Tag: Podcast – Inside Appalachia

Adversity isn’t new to Appalachia. We’ve faced boom and bust cycles for over a century. This episode of Inside Appalachia looks at some of those struggles and various efforts to curtail them. We’ll hear stories about West Virginia’s overwhelmed foster care system, to questions about what is killing off apple trees. And we’ll explore the research behind job creation programs ⁠— many of which are supported by federal grants. Do they bring long-term economic impact to Appalachia? 

In This Episode: 

• W.Va. Foster Parents Say They Need More Support
• Inside West Virginia’s Overwhelmed Foster Care System
• Teaching Children About Parental Addiction
• Facing Community Backlash, St. Albans Pastor Pushes Forward With Support Of Controversial Tent City
• Why Worker Training Programs Alone Won’t Save Coal Country
• Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation
• Restoring the Chesapeake Bay One Oyster At A Time
• Apple Growers Face An Unknown Threat 

Foster Care

In many states, the opioid crisis is contributing to a surge in foster care cases. West Virginia has been hit especially hard. Child advocates are suing the state for allegedly failing to protect kids from abuse and neglect.

West Virginia has the highest rate of children in foster care in the country ⁠— about 17 out of every 1,000 children in the state are in state care, according to a recent report by Child Trends. 

There are a lot of families who are stepping up to take in foster kids, but many say they feel unprepared for the looming task of taking care of the children who are placed in their homes.

Salia’s Story

Kids whose parents struggle with addiction often don’t get the chance to talk about what they are going through. And the stigma that follows people with addiction often has long-lasting impacts on families. 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Sesame Street launched a new short film to help kids who are going through tough times when their parents are struggling with addiction. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGgW-f0RyfE

Homelessness

The Charleston Gazette-Mail recently reported that four percent of all students in West Virginia are homeless, based on data from the state Department of Education. In Jefferson County it’s as high as 16 percent. Homelessness is everywhere, but in rural parts of Appalachia, it can be challenging to find resources to help get back on your feet. 

A pastor in St. Albans, Kanawha County, West Virginia saw that a homeless encampment consisting of about 10 tents in his community was being pushed out. People there were being told they had to leave. So, he decided to help. But not everyone in the town approves of the work he’s doing. Producer Kyle Vass reports. 

Job Training and Retraining

Finding long-lasting solutions to create jobs in Appalachia isn’t easy. There are programs trying to help, but are they really working? Some say we need investors to bring more industries. Others say we should be investing in our own entrepreneurs who can create home-grown businesses. Most economists say it will likely take many different approaches to make real progress.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced nearly $5 million for worker training programs in Appalachia. It’s the latest influx of funding aimed at blunting the job losses in the region’s coal sector. But critics of those programs say worker training alone is no solution. Becca Schimmel brings us this story.

Promoting Nature Tourism Through A Local Legend

One way people are looking to boost our economy is through tourism. Generally, jobs in outdoor recreation aren’t as high-paying as those in the coal industry, but outdoor recreation is a multi-billion dollar industry. Other countries and some cities in the U.S. have been able to leverage their wild places as destinations for nature lovers. Some people have wondered, could Appalachia benefit from a similar approach? Reporter Brittany Patterson visited one community in southwest Virginia is using a local legend to help appeal to national tourists.             

Apples

Farmers in parts of Pennsylvania, New York and North Carolina are losing their apple trees from what researchers call Rapid Apple Decline and researchers are trying to figure out what’s causing it.

Last year, we produced an episode about apple cider and apple pies. Here’s a recipe that West Virginia State Folklorist Emily Hilliard shared with us on how to make a delicious apple pie crust:

Nothing in the House Pie Crust

This is the standard crust recipe Emily Hilliard uses for most pies that call for a pastry crust. It makes enough for 1 double-crust pie. If you only need a single crust, halve the recipe, or make a full recipe and save half of the dough for a future pie by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and storing it in the freezer or fridge.

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or 1 c. all-purpose + 1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour*)

1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 sticks COLD unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), cut into slices

1/2 beaten large egg, cold (save the other half to brush on top of the crust)

1/4 cup ice-cold water

1/2 tablespoon cold apple cider vinegar (I keep mine in the fridge) 

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork and knife, cut in the butter. You want to make sure butter chunks remain, as that’s what makes the crust flaky.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the COLD liquid ingredients. (Using cold liquids ensures that your butter will not melt — another crucial detail for a flaky crust!)

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour-butter mixture and combine using a wooden spoon. Mix until dough comes together but is not overly mixed (it should be a little shaggy). Form into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling out.

*If you use whole wheat pastry flour, you may need to add additional liquid.

We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from WKU, the Allegheny Front, and the Ohio Valley ReSource, which is made possible with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. 

Roxy Todd guest hosts this episode. Eric Douglas is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Jesse Wright. Brittany Patterson edited our show this week. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

Think back to the last time you saw an Appalachian portrayed on TV, in the national media, in a book or a cartoon. Often, when people talk about Appalachians, they portray us as white, or poor, or ignorant — or all three. But when you dig beneath the surface, and challenge the stereotypes that are often used to misrepresent people who live in our region, the story becomes much more honest, and interesting.

On this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear from two African American women who are challenging stereotypes about Appalachia through their writing.

We talk with poet Nikki Giovanni about how she feels about the state of race relations in America today, and why she fiercely defends Appalachians, especially, our love of freedom. “The White Americans in Appalachia here in West Virginia and these mountains, have been a friend of freedom. And I think it’s time we celebrate it.”  

And writer Crystal Wilkinson, one of the founding members of a group known as the Affrilachian poets, shares her experience of being black in Appalachia and how it’s influenced her passion to write. “It’s meant to be a story that makes people’s spine straight, and makes them proud of who they are.”

And we talk with West Virginian Clara Haizlett who set out to make a podcast that connects the people of Appalachia and those of the Arabic World. “I just would like to encourage greater curiosity and empathy towards people that we might not normally empathize with.”

This episode explores how a novelist, a poet, a podcaster, a musician and boxer are all challenging stereotypes about Appalachia, and the way we interpret our own identity. 

In This Episode:

• Poet Nikki Giovanni Says W.Va. Should Be Celebrated
• Being Black In Appalachia, A Conversation With Author Crystal Wilkinson
• Sandstone Podcast Explores Connections Between Appalachia and Arabic Cultures
• Remembering Musician Daniel Johnston
• Boxer Christy Salters Reflects On Overcoming Domestic Abuse, How Far Gay Rights Have Come In W.Va.

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the similarities between Appalachia and the Arabic world, check out this story about why geologists believe the Appalachian mountains are related to a sister mountain range in Morocco, and how the cultures of our mountain people have some surprising similarities.

Poet Nikki Giovanni

Poet Nikki Giovanni has been challenging Appalachian stereotypes for decades. 

In the 1960s and 70s, she helped lead the “black arts movement,”  who were a group of writers focused on encouraging a social and racial justice revolution through language and poetry. At the time, she was living in New York City. She later began writing children’s books and poems about her memories back in Knoxville, where she was born.

After living in New York, Giovanni returned to Appalachia in 1987 to live in Blacksburg and work at Virginia Tech.

Writer Crystal Wilkinson

Author Crystal Wilkinson was born in Hamilton, Ohio, in 1962, but she grew up in Kentucky with her grandparents. Her grandfather was a farmer who grew tobacco, corn and sorghum, and her grandmother worked in the homes of local schoolteachers in Casey County.

Wilkinson studied journalism at Eastern Kentucky University, and then she received her MFA degree in creative writing at Spalding University in Louisville. In 2000, Wilkinson wrote her first book, “Blackberries, Blackberries.” In 2002, she published Water Street and in 2016 she published “The Birds of Opulence.”

Wilkinson is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Kentucky in the MFA in Creative Writing program. Wilkinson is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. 

Boxer Christy Salters

Trailblazing international boxer and gay rights advocate Christy Salters grew up in Wyoming County, in the heart of West Virginia’s coalfields. In addition to her career as a renowned boxer, she’s also become an advocate for survivors of domestic abuse, which is something Salters experienced personally. Salters sat down with reporter Emily Allen to share her story.

Tribute To Musician Daniel Johnston

Also in this episode, we hear about a musician who in some ways tried his whole life to be understood. West Virginia-raised musician and artist Daniel Johnston played a style of music that was entirely his own. He died last month, at the age of 58. Known best for his ernest and harrowing lo-fi pop songs, Johnston remained an underground hero for most of his life. His influence, though, continues to stretch across musical and artistic genres — and around the world. Dave Mistich brings us a tribute.  

Liz McCormick guest hosts this episode. Roxy Todd is our producer. Eric Douglas is our associate producer.  Our executive producer is Jesse Wright. He also edited our show this week. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

Music in this show was provided by Matt Jackfert, Spencer Elliot, and Dinosaur Burps.

You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.

 

 
 

What foods did your parents and grandparents cook when you were growing up? What memories of food do you hold onto after all these years?

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll talk about food from our region. We’ll explore what happens when fancy chefs start cooking up our traditional fare, and we discuss how what we consider to be staples are called “trash food” by others.

It’s no secret that some of the more urban or modern restaurants will recycle food concepts and call it “new” or “rediscovered.” But why did our cultural dishes get a bad reputation in the first place?

Author and editor Ronni Lundy will also tell us about her experiences with food growing up as a young girl in Appalachia.

Prehistoric Beans

For many, beans and cornbread are as central to growing up in Appalachia as the mountains themselves. But did you know that these beans and seeds have a history that dates back to Native American culture?

Farmer and author Bill Best has spent his life farming and learning all about the different ways that beans have been used throughout Appalachia over thousands of years. His new book is called Kentucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing, Eating, Saving. 

“To an archeologist, a bean is a bean is a bean… and I was the first one to point out that the beans were being grown for different reasons,” Best said.

He’ll tell us about how beans have been more influential in our past than we might think — and we’ll hear why they may be in danger of extinction.

Appalachian Food Summit

The Appalachian Food Summit began as an online conversation between Appalachian chefs, scholars and farmers who have a stake in the region’s food culture. It grew into annual, in-person gatherings of Appalachian “foodies,” if you will. This year was the group’s fourth summit, and the first time they’ve met in West Virginia.

The Appalachian Food Summit this year was titled “Cornbread and Roses, Solidarity, Resistance, and Subsistence in Appalachia,” and as the name suggests, the two-day event wasn’t just focused on celebrating foods from our region. Of course, there was plenty of food served by local Appalachian chefs, but speakers also led discussions on topics like how food intersects with politics, history—and even how food played a major role in the teacher’s strike in West Virginia earlier this year. Writers, chefs, scholars, and food lovers gathered in Bridgeport to talk about the role that food plays in daily life here in Appalachia.

We’ll also hear from Mike Costello, farmer and chef and one of the organizers of the Appalachian Food Summit.

Inside Appalachia is produced by Roxy Todd. Eric Douglas is our asociate producer and Jesse Wright is our executive producer. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We’d love to hear from you. Send us tweet @InAppalachia.

Across Appalachia, there are remarkable stories of resilience in the face of adversity. This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll meet several people who are recovering from drug addiction, and are finding a new path forward by learning to build stringed instruments. And we’ll learn about a rare plant that rebounded after being put on the endangered species list. And why this particular plant, called the buffalo running clover, has a secret weapon; when it’s beaten down, it bounces back even stronger.

In this episode, we’ll explore how people in Appalachia are using sayings, and art, to reclaim our image and our identity. We’ll hear the story behind the expression “West By God Virginia”, and why a new mural in Harlan County is sparking a community debate about possums, and about the perceptions of who we Appalachians are. 

In This Episode:

• Origins behind the phrase “West By God Virginia”.
• Possum In Kentucky Artist’s Mural Reveals Complicated Connection To Marsupial’s Symbolism
• Love And Tradition Passed Down Through A Guitar
• Meet the Little Green Clover That Beat the Odds
• Mystery Behind The “Stay Fabulous” Billboard
• Building Instruments To Find Recovery

From Corn Liquor To State Pride

“There’s been a narrative about West Virginia that focuses on the negative. It focuses on poverty, it focuses on hard times,” said Eric Waggoner, the executive director of the West Virginia Humanities Council. But the phrase “West By God” is often uttered in defiance of these stereotypes. It’s an idiom many West Virginians know well, but its exact origins have traditionally been less well-understood. 

“There’s a kind of expression of pride not just in place, but in being a person who is from this place. That ‘West by God Virginia’ seems to articulate in a very handy, in a very positive way,” Waggoner said. Even though the exact origin of the spoken phrase may be difficult to find, Waggoner and others said today it’s often used to illustrate West Virginia as unique and separate from Virginia – that, by God, we are here, we exist, and we have our own identity as West Virginians.

Mural Sparks Possum Debate

What do you think of when you hear the word “Possum”? Scavenger. Trash animal. Road kill. Chicken killer. These are some of the things that people in central Appalachia said they associate with possums. Yet, others consider them heroes.

The debate around possums heated up this year when the town of Harlan, Kentucky, decided to feature a possum on a downtown mural. Folkways Corps Reporter Nicole Musgrave reports on why the painting of a possum caused such a stir in this Appalachian community, and why other artists in eastern Kentucky are now including possums in their artwork.

Luthiery School In KY Gives Some People New Hope

Eastern Kentucky has been one of the regions hardest hit by both a dying coal industry and the opioid crisis. In Knott County, the drug overdose and mortality rates are more than double those of the nation’s, and it are even higher than the average within the state.

“The opioid epidemic has absolutely ravaged this community,” Doug Naselroad said. “Literally everybody and their brother has been hit hard by this situation.”

In an effort to train people who struggle with addiction to learn new skills, Naselroad, an instrument maker, decided to start a program two years ago through the luthiery called the ‘Culture of Recovery.’ All the people enrolled learn how to build their own instruments as part of drug recovery. One student named Shane (first name use is to protect his identity) is new to playing music and said he never considered building an instrument before.

“That’s something I’ve never had is patience. If I want to do something, I do it right then and there,” Shane said. “But with this process I’m doing a lot of waiting. It’s giving me a lot of patience and tolerance.”

Our folklife reporter, Caitlin Tan, recently visited the luthier school in Hindman, Kentucky, and has this story.

Love And Tradition Passed Down Through A Guitar

Mill Point is a blink-and-you’ll miss it wide spot off the twisty mountain roads of Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It’s also the home of Bill Hefner, a luthier who isn’t just making guitars, he’s passing his tradition of meticulous craftmanship down to the next generation. Folkways reporter Heather Niday has a story about Bill and his shop. 

We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from WMMT, the Ohio Valley ReSource, Appalshop, and Allegheny Mountain Radio.

Special thanks to the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council. 

Music in this show was provided by Matt Jackfert, the Western Avenue String Band, and Dinosaur Burps.

Roxy Todd is our producer. Eric Douglas is our associate producer.  Our executive producer is Jesse Wright. He also edited our show this week. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.

 

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re dedicating our episode to all the children who are affected by substance abuse before they’re even born. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a topic that is heartbreaking, but critically important for us to spend some time understanding. The stigma that follows mothers, and their unborn babies, is keeping them from getting the prenatal care, and help for recovery, that women across our region desperately need. 

But there are stories of hope and resilience among those grappling with the fallout from the opioid epidemic. Not all children who are born exposed to drugs show signs of NAS. And researchers still don’t know what the long term impacts will be, if any. Each case is unique. What we do know is that forming loving relationships with caretakers helps children be more resilient. “All children benefit from stable, safe, and nurturing relationships and environments,” according to a 2017 report by Child Trends. “However, these relationships and environments are particularly important for young children who have experienced trauma. Their presence and stability can help children recover from past trauma and develop the skills to cope and thrive,” the report said. 

In This Episode:

• States Lack Standards For Treating Opioid Dependent Pregnant Women
• Pregnant Women Struggling With Addiction Say Doctors Turned Them Away. This Appalachian Clinic Is Changing That.
• When Addiction Devastates A Generation, What Happens To Their Children?

The number of babies across the country who suffer from NAS has increased in the past several years, according to national and state health officials. Those reports indicate that the numbers are among the highest in central Appalachia. Five out of every 100 babies born in West Virginia have NAS — that’s up from three percent in 2013. In 2016, there were over 1,200 babies born with NAS in Kentucky. That’s more than 100 cases each month. 

Some Women Say Doctors Turned Away

The stigma associated with addiction often makes it difficult for pregnant women struggling with substance use disorder to get the prenatal care they need. Producer Jess Mador reports on one East Tennessee clinic that’s pushing for changes in drug treatment for pregnant women, in hopes of keeping more babies from coming into the world with NAS.

“They don’t trust anybody,” Emily Katz said. Katz is a substance abuse coordinator with High Risk Obstetrical Consultants in Knoxville, Tennessee. “They’re embarrassed, and so many times we have heard from them, ‘you’re the first person that would listen’ or ‘you’re the first person that I’ve told this to.’”

Doctor’s Don’t Agree On Best Practices

And we hear from doctors and medical experts across central Appalachia, as they discuss the protocols to best treat for the best way to care for these moms-to-be and their babies. But as Kara Lofton reports, “standards” can still vary from state to state, facility to facility. 

Foster Care And Education 

Despite so many obstacles, like trauma, and the physical impacts of being born exposed to drugs, children can be resilient. But helping them means getting them into a stable, loving home. How does the opioid epidemic affect the foster care system? And how are teachers impacted by families touched by addiction? Those stories and more in this episode of Inside Appalachia.  

Glynis Board guest hosts this episode.  She closes the show with these personal remarks:

“Data have revealed there is a window of opportunity where women seem to be able to access incredible strength and motivation to overcome their battle with substance use disorder. Strange as it sounds — within the struggle these women face lives a kind of hope for our entire region, that we can help each other and be inspired by each other to overcome this crisis. Maybe we can even discover, and begin to deal with, some of the root causes of addiction that so many of our friends, neighbors, sisters and mothers face. Maybe. We like to dream big here Inside Appalachia.” — Assistant News Director Glynis Board, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Several of the stories in this episode are part of the series Born Exposed, exploring access to medical and rehabilitative care in Appalachia for opioid-affected women and their babies. Born Exposed is a project of 100 Days in Appalachia, West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the Ohio Valley ReSource. The OVR is supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. We also had help this week from StoryCorps and Side Effects Public Media. 

Music in this show was provided by Matt Jackfert, Michael Howard and Dinosaur Burps.

Roxy Todd is our producer. Eric Douglas is our associate producer.  Our executive producer is Jesse Wright. He also edited our show this week. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.

Today, many seniors in rural communities don’t have the support they need to live independently, safely. Who’s going to care for our elders in the years to come? In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll explore the resources available to caregivers and their loved ones. We’ll also hear what some people are doing to help seniors feel less alone and isolated.

Across most of central Appalachia, population is declining as young people leave to find work. Those who stay are rapidly aging. In West Virginia, for instance, about 16 percent of the population is 65 or older, according to a Department of Health and Human Resources report. Seniors are expected to be about a quarter of the total population by 2030. 

In this episode:

• Families Discuss Struggles and Help for Caregivers 

• Fighting Loneliness 

• Taking Care of a Loved One with Alzheimer’s

• Taking Care of a Partner at the End of Life 

• Interview with a Hospice Care Nurse 

Appalachia Health News Coordinator Kara Lofton spent several months researching and reporting on these issues, and we’re hearing her full series about aging in this week’s episode.

Staying Home

Is it better to stay in your home when you get older, or move into an assisted care facility? Most older adults Lofton spoke to for this series said they want to stay home as they age. But is that the best option? It depends on the situation.

There are a handful of programs across Appalachia to help people stay in their homes as they get older. But some have limits – you have to qualify for Medicaid, for instance. Others that help seniors just above the poverty line don’t have the capacity to handle the need. People can sit on waitlists for months, or even years.

Shelia Brown sits on her couch below framed pictures of she and her husband over the years. The two were married for 50 years. Her husband Waitman passed away from lung cancer in 2018 after being in hospice for almost a year.
Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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Fighting Loneliness

Isolation and loneliness can have negative impacts on our health. The new National Report on Healthy Aging found that 1 in 3 American seniors report being lonely. Laurie Theeke, a nursing professor at West Virginia University who has conducted studies on loneliness, said isolation and loneliness can have a big impact on human health. “We know that loneliness has a negative impact on human health — let me just say that,” she said. “And it also is linked quite clearly to inflammatory problems like hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke and depression. And we know it leads to functional decline and overall mortality in older adults samples… from many countries.”

 

End of Life

People can be suspicious of end-of-life care, especially hospice. There’s a perception that when hospice comes in, it’s only for the last hours before someone dies. But hospice advocates argue the service helps the dying live their last weeks or months better, and can also ease the caregiving burden on their families.

To get a better idea of what hospice is all about, Lofton sat down with Lori Carter, who’s been a hospice nurse for 20 years. Carter said for her and for many of the hospice nurses she knows, the work is a calling.

Some of what she does is straight-up nursing — managing pain, dressing wounds, and addressing symptoms of end-stage disease. But the most subtle part of the job is helping families navigate one of the most intimate and emotional times of their lives.

There are a number of challenges facing our elderly. We want to hear from you. Are you caring for someone in your family? What are the resources you think we neglect to offer people as they grow older?

If you’re above the age of 65, we’d like to know how it’s going, and if you think we as a society do enough to care for our elders, or support your independence. Send us an email to insideappalachia@wvpublic.org. Or send a letter to 600 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25311.

 

We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from Appalachia Health News Coordinator Kara Lofton. Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from CAMC and Marshall Health. 

Music in today’s show was provided by Matt Jackfert, Dinosaur Burps and Michael Howard. 

Inside Appalachia is produced by Roxy Todd. Eric Douglas is our associate producer.  Our executive producer is Jesse Wright. He also edited our show this week Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. 

You can find us online on Twitter @InAppalachia.