On this West Virginia Morning, writer Jonathan Corcoran grew up in Elkins. While in college, his mother discovered he was gay. She disowned him and told him to never come back to West Virginia. She died in 2020. They never reconciled. Corcoran, a writing professor at New York University, has written a book, No Son of Mine, which explores grief and his relationship with his mother.
LISTEN: Kim Richey Has The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
Kim Richey performs on Mountain Stage in Athens, Ohio.Chris Morris/Mountain Stage
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On this week’s premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage, you’ll hear performances from Bettye LaVette, Kim Richey, Keller Williams, The Langan Band, and Megan Jean’s Secret Family. This episode was recorded live at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium in Athens, Ohio.
Our Song of the Week comes from Ohio University alum and Nashville singer-songwriter Kim Richey. Making her seventh appearance on the show, Richey performed “A Place Called Home,” which was originally released on her 2002 album Rise.
Be sure you’re watching our podcast page for the newest episodes, and sign up for email updates to help plan your trip to be a part of a live show in Charleston, West Virginia and on the road!
Kim RicheyBettye LaVetteKeller WilliamsThe Langan BandGroup photo with Kathy MatteaMegan Jean’s Secret Family
On this West Virginia Morning, writer Jonathan Corcoran grew up in Elkins. While in college, his mother discovered he was gay. She disowned him and told him to never come back to West Virginia. She died in 2020. They never reconciled. Corcoran, a writing professor at New York University, has written a book, No Son of Mine, which explores grief and his relationship with his mother.
On this West Virginia Morning, roughly 20,000 people traveled to Braxton County for an annual Bigfoot Festival hosted in the small town of Sutton. One of them was Reporter Briana Heaney, who spoke to festival goers about the annual celebration of cryptids.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we travel to Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Also, we learn a possible theory about why pepperoni rolls got so popular in West Virginia. And we check out the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers.
On this West Virginia Morning, Ohio poet laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour has a new collection of poems titled Dirt Songs. In it, she recalls her small-town upbringing in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But also thinks of the people who owned the land where she lives. Bill Lynch spoke with Gunter-Seymour about her new book and what she sees as good in Appalachia.