Tim Armstead, chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, declared May 'Treatment Court Month' to recognize an alternative to incarceration that addresses substance use disorder.
Home » Crystal Wilkinson, Candy-Makers And A Cross-Cultural Music Collaboration
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Crystal Wilkinson, Candy-Makers And A Cross-Cultural Music Collaboration
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This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is an encore episode filled with 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 been named this year’s Kentucky Poet Laureate. You’ll hear these stories and more in this episode.
You can find recipes for pull candy online. But be prepared to fail, if you’ve never made it before. It’s hard to get it right. But it’s amazingly soft and creamy to eat.
Crystal Wilkinson Named Kentucky’s ‘21-’22 Poet Laureate
Crystal Wilkinson is the first Black woman in Kentucky to hold the title of Poet Laureate. Wilkinson is an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky. Over her career, Wilkinson has focused much of her writing on Black women and their experiences in Appalachia.
“In a way, this book is sort of dispelling these sorts of stereotypes about blackness. I think many people think of blackness as being a rural phenomenon. So I think that so many of us who are from the mountains from Appalachia are sort of dismissed or sort of invisible to mainstream society — others don’t really think that we’re here,” Wilkinson said. “So the title also sort of leans into that idea that a rural blackness and an Appalachian blackness can also be a perfect blackness. There is no one way to be black in America.”
Final arguments wrapped up this week in Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy case. The opioid manufacturer is just one of several companies to come under fire in recent years for what some believe is their role in the opioid epidemic. With several of these cases currently making their way through the court system, we thought it would be a fitting time to listen back to an interview with reporter Eric Eyre, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting into the issue. He compiled his reporting into a book called “Death In Mud Link: A Coal Country Fight Against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic.”
Last year, West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River became the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. It’s the 63rd national park in the U.S. and the first in West Virginia. Those who fought for the change say it could make all the difference for the local tourism economy.
Appalachia is no stranger to music as a form of protest. A new, cross-continental connection between Slavic and Appalachian folk musicians has given the form a unique flavor.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we hear a story from 100 Days in Appalachia’s Chad Reich about the musical collaboration known as Slavalachia and how this musician collaboration has lent its voice to an uprising halfway around the world from its roots in Athens, Ohio.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was by Florence Reece, Wes Swing, Dinosaur Burps and Slavalachia.
Roxy Todd is our producer. Jade Artherhults is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Andrea Billups. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode. You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia. You can also send us an email to InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, Tuesday’s primary election may be the most important the state has seen in a while. Voters have endured a gubernatorial media campaign blitz with unprecedented mudslinging – coupled with a dominant charge to see a new but familiar face representing West Virginia in the U.S. Senate. Randy Yohe has our story.
On this West Virginia Morning, a pipeline safety watchdog said federal regulators “should be on notice” about a pressure test failure on the Mountain Valley Pipeline earlier this month.
This week on Inside Appalachia, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags. Climbers have also been working to make West Virginia's New River Gorge more inclusive. And a master craftsman, who makes one of a kind whitewater paddles remembers some advice.
On this West Virginia Morning, we speak with Judy Ball, chair of the Legislative Action Workgroup for the League of Women Voters of West Virginia, to break down the state's 2024 Legislative Scorecard. Also, we hear an excerpt from our Us & Them episode, "Compassion Fatigue."