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America's Awesome Kids
West Virginia’s children ages 8-10 have the opportunity to “tell their stories” as part of the America’s Awesome Kids project. A partnership between WVPB and WGBH in Boston.
Writer Sheila McEntee has been observing nature for most of her life, especially birds. She’s published essays about her experiences in Stonecrop Review, Woods Reader and Wonderful West Virginia magazine. Several of these essays have been collected for McEntee’s first book. It’s titled, "Soul Friend: And Other Love Notes to the Natural World." Bill Lynch spoke with McEntee about writing and developing an interest in nature.
Hurricane Helene Comes To The Mountains, Inside Appalachia
High winds and soggy grounds from Hurricane Helene caused multiple trees in Mercer County to topple onto houses and roads. Courtesy of Greg Puckett
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Hurricane Helene dumped nearly 30 inches of rain in parts of western North Carolina and east Tennessee. Communities are reeling from the devastation. We check-in with Lilly Knoepp at Blue Ridge Public Radio in western North Carolina.
Also, a new book illustrates the tiny worlds of mountain critters, like a lizard that changes color.
AndWhite potters co-opted the African art of face jugs in the 1800s. A modern-day Black potter says his art can’t be replicated.
Hurricane Helene brought flooding through Appalachia, including southwestern Virginia.
Photo by Roxy Todd
As we were working on this week’s show, Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast. The storm washed away roads and bridges, knocked out power and cell service and left a trail of devastation. Many people are still missing, and the number of confirmed dead continues to rise. Mason Adams spoke with Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter Lilly Knoepp, who lives in western North Carolina, near where the storm caused the most damage.
Helene also rocked southwestern Virginia. Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd reported.
Rosalie Haizlett Explores “Tiny Worlds”
“Tiny Worlds” is a menagerie of little critters found in the Appalachian Mountains.
Photo by Rosalie Haizlett
In 2022, nature artist Rosalie Haizlett set out on a trip to illustrate some of the tiny “critters” of the Appalachian mountains. Her illustrations became “Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains, an Artist’s journey.” Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Haizlett about the book.
Reclaiming An African Art
African Face Jugs came to America through Slavery. Artist Jim McDowell uses the art form to speak about the African American experience.
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You’ve probably seen pottery with a face on it.
There are lots of examples of face-shaped vessels out there — from cheap souvenir shop knick-knacks to museum-quality pieces that can sell for millions of dollars.
Some are connected to African Face Jugs, an artform made by enslaved people in the deep South in the mid-1800s.
In 2023, Folkways reporter Zack Harold traced the story of Face Jugs, beginning in the basement pottery studio of West Virginia artist Ed Klimek.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Dinosaur Burps, Sierra Ferrell, Sean Watkins, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Paul Loomis, Blue Dot Sessions
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. We had help this week from folkways editor Chris Julin.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, despite heavy public opposition, the state Department of Environmental Protection has approved air quality and construction permits for an energy microgrid between the towns of Davis and Thomas in Canaan Valley. And, a six-year battle to prevent construction of a natural gas pipeline was lost.
On this West Virginia Morning, South Fork Coal – which had operations that were contested by numerous conservation groups – has idled its operations and furloughed its remaining employees. And, a little-known piece of Harpers Ferry’s storied history is getting some attention.
Disaster survivors do not need to wait for insurance settlement to apply. The SBA can make a low interest disaster loan, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.
In February, flooding swept through Central Appalachia, killing at least 27 people across Kentucky and West Virginia and necessitating water rescues in Virginia and Tennessee. Six months after the flood people in southern West Virginia are still on a slow path to recovery.
