of the Black residents who helped build the community were neglected in the town’s segregated cemetery. And it might have stayed that way

Righting A Wrong, Greyhounds, And Talking To A Hero, Inside Appalachia

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. 

Matriarchal Moonshiners

Legend has it Mahalia Mullins once beat 30 men in a wrestling match and sold them all whiskey afterwards. Mullins was born in 1824 into a poor family and died a folk hero. The cabin where she lived has even become a tourist destination in East Tennessee. But who’s the woman behind the myth? We’ll travel to the Mahalia Mullins cabin to learn her story.

Appalachia’s Bad Men 

The summer of 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain — the largest armed uprising in America since the Civil War, and a major event in West Virginia history. A few months before Blair Mountain, the spark was lit with the Matewan Massacre.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

The opioid epidemic is forcing many grandparents, even great-grandparents, to become parents again to a new generation. In a recent episode of the “Us and Them” podcast, host Trey Kay spoke with West Virginia grandparents about the challenges of raising children during COVID-19.

If you’re a grandparent or a great-grandparent raising children, we’d like to hear from you. Write us a letter — we’re at Inside Appalachia, 600 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV. 25301. Or send an email to insideappalachia@wvpublic.org.

Novel Concludes Robert Gipe’s Trilogy

We also hear about another multigenerational family, who are the main characters in Robert Gipe’s illustrated novels, set in Eastern Kentucky. The books combine funny, heartbreaking writing and cartoony drawings. The first book in the series, “Trampoline,” came out seven years ago. That novel introduced Dawn Jewell — a teenager growing up with a mother addicted to pain pills. Robert Gipe spoke with Inside Appalachia just after Trampoline was published in 2015.

From Recycling To Musical Instruments

Many people have been relying on online shopping these days, but who knew all that leftover cardboard had a use? This week on the show, we learn about dulcimers that are made out of cardboard, and even banjos made out of coffee cans. As part of our Inside Appalachia Folkways series, reporter Rachel Moore spoke to two instrument-makers in Western North Carolina who are carrying on the DIY instrument legacy.

Dispelling Stereotypes

We all know the stereotypes people use to paint Appalachia as a cultural backwater. But as WEKU’s Cheri Lawson reports, a dedicated group of fierce women are using the arts to fight back.

We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from the Us and them podcast, which is supported by The West Virginia Humanities Council and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

Revisiting Matriarchal Moonshiners and Legendary Lawbreakers

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.

Then, we’ll travel to Monaca, Pennsylvania where Shell plans to begin operations at its massive ethane cracker plant. 

Finally, our host Mason Adams speaks with Barbara Ellen Smith -- the author of one of the definitive books on black lung, “Digging Our Own Graves: Coal Miners and the Struggle Over Black Lung Disease.”  

That and more as we journey through Appalachia.

The Resurgence Of Coal And Coal Dust, And A Trip To The Dog Track

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear about a farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that can grow a lot of agriculture on one acre of a former industrial site. 


We’ll also 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. 

And, we’ll hear about a team of entomologists who documented dozens of new species of millipede across Appalachia. One of them used the opportunity to pay tribute to a surprising influence. 

That and more as we journey through Appalachia.

Taylor Swift’s Appalachian Millipede, Agriculture Innovations And A Mysterious Disappearance

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

Author Mesha Maren takes us from the hills of West Virginia to the Texas/Mexico border -- the land of the Luchador. We’ll also hear about what West Virginians are doing to help Ukrainian refugees from the war with Russia. And, we’ll learn about what doctors are saying about medical cannabis in the Mountain State, where it is available to over 8,000 patients.

We’ll round out our tour of Appalachia with a chat between our host Mason Adams and East Tennessee native Amythyst Kiah, whose 2021 record “Wary and Strange” was released last year.

From The Land Of The Luchador To East Tennessee: Chatting With Appalachians Across The United States

On this week’s encore episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re dedicating the show to children's authors. Hear from Cynthia Rylant, author of “When I Was Young In The Mountains,” “Messy Larry” author David J. Perri and storytelling champion Bil Lepp reading from his children's book “The Princess And The Pickup Truck.”

We’ll also hear Lyn Ford -- a professional storyteller and children's educator -- telling a story she wrote, called "The Old Woman and Death."

We learn that while these stories are written for children, they carry messages for all of us, even grown-ups.

Children's Authors Discuss Creativity, Appalachia, Diversity

Today, we’re dedicating our entire show to the art of telling stories- out loud, in front of audiences. We’ll hear five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, Bil Lepp, learn how music duo Anna and Elizabeth met and began performing their harmonies, using something known as a crankie. And we’ll travel to the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough Tennessee to hear a man reminisce about his dear Aunt Eloise.

Storytelling Across Appalachia

This week, we’ll meet a man who has struggled with substance use disorder. Now, he’s a recovery coach.

We’ll also meet a woman who started a farm and culinary training program to help people in recovery.

And childhood friends who first started singing together 70 years ago show why it’s never too late to begin again …

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

Moving Past Addiction and Old Friends Coming Together to Sing After Decades Apart.

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.

True Stories Behind Folk Heroes, Runaway Trains And Murder Ballads

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. Then, we’ll travel back to the early 20th century, when nurse Mary Breckenridge launched a midwifery program in Eastern Kentucky. That program would become known across the world for its positive impacts on infant survival rates. We hear from the director of the film, Angels on Horseback to learn more. Today , births by midwives are less common but we  learn about that from Lauren Santucci, a film director whose documentary “Birth Place” follows a mother in Parkersburg, West Virginia. We’ll also meet two student reporters at the Fayette Institute of Technology, who bring us stories about Anstead, West Virginia and about safety concerns along Route 60. And finally, we meet journalist Kim Kelley, who recently authored “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor,” to learn about the pro-Union history of Appalachian people.

A Floyd County Fiddler, Midwives And Home Births, And Student Stories From The Fayette Institute of Technology

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. 

Welder Keeps Old Clocks Ticking

When you need to check the time, where do you look? Most people turn to their phones or digital watches. These days, it seems like every electronic device has a clock function in addition to whatever it’s supposed to do, but it hasn’t always been this way. Not all that long ago, marking the passage of time was the job of one device — a clock.

Folkways reporter Zack Harold spent some time with Carl Witt, a man in Fairview, West Virginia who learned how to repair clocks after crossing paths with the late Charles Decker. Witt, a welder at the time, decided to retire and went on to start his own clock repair business — Curiosity Clockworks. 

Dolly Sods Hosts Wildflower Pilgrimage

Dolly Sods is federally protected public land — full of rocky ridges, soggy bogs and beautiful views. It’s also the site of an annual nature walk called the West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage. This weekend will be the 60th time that wildflower and birding experts descend on the area for the event. Inside Appalachia co-host Mason Adams made the pilgrimage from his home in Floyd County, Virginia to Dolly Sods last year for the pilgrimage.

Paddlers Design Their Own Gear

Appalachia has several huge rivers: the Gauley, the Youghiogheny and the New River, just to name a few. Whitewater paddling is popular in the region, but it wasn’t that long ago modern paddlers first started exploring these rivers, designing their own gear and even building their own paddles. Some of those DIY paddle makers are now master crafters and their work is in high demand. As part of our Inside Appalachia Folkways Project, Clara Haizlett learned more.

Handmade Turkey Calls

Like many Appalachian traditions, turkey calls go way back. Historically, they’ve been used as a hunting tool, but one West Virginia artist has taken it to the next level. Brian Aliff makes hand-crafted, prize-winning decorative turkey calls. These pieces are functional and they’re becoming collector's items, but it took a while for Aliff to think of himself as an artist. Hear Folkways reporter Connie Kitts talk with Aliff on this week’s episode.

Increase In Tourism Puts Strain On Local Infrastructure

Tucker County, West Virginia, has seen a surge of new visitors from Washington, D.C. in the years since U.S. Route 48, also k

Wildflowers, Paddle Makers, Turkey Calls-- And More 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. We’ll also hear about The Bristol Sessions —  recording sessions known for bringing country music out of the hollers and onto  radios, and for making stars of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. But  that well-known story left out a whole group of musicians -- the Black musicians who played on the Bristol sessions. We’ll also meet an artist from East Tennessee by way of Mexico City who's bringing Mexican folk arts to Appalachia.

Bristol Sessions, Reclaiming The Banjo, Appalachian-Mexican Folk Art, And More

This week’s episode is all about ballad singers and storytellers. We’ll hear an interview with West Virginia native Becca Spence Dobias who wrote a novel called ‘On Home.’ And co-host Mason Adams sits down with ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle, who grew up in Rural Retreat, Virginia. As longtime performers and new parents, she and her husband took to Facebook Live, posting weekly livestreams of lullabies and stories. We’ll also hear about a song called “Tom Dooley,” which was first released shortly after the Civil War. It resurfaced 60 years ago, when it topped the Billboard charts. It had everything: A love triangle, a grisly murder, a manhunt, and a hanging. Folkways reporter Heather Duncan  set out to explore why ballads like Tom Dooley, based on real tragedies and real people, have such staying power.

Returning Home, Ballad Singers And Storytellers Across Appalachia

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." 


Comedy Film Set In Beckley, West Virginia

The upcoming slapstick comedy “Ambrosia” is set in a quirky bed and breakfast in Beckley, West Virginia. It’s a feature-length movie, but it's not a Hollywood movie; the two directors are from West Virginia, along with nearly the entire cast and crew. The film is set to debut at the Raleigh Playhouse in Beckley this spring. Our Folkways reporter Clara Haizlett spoke with Beckley filmmakers Shane Pierce and Dave Gravely about the movie..

A Guitar Surgeon Gives Old Instruments Their Voices Back

Bob Smakula of Elkins, West Virginia, has made a career out of fixing old musical instruments so modern musicians can keep playing them. He tries to make repairs to fix an instrument’s problems while also staying true to its history. 

“I’ve definitely honed my skills to try to be invisible,” he said. 

“I don’t want anybody to know I was ever there, except to go ‘Hey, this plays better than they usually do,’ or ‘This sounds better than they usually do.’”

Smakula has been honing his invisibility powers for a long time. Folkways reporter Zack Harold spoke with Smakula about his career for this week’s episode. 


Coming Up Queer and Indian In A Mountain Place

Author Neema Avashia grew up in a neighborhood in Kanawha County, West Virginia as the daughter of immigrants. Her new book, "Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place," is a collection of essays that describe her experience growing up as an Indian American — who also happens to be queer — and an Appalachian. Co-host Mason Adams talked with Avashia about the book and about her experiences. 

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Jake Schepps, and Dinosaur Burps. Roxy Todd is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode. 

You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.

Growing Up Queer And Indian In Appalachia, New Comedy Film Set In Beckley, And Visiting A Luthier Shop In Elkins

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. 

Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt, even the Northeast. Politically, it encompasses 423 counties across 13 states — West Virginia is the only state entirely inside Appalachia.  

That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation. This week, we ask people from five Appalachian states if they feel like they’re in Appalachia.  

Mississippi

Bob Owens, locally known as 'Pop Owens', standing in front of his watermelon stand outside New Houlka, Miss. Pop said he was aware that Mississippi is part of Appalachia, but that no one in the state would consider themselves Appalachian. Caitlin Tan/WVPB

Bob Owens is a watermelon farmer outside New Houlka, in the northeastern part of Mississippi. Owens said he was aware that Mississippi is part of Appalachia, but that no one in the state would consider themselves Appalachian. 

Shenandoah Valley 

In the 1960s, while some localities were clamoring to get into Appalachia, on the eastern edge of the region some lawmakers fought to keep their counties outside the boundaries, including politicians in Roanoke, Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Appalachian Studies associate professor Emily Satterwhite said explaining to her students why some counties in Virginia are included in Appalachia, but others aren’t is confusing. 

Pittsburgh 

Appalachia’s largest city is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When we asked people from that city to tell us if they consider it a part of Appalachia, about half said no. 

“I definitely do not feel that I am Appalachian culturally,” said Mark Jovanovich, who grew up just outside Pittsburgh’s city limits in the Woodland Hills area. “Personally, I would consider the city of Pittsburgh is sort of like a mini New York City. I guess we'd probably be lumped in as like a Rust Belt city, which makes enough sense, but definitely not Appalachian culturally.”

Writer Brian O’Neill disagrees. He wrote a book called “The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-First Century.” 

What Do You Think?

How about you? Do you call yourself an Appalachian? Why or why not? Send an email to insideappalachia@wvpublic.org or Tweet to us @InAppalachia. 

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Amythyst Kiah, Jake Schepps, and Jarett Pigmeat, courtesy of Appalshop and June Appal Recordings and Dinosaur Burps. Roxy Todd is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode. Jess Mador, Shepherd Snyder and Liz McCormick contributed to this episode.

From Pittsburgh To Georgia To Shenandoah, We Asked ‘What Is Appalachia?’ Here’s What You Said

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. 

We’ll also give another listen to a conversation we did last year with reporters with Mountain State Spotlight and GroundTruth, about West Virginia’s foster care system. We’ll hear from reporters Amelia Ferrell Knisely and Molly Born about what they learned during their year-long investigation.

After their reporting, lawmakers vowed to make changes to the foster care system. But the 2022 West Virginia Legislature adjourned this legislative session just ended, and no legislation passed that made any improvements to foster care in the state West Virginia. What could be done to fix our state’s failing foster care system? 

The Struggle to Stay

Derek Akal is a young Black man who grew up in Harlan, Kentucky. For years, he wanted to leave. Derek got a college football scholarship and thought it would be his ticket out, but a serious neck injury led him to drop out of school and return home. Reporter Benny Becker spent a year following Derek’s story for our Struggle to Stay series which aired back in 2017. As a warning: this story contains racial slurs.

In the past four years, a lot has changed in Akal’s life. He did leave Kentucky, and briefly moved to California: Those plans didn’t stick, in part because it cost so much to live there. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia for a while, but eventually made his way back to Harlan County. Today, Derek is the father of five children and works as a full-time cook at a restaurant in Harlan County.

William Turner’s Book Wins Weatherford Award

William Turner is one of the most prolific historians of the Black experience in Appalachia. His 1985 book, Blacks in Appalachia, co-authored with Edward J. Cabbell, is considered a landmark work in the field. Turner’s latest book, The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns includes his memories of growing up in Lynch, Kentucky.

When Turner was a child, coal was still in its post-World War II boom years, and Lynch was a bustling company town run by U.S. Steel — one of the most powerful companies in the country in that era. This week on Inside Appalachia, listen back to co-host Mason Adams speaking with Turner about his book after its release last September.

Investigation Shines Spotlight on W.Va’s Foster Care System

We’ve reported on the crisis in West Virginia’s foster care system on Inside Appalachia. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice found that West Virginia is institutionalizing too many foster children with mental health conditions — and often sends them to out-of-state facilities. Last year, we aired a conversation we recorded with two reporters

William Turner’s Book Wins Weatherford Award, And Foster Care In West Virginia Is Still Broken, As Lawmakers Fail To Pass New Legislation

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.

Women aren’t front and center in accounts of the region’s history, but they’ve been influential in everything from the coal industry to labor movements to preserving traditions. Today, women are building on this history -- continuing to be role models for society, while taking our Appalachian roots into the modern day. In this episode, we’ll learn about several of them, and what their stories reveal about modern movements for change across our region.

How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice

Appalachian history is full of sharp, groundbreaking women who changed the lives of people around them. In the 1960s, a lot of mountain women got involved with the federal War on Poverty to help people access welfare benefits. That led them into partnerships with civil rights activists, disabled miners and others. They teamed up to fight for everything from poor people's rights to community health to unionization.

History professor Jessica Wilkerson tracks that history in her book, “To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice.” Wilkerson spoke with Inside Appalachia co-host Mason Adams about what led those women into activism — and what their stories tell us about the world today.

“They argued for valuing the common good, and at the end of the day, that's what these women that we're talking about were fighting for,” Wilkerson said. Her book also explores how modern-day movements in Appalachia build on these traditions that were led by women. “In many ways, we're fighting many of the same battles around environmental justice, around basic quality of life.”

Empowering Young People Through Music

Girls Rock Whitesburg in Whitesburg, Kentucky is a music camp for female, gender-fluid, non-binary and trans youth. Throughout the course of one week, campers learn an electric instrument, form a band and write songs -- which they perform in front of a live audience at the end of the week. While the camp focuses on electric music instruction, participants also learn how music is tied to social justice. Back in 2019, Folkways reporter Nicole Musgrave followed two girls who came to camp and who reinvented a traditional protest song.

Women-Led Puppetry Group In Knoxville

Throughout history, puppets and marionettes have been used as an accessible means to tell rowdy stories, poke fun at authority figures, and provide cheap entertainment. Puppetry blurs the line between play and politics, between protests, pageants and parades - all of which have a storied history in the South. We’ll hear a story from one of our Folkways

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