Traditional Appalachian ballads have found new life in the form of an audio drama podcast produced by the Appalachia Book Company. We look at a reimagined story of a traditional railroad disaster ballad.
The Return Of The Headless Man And The Murdered Girl
Mike Allen And The Button Bin
Mike Allen is an award-winning science fiction, fantasy and horror writer based in Roanoke, Virginia. Besides writing, Mike also runs Mythic Delirium, a micropress that “specializes in speculative fiction and poetry, with a penchant for writing that’s challenging to classify.”
Mason Adams visited Mike to talk about fantasy and horror and to hear excerpts from one of his stories.
Molly Born And The Spooky Old Tunnel
Spooky stories can be about people, but sometimes they’re just about a place. In Mingo County, West Virginia there’s an old single-lane railroad tunnel that’s become a local legend.
Back in 2018, reporter Molly Born ventured inside the Dingess tunnel to find out what makes it so unsettling.
Ghost Story
Some people are afraid of ghosts. Others want to figure out ways to communicate with them – like Anita Allen, a writer and paranormal investigator in Roanoke.
Mason Adams talked to her about a couple of her ghost encounters.
Another Ghost Story
Haunted places dot Appalachia – moonlit hollers, mist-shrouded cemeteries, and dusty buildings that hold unspoken secrets. Playwright and theater director Dan Kehde knows just such a place in Charleston, West Virginia.
Return Of the Headless Man And The Murdered Girl
James Froemel, an actor and storyteller in Morgantown, West Virginia brought us two stories from Ruth Anne Musick.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by The Animals, Amy Lavere, Jason Isbell, Gerry Milnes, Sierra Ferrel, Southern Culture on the Skids and Red Sovine.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Traditional Appalachian ballads have found new life in the form of an audio drama podcast produced by the Appalachia Book Company. We look at a reimagined story of a traditional railroad disaster ballad.
Scores of volunteers have poured into flood-worn north-central West Virginia, bringing cleanup supplies and food that residents need for the long recovery ahead.
Tornadoes are notoriously unpredictable, making forecasting nearly impossible. But now, artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to improve forecast models. We listen to the latest story from The Allegheny Front, a public media program based in Pittsburgh, that reports on environmental issues in the region.
Torrential rains flood the north-central part of the state, a state delegate faces 'disgusting' criminal charges, and scouts pour into W.Va. for the 2026 National Jamboree.