, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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

On this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, 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. And, we’ll learn about what doctors are saying about medical cannabis in the Mountain State — where it's now available to more than 8,000 patients.

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

Author Mesha Maren takes us from the hills of West Virginia to the border between Texas and Mexico — the land of the Luchador. We’ll also hear about what West Virginians are doing to help Ukrainian refugees flee the war with Russia. And, we’ll learn about what doctors are saying about medical cannabis in the Mountain State — where it is now available to more than 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 record “Wary and Strange” was released in 2021.

In This Episode:

West Virginia Interfaith Ministry Providing Aid To Ukrainian Refugees
Mesha Maren’s “Perpetual West” Melds Appalachia, Mexico
Medical Cannabis In The Mountain State
Q&A With Amythyst Kiah

West Virginia Interfaith Ministry Providing Aid To Ukrainian Refugees

Displaced Ukrainian citizens are being aided by the West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry as they seek temporary refuge from the war between Ukraine and Russia. Charleston, West Virginia’s Rabbi Victor Urkecki spoke with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Randy Yohe about the efforts of WVIRM and the benefits of bringing refugees into the state.

Reporter Zack Harold (right) with West Virginia author Mesha Maren.

Mesha Maren’s “Perpetual West” Melds Appalachia, Mexico

Folkways Reporter Zack Harold interviewed Alderson, West Virginia native Mesha Maren about her new novel, “Perpetual West” at a live event at Taylor Books in Charleston, West Virginia.

“Perpetual West” melds stories about Appalachia and Mexico, academia and wrestling set in a fictional version of Maren’s hometown of Alderson.

Maren is a professor at Duke University and a writing fellow at the federal prison camp in Alderson.

Medical Cannabis In The Mountain State

Marijuana laws have been changing around America, including in Appalachia. After a long time coming, medical marijuana dispensaries are opening in West Virginia, where more than 8,000 patients are already benefiting from using medicinal cannabis. As June Leffler reports, doctors say there is a lot more potential in the plant, including the relative safety of using cannabis to treat pain instead of opioid medication.

Witty Lines, Wry Observations And The Music Of Amythyst Kiah

East Tennessee native Amythyst Kiah is a singer-songwriter whose work about identity and Blackness is catching attention from listeners all over the United States. Kiah self-released four albums before Rounder Records put out “Wary and Strange” in 2021. The record is personal, soulful, and at times, searing and anthemic.

Our host Mason Adams spoke with Amythyst about her music and about what post-pandemic life has in store for her work.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Additional music in this episode is from Amythyst Kiah and John Ingram.

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.

You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia.

And you can sign-up for our Inside Appalachia Newsletter here!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

EMT Mental Health Support And Bird Watching On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, with statewide Emergency Medical Service worker numbers still down a third, there’s plenty of overtime for those often making life and death ambulance runs. With all that overtime, there’s overwhelming stress – and a dire need for more EMS mental health support. Government Reporter Randy Yohe has the story.

On this West Virginia Morning, with statewide Emergency Medical Service worker numbers still down a third, there’s plenty of overtime for those often making life and death ambulance runs. With all that overtime, there’s overwhelming stress — and a dire need for more EMS mental health support. Government Reporter Randy Yohe has the story.

Also, in this show, the Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh shares its latest story about bird watching and identification wherever you are. .

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

WVPB Launches New Radio Series On Caring For Aging Parents, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, the WVPB news team has launched a new, occasional series titled “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring For Aging Parents.” It’s focused on the challenges that come with caring for aging parents in West Virginia — from dementia to Alzheimer’s to mobility issues.

On this West Virginia Morning, the WVPB news team has launched a new, occasional series titled “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring For Aging Parents.” It’s focused on the challenges that come with caring for aging parents in West Virginia — from dementia to Alzheimer’s to mobility issues. In this first installment, News Director Eric Douglas interviews Dr. Lynn Goebel, a professor of internal medicine and geriatrics at Marshall University. She works at the Hanshaw Geriatric Center and spoke with Douglas to explain what is going on inside the brain.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Recruiting, Retaining EMS Workers And Tree Identification On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, major challenges remain across the state in recruiting and retaining enough emergency medical service workers to keep ambulances running. Government Reporter Randy Yohe spoke with state Emergency Medical Director Jody Ratliff on all that’s being done to keep the first responder EMT department fully staffed.

On this West Virginia Morning, major challenges remain across the state in recruiting and retaining enough emergency medical service workers to keep ambulances running. Government Reporter Randy Yohe spoke with state Emergency Medical Director Jody Ratliff on all that’s being done to keep the first responder EMT department fully staffed.

Also, in this show, the Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh, has its latest story about tree identification. .

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Appalachian-made Washboards And Talking 'Porch Beers' With Elliott Stewart, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, we venture to southern Ohio to visit the last remaining washboard maker in the United States. Its washboard’s aren’t just for laundry — but for music. And people come there to jam. We also speak with Elliott Stewart, who makes the zine "Porch Beers." The zine tracks his life and travels, like his move from West Virginia and back again. And we revisit our 20th anniversary celebration with Giles Snyder and Beth Vorhees, the founders and original hosts of Inside Appalachia.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we venture to southern Ohio to visit the last remaining washboard maker in the United States. Its washboard’s aren’t just for laundry — but for music. And people come there to jam.

We also speak with Elliott Stewart, who makes the zine “Porch Beers.” The zine tracks his life and travels, like his move from West Virginia and back again.

And we revisit our 20th anniversary celebration with Giles Snyder and Beth Vorhees, the founders and original hosts of Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Washboards Keep On Into the 21st Century
A Talk with Elliott Stewart Over “Porch Beers”
Celebrating 20 Years Of Inside Appalachia With Giles Snyder And Beth Vorhees
WVPB Launches Lore

Washboards Keep On Into The 21st Century

The Columbus Washboard Company in Logan, Ohio was founded in 1895. Back then, washboards were a necessary tool for doing the laundry each week. Today, of course, most people have a washer and dryer, or access to a laundromat. But the Columbus Washboard Company has found a way to stay open. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro visited the factory.

That story is part of our Folkways Reporting Project, which covers arts and culture in the region.

A Talk With Elliott Stewart Over “Porch Beers”

Elliott Stewart has been making zines since he was 13. His current ongoing zine, “Porch Beers,” is an incisive look at Appalachian culture, through the eyes of a queer trans man. “Porch Beers” dives into pop culture fandom, West Virginia food and his complicated relationship with his hometown of Huntington, West Virginia.

Mason Adams recently spoke with Stewart about the newest issues of his zine. And about what a “porch beer” is anyway.

Celebrating 20 Years Of Inside Appalachia With Giles Snyder And Beth Vorhees

It’s hard to believe, but Inside Appalachia has been on the air for 20 years. A lot has changed in that time. The internet was there when it was first founded — but social media didn’t exist. We didn’t even have MySpace yet.

Podcasts hadn’t taken off yet, either.

But radio was still around. In the summer of 2002, West Virginia Public Broadcasting launched a new public affairs show called Inside Appalachia with Giles Snyder and Beth Vorhees as hosts. And here we are today. Inside Appalachia’s 20th anniversary arrived in August.

Mason Adams reached out to Giles and Beth to hear about what things were like when they first started the show.

WVPB Launches Lore

A lot of people use downtime in the last week of December to plan out the next year. They make resolutions — to quit smoking, read more books, or plan a garden.

Producer Bill Lynch has designed a lot of well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions and plans. A few of them he’s made professionally. Like, for his weekly “One Month at a Time” column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, which ran from 2016 to 2022.

For 2023, he’s taking on something new that picks up one of his familiar themes — Bill doesn’t know something, but he thinks he should. He’s calling it “Lore,” and you can follow along as he embraces a different take on an Appalachian education. You can follow along in upcoming episodes an on our website, wvpublic.org.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Aaron Copeland, Johnny Staats, Delmore Brothers, and Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

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.

You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia.

And you can sign-up for our Inside Appalachia Newsletter here!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

W.Va. Veterans To Compete For Cash To Build Agribusinesses

Veterans who pitch an idea to build or expand an agribusiness in West Virginia could be eligible to win up to a $10,000 grant from the state Department of Agriculture.

Veterans who pitch an idea to build or expand an agribusiness in West Virginia could be eligible to win up to a $10,000 grant from the state Department of Agriculture, officials said in a press release.

The department is hosting a “Shark Tank”-style competition for the first time early next year for members of “West Virginia Veterans and Heroes to Agriculture,” a state program that aims to support veterans working in and transitioning into the field of agriculture.

“The largest barrier to entry for any inspiring farmer is capital,” Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt said in the press release.

Veterans are tasked with completing a competition application by Jan. 16 describing their operation and business plans. Finalists will be given five minutes to pitch their idea in front of a panel of judges at Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley on March 11.

The winner will receive $10,000; five runners-up will win $5,000 each; ten others will get $2,500.

“Whether the contestants are looking to build a new barn, buy equipment or install fencing, the prize money can be used for capital improvements to make their dreams come true,” Veterans and Heroes to Agriculture Manager Sierra Cox said.

Those interested in signing up for the program can contact Cox at 304-558-2210 or kcox@wvda.us.