This week, in author Willie Carver, Jr.’s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend. Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause. And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet.
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.
There are still many questions that surround the chemical incident near Institute last week that killed two workers. Chris Schulz spoke with Dr. Christopher Martin, a specialist in occupational and environmental medicine at West Virginia University (WVU), to try and shed some light on what happened.
On this West Virginia Week, the air around the site of a chemical leak near Institute is determined safe, the state reaches a settlement with Roblox, and Charleston photographer Perry Bennett represents Team USA in Iceland.
This week, in author Willie Carver, Jr.’s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend. Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause. And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet.
Kentucky writer Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr’s new book Tore All To Pieces weaves poetry and short stories into a narrative about people and place. Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch recently spoke with Carver and brings us this conversation.
