Michael Snyder is a photographer and filmmaker who grew up in the Allegheny mountains on the border of Maryland and West Virginia. His work has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian and The Washington Post. After living away from Appalachia for over a decade, Snyder moved back to document what changed and what stayed the same. The result is a new book. It’s called Alleghania: A Central Appalachian Folklore Anthology. Inside Appalachia Associate Producer Abby Neff recently spoke with Snyder.
[CHARLESTON, WV] – West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) announced today that they have received a 2025 Ohio Valley Emmy Award in the category of Magazine Program – Single Program for the Inside Appalachia-Folkways Special.
“I’m very proud of and excited for Bryce Smith, the producing editor who assembled this piece into a 30-minute magazine program format,” said WVPB Director of Video Production, Chris Barnhart. “He did a great job assembling the individual pieces together into a seamless and coherent entity. I’m sure Bryce would agree that this award also belongs to all of the contributors who worked on the project.”
The Ohio Valley Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The Columbus, Ohio division was founded in 1964. In addition to granting the Ohio Valley Emmy Awards, this division awards scholarships, honors industry veterans at the Silver Circle Celebration, conducts National Student Television Awards of Excellence, has a free research and a nationwide job bank. The chapter also participates in judging Emmy entries at the regional and national levels.
“It’s such a nice honor,” said Inside Appalachia Producer, Bill Lynch. “We think we tell good stories. It’s great when other people think so, too.”
In this special program, Mason Adams shows us three pieces from our prolific Folkways Reporters. Clara Haizlett introduces us to a group restoring cane chairs, as well as a few musicians keeping the musical history of Osage, WV alive. Zack Harold shows us students at an elementary school in Boone County that is keeping a 100-year-old playground game alive.
About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:
The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at http://www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
Michael Snyder is a photographer and filmmaker who grew up in the Allegheny mountains on the border of Maryland and West Virginia. His work has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian and The Washington Post. After living away from Appalachia for over a decade, Snyder moved back to document what changed and what stayed the same. The result is a new book. It’s called Alleghania: A Central Appalachian Folklore Anthology. Inside Appalachia Associate Producer Abby Neff recently spoke with Snyder.
Communities in Appalachia have long dealt with higher rates of substance use disorder and mental health challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem. Localities in West Virginia are trying something new to help people in crisis — and so far, it seems to be working.
Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D for short, is a roleplaying game that allows players to inhabit characters in a fantasy setting. They work together to battle monsters, find treasure and tell a shared story in which they’re all the main characters. Youth Services Librarian Jeffrey Wood ran a recent session, guiding a group of young teenagers through an adventure involving a sheep, a dragon made of furniture and a few other creatures.
