This week on Inside Appalachia, we remember Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a deep mark on Appalachian culture, and the people who practice and document it. And, grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive. Plus, it’s not just you. There are more deer than ever these days. A writer explores the long, complicated entwinement of people and our wild kin.
Inside Appalachia remembers Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a deep mark on Appalachian culture, and the people who practice and document it.
And, grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive.
Plus, it’s not just you. There are more deer than ever these days. A writer explores the long, complicated entwinement of people and our wild kin.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Remembering Travis Stimeling, A Musician, Scholar And Mentor
Travis Stimeling, a WVU professor and noted scholar of traditional Appalachian music, died in their home on Nov. 14, 2023.
Photo Credit: Ellen Linscheid
Travis Stimeling carried the torch for bluegrass and traditional music in Appalachia.
It was a shock when the author, musician and West Virginia University (WVU) professor died abruptly in November at the age of 43. News of their passing prompted an outpouring of remembrances from colleagues, former students and friends.
Some shared their stories with Folkways Reporter Zack Harold, who brought us this remembrance.
Traditional Dance Callers Updating For Inclusivity
A multi-generational group of dancers follows Becky Hill’s calling at the Augusta Heritage Center in July 2023.
Photo Credit: Lydia Warren/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The use of they/them pronouns signals more than a change in language; it’s also a cultural change that allows for people to be identified as they see themselves. And, it’s happening even in the region’s dance halls.
Folkways Reporter Lydia Warren brought us the story.
The Age Of Deer
Erika Howsare explores our relationship to deer, which has been long and complicated.
Courtesy Photo
Few animals are as polarizing as the white tail deer. They’re graceful and majestic — and kind of cool to see up close. But they can also ravage gardens, and drivers hit countless deer every year.
Yet, there seem to be more deer than ever.
Erika Howsare is the author of The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with Our Wild Neighbors.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Howsare.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Amythyst Kiah, Watchhouse, John Blissard, Yonder Mountain String Band and Larry Rader.
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.
Square dance calling — the spoken instructions said over the music — makes participation easy. But there are other aspects — like the prevalence of gendered language such as “ladies and gents” — that can make square dancing an unwelcoming or confusing space. One group of friends in the Appalachian square dance scene are taking action to make the tradition more welcoming for all participants.
This story originally aired in the Nov. 26, 2023 episode of Inside Appalachia.
Square dancing has long been a tradition in Appalachia, and many communities throughout the region still host regular dances. Square dance calling — the spoken instructions said over the music — makes participation easy. But there are other aspects — like the prevalence of gendered language such as “ladies and gents” — that can make square dancing an unwelcoming or confusing space. One group of friends in the Appalachian square dance scene are taking action to make the tradition more welcoming for all participants.
The Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia has been hosting square dances for decades. During their annual Old-Time Music Week in July, their outdoor pavilion is decorated with twinkle lights and paper lanterns that sway in the warm summer breeze. Dozens of couples gather and follow instructions from callers like 25-year-old artist and Elkins resident, Nevada Tribble.
Unlike the square dances you probably did in gym class, Tribble’s calls have no gendered language — no “ladies and gents,” and no “swing your girl.” And this is on purpose. Before she learned to call square dances, Tribble grew up dancing in Elkins.
“We always had the kind of dance scene where everybody dances with everybody,“ Tribble said. “You change partners after every dance regardless of who you came with. And I think that was also a part that made it really inviting and inclusive.”
Tribble noticed that the language of the calls didn’t necessarily reflect the people on the dance floor. Sometimes there would be an uneven ratio of women to men on the floor, and using “ladies and gents” didn’t make sense. Some folks might want to dance with a same-gender partner, whether it’s a spouse, a friend or a kid. And, of course, there might be dancers who don’t identify with being called either a “lady” or a “gent.”
Tribble thought everyone would feel welcome if callers used gender-free language. And by making sure there are calls any gender can dance to, the caller helps keep the dance floor full.
A multigenerational group of dancers follows Becky Hill’s calling at the Augusta Heritage Center in July 2023.
Credit: Lydia Warren/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Tribble is part of a new wave of callers in the Appalachian square dance scene who are trying to make dances more welcoming by using gender-free language, as well as offering some seated and no-touch dances for participants who prefer or need these accommodations. They are sharing their new calls in a zine called Circle Up. The zine is a small glossy booklet with hand-written and illustrated instructions on how to call 17 inclusive dances.
Circle Up was curated by square dance caller and professional dancer Becky Hill, who mentored Tribble when she lived in Elkins.
“This zine just feels like it’s a large invite. Like, here are some people that have some idea,” Hill said.“We’re not claiming to be experts. We’re not claiming to be the only way forward. We are just the ones who have decided to start this conversation and to be a little bit more loud about that.”
A group dances at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center in Fairmont, West Virginia. They listen to instructions from caller Lou Maiuri in October 2023. Maiuri is a 94-year-old caller from Summersville, West Virginia, and one of his calls is featured in the Circle Up zine.
Credit: Lydia Warren/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
For Hill, creating a welcoming space isn’t about losing touch with the tradition. It’s a matter of bringing out aspects of the tradition that are already present.
“We don’t have to change ‘chase the rabbit, chase the squirrel.’ We don’t have to change ‘birdy in the cage.’ We don’t have to change all these things,” Hill said. “It’s just providing options and invitation to callers to just think about ‘Can I just simply get out of the habit of saying swing her,’ or ‘gents to the center.’ You know, are there ways that I can just slightly adapt it and it becomes a little bit more warm?”
Becky Hill calls a dance at the Augusta Heritage Center in July 2023.
Credit: Lydia Warren/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Of course, making square dances more welcoming is about more than just gender and language. It’s also about race. Musician, dancer and community organizer A’yen Tran has been working on creating safer spaces in the scene.
“The square dance community, or the old-time traditional music community, is pretty white,” Tran said. “The music does not come from entirely white roots. The banjo comes from Africa. There are fiddles in Africa, also. And the people in the community are still overwhelmingly white.”
Tran said she did a survey of people in the traditional music and dance scene and found that some people did feel unwelcome at jams, dances and festivals. She formed a diverse group including people of color, trans people, an indigenous person and a white male, among others.
The group created a set of community principles. They include guidelines like not using slurs and listening to others. These principles were illustrated and printed into a poster which is tucked into Circle Up.
“Our hope is really that people will take the principles, use what’s valuable to them in their own communities,” Tran said. “Bring them to your local square dance and stick them on the wall, or bring them to your local folk school and stick them on the wall, or your event, or if you have a camp at Clifftop or Galax or whatever festival you go to. You can just clip it up and say, ‘’This 10 by 10 space is my safer space that I’m welcoming people into, and these are the principles that we are going to try to stick by in order to make this a more welcoming community.’”
Tran, Hill and Tribble are excited to see square dances become more welcoming and, in turn, grow into spaces where even more people feel at home on the dance floor.
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This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project, a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Inside Appalachia and the Folklife Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
The Folkways Reporting Project is made possible in part with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation. Subscribe to the podcast to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts and culture.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we pick up a little light reading at the Johnson City Zine Fest. And… Grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive. Also, the perils of playing the spoons.
This week, we pick up a little light reading at the Johnson City Zine Fest.
And… Grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive.
Also, the perils of playing the spoons.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Calling a square dance is tricky business. It’s a skill that’s been handed down for generations, but a growing number of callers are updating the language to be more inclusive to keep the tradition alive.
Folkways Reporter Lydia Warren brought us the story.
A Visit To Zine Fest
Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A zine, as in magazine, is a self-published pamphlet or brochure, or even a booklet. Some are very low-tech and rudimentary, and others are elaborately designed works of art. They’re all unique, and reflect the people who make them. Mason Adams went to Johnson City Zine Fest, met zine makers and talked with them.
All About The Spoons
Jeff Fedan has been teaching aspiring spoons players how to play for years. He is also one of the co-founders and organizers of the yearly Pattyfest.
Credit: Lauren Griffin/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
If you love string-band music, you don’t have to go too far to find a bluegrass or old-time jam here in the Appalachian mountains. Musicians get together, try out new licks and teach each other songs. But, you don’t have to play fiddle or guitar to get in on the music. Playing along might be as easy as just grabbing something out of a kitchen drawer.
Folkways reporter Lauren Griffin has the story.
The Life And Legacy of Woody Williams
The front of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Charleston, West Virginia.
Credit: Janet Kunicki/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service” is a new documentary exploring the life of Hershel “Woody” Williams, the last living World War II recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Williams, who died last year at the age of 98, spent decades working for veterans and their families.
Bill Lynch spoke with WVPB’s Randy Yohe and Janet Kunicki. They spent more than a year exploring Williams’ life and legacy for the documentary.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by the Carpenter Ants, Harvey and Copeland, Rev. Payton’s Big Damn Band, Le Tigre, John Blissard, The Sycomores, Hazel Dickens and Frank George.
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.
On this West Virginia Morning, calling a square dance is a skill that’s been handed down for generations, but some of the language used can be a little old-fashioned. A growing number of callers are updating that language to be more inclusive.
On this West Virginia Morning, calling a square dance is a skill that’s been handed down for generations, but some of the language used can be a little old-fashioned. A growing number of callers are updating that language to be more inclusive. Folkways Reporter Lydia Warren has the story.
Also, in this show, in a new episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at our erosion in trust in science. There was a time when scientific advances were heralded – they saved lives, they told us more about our world. The Pew Research Center shows that Americans’ trust in scientists declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some say scientists are not always worthy of our trust.
At a recent event at Marshall University, Kay’s guests talked about our plethora of information and its impact on our level of trust. In this excerpt, we hear in this order, from Dr. Adam Franks and Prof. Habiba Chirchir from Marshall, and Prof. Jonathon Zimmerman from the University of Pennsylvania.
To hear the rest of the episode, tune in on Thanksgiving at 8 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. There will be an encore broadcast on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 3 p.m.
Us & Them is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, the CRC Foundation and the Daywood Foundation.
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.
Liz McCormick 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
