The Mine Wars For Young Adults, Faith After A Flood And Remembering Billy Edd Wheeler

Textbooks have long left out an important piece of labor history that happened here in the mountains. Now, a new young adult book fills in some of what might have been missed about the Mine Wars.

Also, when flooding devastates a community, people can find solace through faith and through song.

And we remember songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler, who passed away last month. Dozens of musicians have covered his songs including Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash and June Carter and Elvis Presley.

In This Episode

  • Recalling The Mine Wars For A New Generation
  • A Family Guitar Brings Peace After A Flood
  • A Bicentennial Celebration in Fleming County, Kentucky
  • Remembering Billy Edd Wheeler

Recalling The Mine Wars For A New Generation

Author Steve Watkins wants labor history to be remembered.
Courtesy photo

For generations, that history of the Mine Wars in the early part of the 20th century was scarcely mentioned in schools.

The author of a new book hopes to bring the story to today’s young readers. Mason Adams spoke with Steve Watkins, author of “The Mine Wars: The Bloody Fight for Workers’ Rights in the West Virginia Coalfields.”  

A Family Guitar Brings Peace After A Flood

Derenia Dunbar (left) stands with parents Ruby (middle) and James Boggs (right) in front of their family home in Millstone, Kentucky. James holds the guitar that was mostly untouched by the floodwaters that filled their house on July 28, 2022.
Photo Nicole Musgrave

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we’re reminded that when disaster strikes, people in Appalachia step up to help their neighbors. In the summer of 2022, floods devastated parts of eastern Kentucky. At the time, Folkways editor Nicole Musgrave brought us a story about the Boggs family, who told her about the joy that comes from the soothing music of an old family guitar.

A Bicentennial Celebration in Fleming County, Kentucky

A church in Fleming County, Kentucky celebrated its 200th anniversary recently.
Photo Samantha Morrill

In Fleming County, Kentucky, there’s an old, covered bridge that’s been a popular tourist destination for decades. The Goddard covered bridge was built in the late 1800s, then moved in 1933. It extends over Sand Lick Creek, where the road leads to an old country church. That church celebrated its bicentennial in September. 

Samantha Morrill at WMKY, Morehead State Public Radio, visited the church.  

Remembering Billy Edd Wheeler

Songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler wrote memorable tunes and was a character.
Courtesy photo

Singer/songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler died in September at the age of 91. The West Virginia native and long-time North Carolina resident was best known for writing songs like “Jackson,” which won a Grammy for Johnny Cash and June Carter. He also wrote “Coward of the County,” which was a hit for Kenny Rogers, and “It’s Midnight,” which Elvis Presley recorded. Mountain Stage’s Larry Groce was a friend and fan of Wheeler’s. Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Groce about Wheeler’s legacy.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by James Boggs, Amethyst Kiah, Caleb Caudle, John Blissard, Paul Loomis, Chris Knight, Johnny Cash and June Carter, and Billy Edd Wheeler.

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. We had help this week from folkways editor Jennifer Goren. You can find us on Instagram @InAppalachia.

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.

Frank X. Walker And Flood Stories Past And Present, Inside Appalachia

This week, Affrilachian poet Frank X. Walker has a new collection of poetry that looks at Black life in Kentucky before, during, and after the Civil War.

We also check in with the people affected by flooding in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

A new collection of essays and poems remembers the 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky witnessed by writers trapped at the Appalachian Writers Workshop.

And bird watching only sounds relaxing. Sometimes, it can get a little wild.

In This Episode

  • Frank X. Walker Explores The Civil War
  • Witnessing The Historic Flooding Of East Kentucky
  • The Historic Flooding in Western North Carolina and Tennessee
  • Endangered Birds of Appalachia

Frank X. Walker Explores The Civil War

Poet Frank X. Walker returns with his latest collection “Load In Nine Times.”

Courtesy

Kentucky poet Frank X. Walker co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective to challenge the idea that Appalachian identity is defined by whiteness. He’s published several collections and now has a new book, “Load in Nine Times.” Mason Adams spoke with him. 

The Historic Flooding In Western North Carolina And Tennessee

Flooding caused by Hurricane Helene has devastated communities across western North Carolina and east Tennessee.
Courtesy Blue Ridge Public Radio

Hurricane Helene left many without water, power or cell service in western North Carolina and east Tennessee. We heard reports from Gerard Albert III at Blue Ridge Public Radio and Riley Thompson at WUOT about communities struggling and coming together in the aftermath of the flood.

Witnessing The Historic Flooding Of East Kentucky

“Troublesome Rising” features writers who witnessed the 2022 flooding in Eastern Kentucky first-hand.

Courtesy photo

Flooding is not uncommon in Appalachia. In 2022, parts of Eastern Kentucky were also ravaged. Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, an author from the Qualla Boundary, the territory of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina was at the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop in Hindman, Kentucky, when it was struck by the thousand-year flood. Her writing is included in the new anthology, “Troublesome Rising,” which compiles poetry and stories from writers who witnessed the flood. 

B-P-R and Grist climate reporter Katie Myers spoke with Clapsaddle about flooding in the mountains. 

Endangered Birds of Appalachia

Photographer and author Matt Williams hopes people who love watching birds can be encouraged to take a more active role in conservation.

Courtesy photo

Nature photographer Matt Williams hopes a passion for bird watching might lead people to conservation. He’s published three books of photographing wildlife, including his latest — “Endangered and Disappearing Birds of Appalachia and the Southeast.” Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Williams about the book. 

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Amethyst Kiah, Larry Rader, Jeff Ellis, John Blissard, Sierra Ferrell and Blue Dot Sessions.

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. We had help this week from folkways editor Jennifer Goren. You can find us on Instagram @InAppalachia.

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.

W.Va. Coal Production Fell During Baltimore Port Closure

Baltimore is a major coal export terminal, and much of that tonnage originates in northern West Virginia.

West Virginia produced 9 percent less coal from April to June than it did the previous year. 

The period coincides with the closure of the Port of Baltimore from March to May, after a container ship struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Baltimore is a major coal export terminal, and much of that tonnage originates in northern West Virginia.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, northern West Virginia production fell 14 percent in the second quarter, versus 3 percent in southern West Virginia.

Production fell across Appalachia during the quarter, particularly in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Author Recounts ‘Pill Mill’ Trial In Southern Ohio

The opioid epidemic has long devastated Appalachia. Drug overdose deaths are falling both within West Virginia and the United States, but the epidemic has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the past two decades — including tens of thousands of West Virginians.

The opioid epidemic has long devastated Appalachia. Drug overdose deaths are falling both within West Virginia and the United States, but the epidemic has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the past two decades — including tens of thousands of West Virginians.

In part, addiction experts have traced the origins of the opioid epidemic to the over-prescription of painkillers. In the 2000s, facilities dubbed “pill mills” began popping up and distributing narcotics to individuals without medical documentation to support their need for the medication.

A doctor based in southern Ohio, Paul Volkman, stood trial in 2011 after being charged with operating such a facility between 2003 and 2006. Author and journalist Philip Eil’s father attended medical school with Volkman, and recounted the case in his new book, “Prescription for Pain.”

In the 2000s, many doctors took jobs in Appalachia “at these sketchy pain clinics that were almost always not affiliated with local hospitals, that were often owned by people who did not have medical backgrounds,” Eil said. This “opened this spigot of prescription drugs into an area that was really vulnerable.”

Ultimately, Volkman’s trial resulted in his conviction. He received the longest sentence given to any U.S. doctor for drug-related crimes during the opiate epidemic: four consecutive life sentences in prison.

Eil said his book includes more than a decade’s worth of correspondence with Volkman. Volkman’s crimes resulted in the deaths of several patients in Ohio and across the Ohio River in Kentucky; his trial also included testimony from a West Virginia pharmacist.

“In the book, it was really important to me to zoom out to tell that broader story of Appalachia and the opiate epidemic,” he said.

While the fallout from Volkman’s criminal proceedings came more than a decade ago, Eil said its lessons on accountability are still resonant for readers today, especially in Appalachia.

“The opiate epidemic, I always emphasize, is a manmade crisis. It’s not a natural disaster. It’s not a hurricane. It’s not an earthquake,” he said. “This has a lot of different people and institutions and organizations that are in some way responsible.”

Philip Eil will visit West Virginia bookstores this month on his promotional tour for the new book. You can find more information on the events on his website.

Rural Science Fiction And Hunger Relief, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Christopher Rowe is a nationally recognized science fiction and fantasy writer. He imagines the future not in cities or outer space, but in rural areas like the one he grew up in.

Kentucky Public Radio’s Sylvia Goodman spoke with Rowe just after he moved back to the Kentucky county where he grew up.

Plus, September is Hunger Action Month, a campaign meant to raise awareness about hunger and food insecurity in the United States.

Reporter Jack Walker talked to Chad Morrison, development director at Mountaineer Food Bank about hunger in West Virginia.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Addressing Risky Behavior And The Logistics Of Search & Rescue, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, mental health resources for rural communities and what it takes to pull off wilderness rescues.

On this West Virginia Morning, a hiker was rescued earlier this month after going missing in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge for two weeks. Shepherd Snyder has more on what it takes to pull off these rescues.

Also, young people in rural communities are just as likely to exhibit risky behaviors as their urban and suburban peers but may have less access to help. West Virginia University is part of a coalition developing resources to change that nationwide.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

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