Soldiers came together during the conflict for a Passover feast known as a Seder. Reporter Shepherd Snyder spoke with Joseph Golden, Jewish researcher and secretary of the Temple Beth El congregation in Beckley, along with Drew Gruber of Civil War Trails, about this celebration’s historical significance.
Home » Growing Up Queer And Indian In Appalachia, New Comedy Film Set In Beckley, And Visiting A Luthier Shop In Elkins
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Growing Up Queer And Indian In Appalachia, New Comedy Film Set In Beckley, And Visiting A Luthier Shop In Elkins
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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.”
Mountain Craft Productions Filming At the Ambrosia Inn.
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
Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Bob Smakula of Elkins, West Virginia has made a career out of fixing old musical instruments so modern musicians can keep playing them.
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.
On this West Virginia Morning, news about book bans have been in the spotlight lately, but books are also being banned in prisons without much public attention. The Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom focused on the criminal justice system, published a searchable database of the books banned in 18 state prison systems. News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Andrew Calderon about the project and what it means in West Virginia prisons.
On this West Virginia Morning, Civil War historians are recognizing a unique local celebration that happened during the conflict in the wilds of southern West Virginia, when 20 Jewish Union soldiers came together during the conflict for a Passover feast known as a Seder.
On this West Virginia Morning, the last few weeks of news from the world of banking has shaken confidence in financial institutions both at home and abroad. Reporter Chris Schulz set out to find what the real impact has been on West Virginia’s financial institutions.