Inside Appalachia

Series produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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Inside Appalachia is our weekly radio and podcast, hosted by Mason Adams. The show highlights West Virginia’s cultural heritage and brings those stories to a broader audience.

Inside Appalachia is currently heard on 33 stations in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The show highlights West Virginia’s cultural heritage and brings those stories to a broader audience. We strive to tell real stories about what it’s like to live here, and feature Appalachians who are finding unique solutions.
The program gives voice to and provides a platform for the underserved, overlooked, and often dismissed residents of Appalachia.
We’ve recently expanded the show to tell more stories about our region’s diverse arts and culture, through our grant-funded Folkways Project.


182 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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This week, a pair of former miners found love shoveling coal and shaped a life making wooden spoons. We also visit with NASCAR Hall of Famer Leonar...

  • Added: Apr 17, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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Spring wildflowers are in bloom, and some of the most common species play an important role in herbal medicine. What’s your favorite style of eggro...

  • Added: Apr 10, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk about traditional ballads, how they tell stories, and connect us to the past. These old tunes can mean so ...

  • Added: Apr 03, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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This week, the Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. We also hear about how...

  • Added: Mar 26, 2024
  • Length: 53:31
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Red Terry’s property in Bent Mountain, Virginia, is in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. She says the place was beautiful. Plus, almost eve...

  • Added: Mar 19, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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How important is place? This week on Inside Appalachia, we ask people from Mississippi, to Georgia, to Pittsburgh-- do you consider yourself Appala...

  • Added: Mar 12, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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For nearly a century, some of the best wood carvers in Appalachia have trained at a folk school in North Carolina. Newcomers can still learn the cr...

  • Added: Feb 27, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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It’s Black History Month. In this episode, we hear about a long-running tradition at one of Appalachia’s historically Black universities --the annu...

  • Added: Feb 22, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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One thing about Appalachians... we can get competitive. We’re proud of our local food. Love a good hunt. And enjoy competition with friends. This...

  • Added: Feb 13, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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When the farming startup AppHarvest launched in Kentucky, it promised good jobs in coal country — but some workers called it a grueling hell on ear...

  • Added: Feb 07, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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In 2016, a wildfire escaped the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It killed 14 people, injured dozens more and destroyed parts of Gatlinburg and...

  • Added: Jan 31, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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In Virginia, Alleghany and Covington high schools were rivals for decades. But now, they’ve merged. This week, we head to a home football game and ...

  • Added: Jan 24, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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Black lung disease is back. In fact, it never went away. As miners try to get at ever thinner coal seams, they’re digging into rock, and all that d...

  • Added: Jan 17, 2024
  • Length: 53:31
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Throughout 2023, we brought you stories from our Folkways Reporting project. Folkways focuses on arts… Culture… and the spirit of Appalachia’s peop...

  • Added: Jan 10, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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Since 1967, Foxfire has been a storehouse of traditional Appalachian knowledge in ways that still help people today. Foxfire’s heritage includes p...

  • Added: Jan 03, 2024
  • Length: 53:30
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This week, some of our favorite stories from 2023. Appalachia saw challenge and calamity, but people found joy … and strength. We also discovered h...

  • Added: Dec 27, 2023
  • Length: 53:30
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This week, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick. We visit with Kentucky’s Minnie Adki...

  • Added: Dec 20, 2023
  • Length: 53:30
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This week, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags... Meanwhile, climbers ha...

  • Added: Dec 13, 2023
  • Length: 53:30
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This week, punk music photographer Chelse Warren takes us into the pit. We hop on a tiny train to discover the miniature wonders of a West Virgini...

  • Added: Dec 06, 2023
  • Length: 53:30
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In an encore edition of last year's holiday episode, James Beard-nominated West Virginia chefs Mike Costello and Amy Dawson serve up special dishe...

  • Added: Nov 28, 2023
  • Length: 53:31