This week, we talk with East Tennessee’s Amythyst Kiah. Her new album contemplates the cosmos.Also, hair salons are important gathering places where Black women can find community. And West Virginia poet Torli Bush uses story to tackle tough subjects. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. Also, an Asheville musician’s latest guitar album is a call to arms. And we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.

This week, we visit a summer camp that’s part of the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan.Also, during the Great Depression, Osage, West Virginia was a raucous river town. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive.And, the author of an upcoming graphic novel about pipeline fighters has a message for people outside the region. You'll hear this story and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning.Corporate greed has been gobbling up newspapers for years. Now, some of those same companies are taking a bite out of mobile home parks. They’re raising rents and letting repairs slide.And, as the Mountain Valley Pipeline nears completion, people who live near it say government officials are ignoring their concerns about pollution.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, Inside Appalachia speaks with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. The labor struggle culminated in the largest armed uprising since the Civil War.Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can't spell. Froemel’s stories are drawn from small town life.And, one of the most common animals to get hit by cars are possums. But, there’s a kind of animal rescue called pouch picking. We talk with author Laura Jackson. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, a West Virginia baker draws on her Finnish heritage to make a different kind of cinnamon roll.Also, for nearly a century, some of Appalachia’s best wood carvers have trained at a North Carolina folk school. Newcomers are still welcomed in to come learn the craft.And, a conversation with Kentucky poet Willie Carver Jr. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, a talented, young folk singer looks for the balance between making music and making a living.After six generations, keeping the family farm going can be rough. We hear the story of the Wakefield family, which has farmed for six generations.And the Hellbender Salamander is the largest amphibian in North America. They’re picky about where they live, but their habitats are threatened.

This week, we turned our entire episode over to the question, “What is Appalachia?” With stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh, we asked people across our region whether they consider themselves to be Appalachian.

This week, a look back at some of the stories that shaped the show in 2024, like the story of an abandoned Fairmont Brine site in Marion County, West Virginia. It was a common hangout spot, but there’s a hidden danger. Also, food deserts are places where it’s hard to find nutritious food. Like disenfranchised neighborhoods in East Knoxville, Tennessee. And, not all bamboo is invasive. In fact, there’s a species native to Appalachia.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick.Also, family recipes bring generations together. But what happens when you’ve got grandma’s potato candy recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements? And a new book explores the magical dark side of nature. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.