This week, in the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer. Also, Kentucky’s poet laureate lives down the road from what has been called the country’s most lethal cryptid. Attempts to spot it have led to deaths. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who’s passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.
Taxidermist Amy Ritchie is sharing the love of her craft with other enthusiasts. Margaret McLeod Leef/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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This week, a high school football game, a street festival, and a kids’ classroom are all settings in a new film about how coal mining shapes Appalachian culture.
We also learn about the results of a new survey showing alarming mental health trends in Appalachia’s LGBTQ community.
And we meet a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina who was just a teenager when she found her calling.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Lanie Marsh in the Cranberry Backcountry filming for “King Coal.” Courtesy
Elaine McMillion Sheldon is best known for the academy award nominated documentary “Heroin(e),” which highlighted the opioid epidemic in Appalachia through the city of Huntington, West Virginia.
Her latest film is the visionary “King Coal,” which is a kind of hybrid documentary that explores Appalachia’s relationship to coal.
Host Mason Adams spoke with Sheldon, co-producer Molly Born and breath artist Shodekeh Talifero.
The Troubling Toll Revealed In The Trevor Project
The Trevor project is a national non-profit organization that focuses on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. In May, the project released the results of a survey about mental health and the LGBTQ community. It revealed some concerning numbers.
Chris Schulz brought us the story.
Inside Allergies In Appalachia
If your allergies are making you miserable this spring, you’re not alone. Caroline MacGregor talked to a West Virginia allergy specialist who confirms this year is a particularly tough one for seasonal allergy sufferers.
I Was A Teenage Taxidermist
A lot of people are fascinated by taxidermy, but we tend to be a little uncomfortable with the process that goes into making these animal mounts. The preservation and mounting of dead animals has been around for centuries.
Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef has the story of one expert practitioner in Yadkin County, North Carolina.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Tim Bing, John Blisard, Erik Vincet Huey and Little Sparrow
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 Week, residents demand action on energy bills, the Hope Scholarship bill moves forward and changes to homeschooling requirements meets resistance.
This week, in the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer. Also, Kentucky’s poet laureate lives down the road from what has been called the country’s most lethal cryptid. Attempts to spot it have led to deaths. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who’s passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, bills must be out of their respective committees by Sunday to be able to meet crossover day next Wednesday, and lawmakers are still working their way through next fiscal year’s budget. Also, we speak with Emmett Pepper, the policy director for Energy Efficient West Virginia, to learn about the Ratepayers Bill of Rights.
