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.
Saci Suta offers food to Krishna in the devotee kitchen.
Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Our Folkways Reporter Zack Harold recently made a trip to the small town of New Vrindaban, in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.
It’s a Hare Krishna community started in the late 60s. These days, the town is home to a few hundred permanent residents, but thousands of pilgrims visit each year. They come to worship in the temple — and to visit the opulent Palace of Gold.
But those main attractions were a pretty small part of Zack’s trip. He ended up spending much of his time in the kitchen.
Tashi Dorji’s Album we will be wherever the fires are lit
Musician Tashi Dorji.
Courtesy Photo
Tashi Dorji was born in Bhutan and moved to western North Carolina in 2000. He’s been here ever since. Dorji released a slew of albums over the last 25 years, both as a solo artist and collaborator. His latest is all instrumental. The title, we will be wherever the fires are lit, appears in a poem on the album’s Bandcamp page.
Host Mason Adams spoke with Dorji about the poem and more.
Sharing Soul Food
Xavier Oglesby cuts onions for a macaroni salad he is cooking inside Manna House Ministries’ kitchen. A pot of boiling water is behind him, cooking the pasta for the dish.
Photo Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Soul food like cornbread, extra-cheesy mac and cheese and collard greens plays an important role in Black communities across Appalachia. In 2023, Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña spoke with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley, West Virginia.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jett Holden, Tashi Dorji, The Local Honeys, John Inghram and Grace Bowers and the Hodgepodge.
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 Editors Nicole Musgrave and Chris Julin.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Week, bats play a critical role in our ecosystems and agriculture, but their numbers are declining in the face of a changing climate and disease.
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.
Standing 230 feet tall on the State Capitol Complex, the America250 Wheel features 45 gondolas - one honoring each American president - and offers riders panoramic views stretching up to 14 miles across Charleston.
This week, Inside Appalachia discusses the influence and contributions of Oscar Micheaux, an African American filmmaker who lived in Virginia in the 1920s. Mason Adams speaks with Roanoke historian Jordan Bell about Micheaux's life and career.
