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COVID-19 exposed the contempt society has for marginalized people. The author of a new book says these folks are anything but passive.
Also, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags.
And, the online world of Appalachian memes and what they tell us about the folks who live here.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
In This Episode:
More than one million Americans have died from COVID-19. Some groups of folks died at much higher rates than others. And those deaths tended to follow lines of race, class, age and disability. In other words, conditions that were already making life harder for some people played out during the pandemic, too.
A new book digs deeper; it’s titled Disposable: America’s Contempt for the Underclass. It’s written by Sarah Jones, a reporter at New York Magazine who grew up in Appalachia.
The mountains of Appalachia are home to some killer rock climbing. And, in a lot of cases, its crags and cliffs are fairly easy to get to. That’s why some groups are choosing Appalachia as a climbing destination, a place to return to time and time again.
In 2023, Emily Chen-Newton reported this story about why climbing festivals are making a home in Appalachia.
Electricity prices continue to rise and people aren’t happy about it. In West Virginia, Appalachian Power customers have been paying hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden costs. That money is going to buy power from two coal plants that aren’t even located in the state.
WVPB’s Curtis Tate has more.
Humor runs deep here in Appalachia. Even online, where memes about mountain life seem to go viral all the time.
Last fall, Folkways Reporter Madeline Miller brought us this story about two artists who’ve taken holler humor to the digital realm.
Finally, apple cores, potato peels and other food waste are a big climate problem when they end up in landfills. Now, the city of Pittsburgh is giving residents a chance to save their food waste from becoming just trash. People can drop off food waste at city-run farmers markets, where it then becomes compost.
The Allegheny Front’s Isabell Kim visited the farmers market in the East Liberty neighborhood and brings us this report.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Gerry Milnes, John Inghram, Tim Bing, Paul Loomis and Blue Dot Sessions.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff 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 Clara Haizlett.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
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Southern West Virginia has rich but often overlooked musical traditions. Chris Haddox is a WVU professor of sustainable design, but he's also spent years uncovering more information on those overlooked musicians. We spoke with him to learn more about his effort to shine a light on the musical talents of local miners, now with the help of a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsWest Virginia Public Broadcasting's very own Randy Yohe was inducted into the Museum of Radio and Technology's West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame Tuesday.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsIf your doctor recommends a big test or procedure, a decision tool with the acronym B.R.A.I.N. can help you talk through options collaboratively. It works at a routine checkup or in high-stakes medical situations like childbirth. As part of the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, health reporters Kara Anthony and Blake Farmer brings the latest from the series, HealthQ.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsFrom The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh, brings us their latest story on the return of black lung disease to Appalachian coal miners.
Continue Reading Take Me to More News
