Natural Dyes And A ‘Wishtree’ Controversy, Inside Appalachia

This week, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist. 

We also talk with a children’s book author about a school system that suspended its community reading program over concerns about the sex of her book’s main character — an oak tree.

And, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program is now available in every Kentucky community. We revisit our 2022 interview with the American icon. 

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

• The Colors In The Weeds
• A Controversy About Wishtree
• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Continues To Grow

The Colors In The Weeds

Dede Styles in North Carolina uses common roadside plants to make natural dyes for fabrics. She teaches the craft, but it’s also part of a bigger mission for Styles.

Folkways Reporter Rebecca Williams brings us this story.

A Controversy About Wishtree

Floyd County schools in Virginia host a program called “One Division, One Book.” They distribute a copy of the same book to every family, with a schedule to read a few chapters each night. This year, the book was Wishtree, by Newbery Award winner Katherine Applegate, but partway through the reading, the school abruptly suspended the program.

Applegate recently visited Floyd and Mason Adams spoke with her.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Continues To Grow

One program that’s connecting rural counties with books is pop icon Dolly Parton’s “Imagination Library.” Started in 1995, the childhood literacy program sends books to children all over the world at no charge to their families. 

Last month, the program became available to all children aged five and under in Kentucky.

When that happened in West Virginia in 2022, Dolly Parton visited Charleston and spoke with former WVPB Executive Producer Suzanne Higgins.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Sturgill Simpson, Todd Burge, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Jeff Ellis, John Inghram, Dolly Parton and Gerry Milnes.

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 Jennifer Goren.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.