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Appalachians have always made use of the region’s wide variety of plants. A new book, called Appalachian Plants: In the Garden, In the Yard, and In the Wild, explores some of the history and lore of regional staples. It’s written by Linda Hager Pack and illustrated by Pat Banks. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with them.
Workhorses And The Intimacy Of Spoons, Inside Appalachia
Now farming on the western end of Tazewell County, Virginia, at the foot of historic Paint Lick Mountain, Charlie Lawson uses Betty and Millie to prepare the ground for spring plantingConnie Bailey Kitts/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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A few people still farm the way folks did before tractors. We visit with farmers who still rely on real workhorses to get their work done.
Also, Kentucky artist Lacy Hale’s “No Hate in My Holler” screenprint may never go out of style. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.
And a Virginia poet reflects on the importance of spoons and what’s helped his writing.
A family photo of Danny Wingate using a team of horses to plow his sister’s garden in Comers Rock, Virginia. Shortly after being interviewed for this story, Wingate passed away.
Workhorses On The Farm
Before the tractor, farmers in Appalachia relied on workhorses to plow fields and pull their wagons. In southwestern Virginia, the practice has mostly disappeared, often along with the farms themselves. But a few farmers never let go of farming with a horse.
Folkways reporter Connie Bailey Kitts had the story.
No Hate In My Holler
In Pound, Virginia, a mural depicts an old woman smoking a pipe and holding a baby wrapped in a big bright quilt. The mural honors midwife Nancy Mullins Shores and is part of a growing body of work by artist Lacy Hale. Her work also includes the viral image “No Hate in My Holler.” In 2022, Mason Adams spoke with Hale about her work, but also caught up with her recently.
Writer Jim Minick explores meanings in silverware, among other things in “The Intimacy of Spoons.”
Jim Minick And The Intimacy Of Spoons
Jim Minick made a career as a writing professor, teaching at colleges and universities in Georgia, South Carolina and southwestern Virginia, but he’s also the author or editor of eight books. His latest is a volume of poetry/collection of poems titled The Intimacy of Spoons.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Minick about Appalachian book festivals and writing about silverware.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Ed Snodderly, James Michael Stevens, Morgan Wade, John Blissard, Tim Bing, Sierra Ferrell and Kaia Kater.
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 find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Data center proposals are popping up in West Virginia – and in neighboring Pennsylvania, where one small community is juggling seven different potential projects. From The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh, we hear from that community and their concerns.
Many West Virginians may not remember the name Doris “Dorie” Miller, but he served on the USS West Virginia when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor. While Miller was never trained to fight, he raced to the deck on the day of the attack and fought back - shooting down at least one enemy plane. In 2020, a new aircraft was commissioned by the U.S. Navy and named for Miller. But recent stories have surfaced with talk of renaming it after President Donald Trump. We speak with Scott Womack, the commander of American Legion Post 100 in Monroe, West Virginia, to discuss the group’s recent resolution that the Navy should retain Miller’s name on the ship.
On this West Virginia Week, the state signs a memorandum of understanding about nuclear energy, the Public Service Commission disputes need for a transmission line, and 9/11 is remembered.
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.