Site icon West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Silas House And Making A State Park, Inside Appalachia

Published
Bill Lynch, Mason Adams, Irina Zhorov, Abby Neff, Andrea "river" Peterson, Eric Douglas
The cover of the book, "The Tulip Poplars" by Silas House.

The cover of "The Tulip Poplars" by Silas House.

Your browser doesn't support audio playback.

Author Silas House returns with a sweeping new novel.

Also, some folks say, you have to fake it ’til you make it, even if you’re trying to establish a state park.  

And, the story of the first Mothman sightings as written by a small town journalist in 1966.

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

In This Episode:

In Conversation With Silas House

Three white men standing in front of a truck. They are surrounded by mountain foothills and greenery.
Silas House, Tyler Childers and Jason Kyle Howard on set for the “In Your Love” music video by Tyler Childers.

Courtesy

Silas House is a prolific writer who is a vital voice in Appalachia. The Kentucky native has written more than 15 books, served as the state’s poet laureate, done music journalism and even wrote and directed a music video for Tyler Childers. 

His latest book is The Tulip Poplars. It’s a sweeping novel that chronicles the lives of four people as they navigate friendship and forbidden love throughout the 20th century.

Host Mason Adams recently spoke with House.

Exploring Ancient Cave Systems In Pennsylvania

David Cale stands below chandeliers he hung underground to light Laurel Caverns in Fayette County, PA.

Photo Credit: Andrea Peterson/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Across much of Appalachia, there’s a hidden world beneath your feet. The region is chock full of ancient cave systems. Some are just little caverns you can walk in and out of. Some are so deep nobody’s sure where they begin or end.

Folkways Reporter Andrea Peterson explored a once-privately owned underground landscape that recently became a Pennsylvania State Park.  

What Do We Lose When Newspapers Shutter?

The masthead of the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper is seen on the side of an office building where the paper was once located in Lexington, Kentucky.

Courtesy of Alex Acquisto

Print journalism has been struggling for years. What happens when a newspaper shutters or loses most of its staff, and what do we lose?

Support this Reporting

For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Andrew Henderson sat down with Alex Acquisto, who reported for the Lexington Herald-Leader, in eastern Kentucky. Acquisto was recently laid off, along with a dozen of her colleagues.

Retelling Columnist Mary Hyre’s Mothman Sightings

Mary Hyre’s column from the time of the initial Mason County Monster sighting.
Courtesy of The Athens Messenger

Fans of Appalachian monsters and cryptids know Mothman. In West Virginia lore, it’s a human-sized creature with wings and red eyes that glow. It was first spotted in the 1960s. A small-town newspaper writer covered the Mothman sightings. And then tragedy struck the town.

Last fall, WVPB News Director Eric Douglas looked at the Mothman’s origins through old newspaper clippings.

--

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Larry Rader, Harvey and Copeland and Blue Dot Sessions. 

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Irina Zhorov is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens and our Folkways Audio Engineer is Charlie Kaier. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Ibby Caputo.

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

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Exit mobile version