Appalachian Writers Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Can the internet rebuild Appalachia? We ask sci-fi novelist and tech writer Cory Doctorow.

Also, fish fries have been a staple in Charleston, West Virginia’s Black community for generations. We learn more about them.

And, hop on board the Cass Scenic Railroad for a visit with the people who keep the steam trains running.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Cory Doctorow Champions Digital Rights In Appalachia

Writer Cory Doctorow is one of the world’s most prominent thinkers about the internet and how it’s changing our lives. Doctorow’s science fiction novels touch on social media culture and the ubiquity of surveillance. He’s also a digital human rights activist who sees technology as a net good if people are given better control of it.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke to Doctorow about what that could mean for Appalachia.

Fish Fry Traditions In Charleston, WV

A fryer full of fish.

*Credit: Leeshia Lee/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Signs for fish fries are pretty common in Charleston, West Virginia, especially in the city’s Black community, where they’ve become a tradition for generations.

Folkways Fellow Leeshia Lee grew up in Charleston and says friends and neighbors frequently hosted fish fries, often as a way to raise money for community needs. She brings us this story.

Ann Pancake As Appalachian Heritage Writer-In-Residence

West Virginia author Ann Pancake is the 2023 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence. Her 2007 novel “Strange As This Weather Has Been” has been named the 2023 One Book, One West Virginia Common Read.

*Credit: Shepherd University*

West Virginia author Ann Pancake is best known for her acclaimed 2007 novel Strange as This Weather Has Been. It follows a southern West Virginia family affected by mountaintop removal. Now, Pancake is the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence at Shepherd University.

WVPB’s Liz McCormick recently sat down with her to talk about what inspires her writing. First, we’ll hear Pancake read a passage from Strange as This Weather Has Been.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by The Company Stores, Sierra Ferrel, Gerry Milnes, the Carpenter Ants and Jerry Douglas.

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.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

This week, we hop a tiny train to discover the miniature wonders of a West Virginia model railroad club that now faces an uncertain future.

We also visit Madison, West Virginia — a former coal community that’s looking to reinvent itself.

And we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation extended from cradle to the grave.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Model Train Club Coming To A Crossroads
Coal Towns Look To Reinvent
Appalachian Writers Workshop To Return
Segregated Cemetery Remembered And Restored

Model Train Club Coming To a Crossroads

Model trains are a symbol of American childhood. You can probably picture it. A circle of track, some plastic trees, a few diecast cars sitting at the railroad crossing.

Well, the model train setup in our next story takes things to a whole different scale. Folkways Reporter Zack Harold brings us the story.

Coal Towns Look To Reinvent

Appalachia’s coal industry has had a pretty good last couple of years, all things considered. But a growing number of places have lost coal altogether. And after decades of relying on it, they’re trying to figure out what’s next.

West Virginia lawmakers established a grants commission last year, to funnel federal dollars to coalfield communities. WVPB’s Randy Yohe visited Madison, West Virginia, to hear about its efforts to build a new economy, after coal.

Appalachian Writers Workshop To Return

Last summer, torrential rains brought flooding and destruction to parts of Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. Among the communities hit was the town of Hindman, Kentucky — home to the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop at the Hindman Settlement School. When the floods began, the writer’s workshop was midway through its weeklong session. Several campus buildings were damaged, but all of the students and faculty there eventually made it home safely.

The school announced plans for this year’s Appalachian Writers Workshop. Inside Appalachia Producer Bill Lynch spoke with workshop organizer Josh Mullins about the flood and the upcoming workshop.

Segregated Cemetery Remembered And Restored

Bluefield is a small town on the border of Virginia and West Virginia. For decades, on the Virginia side, graves of the Black residents who helped build the community were neglected in the town’s segregated cemetery. And it might have stayed that way if it hadn’t been for the efforts of one persistent woman whose family was buried there.

Folkways Reporter Connie Bailey Kitts reports.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Otis Gibbs, Del McCoury, Tyler Childers and Amythyst Kia.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.

You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia.

And you can sign-up for our Inside Appalachia Newsletter here!