This week's premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded on the campus of West Virginia University at the Canady Creative Arts Center. On this episode, we hear live performances from Duke Robillard Band, Cedric Burnside, Sam Weber, Las Cafeteras, and The Black Feathers.
Biscuits, gravy, pepperoni rolls, fried chicken, and… salt? This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re investigating the history and stories of some of Appalachia’s most famous foods with the help of Gravy, a podcast produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance.
We’ll hear about the revitalization of West Virginia’s salt production industry, the complicated history of fried chicken, and the growing popularity of Appalachian food in major urban centers.
The Hidden History of Kanawha Valley Salt
Did you know? A young Booker T. Washington cut his teeth in the salt mines in Malden, not far from where Nancy Bruns and Lewis Payne are working to revive their family’s historic salt company, JQ Dickinson Salt. The siblings have re-designed the process that their ancestors used to create the product that was known worldwide for its distinct flavor and pink hue, all the while keeping in mind the slave labor that fueled their family’s salt’s original success.
Our Not-So-Simple Relationship with Fried Chicken
Later, we’ll take a look at the complicated relationship between race and fried chicken. While soul food has provided opportunities for economic mobility for some African Americans, many feel uncomfortable enjoying traditional food in public because of the harsh stereotypes associated with their consumption.
On this West Virginia Morning, uncertainty about the future amidst a changing climate has given rise in recent years to a phenomenon known as "climate anxiety." Ahead of Earth Day Monday, Chris Schulz spoke with Amy Parsons-White, sustainability manager for Marshall University, to discuss this mental health issue and potential solutions.
Elliott Stewart has been making zines since he was 13 years old. His ongoing zine “Porch Beers” is an incisive look at Appalachian culture, through the eyes of a queer trans man.
On this West Virginia Morning, digital devices and social media command more and more of our attention these days. Balancing this and creating healthy boundaries for increasingly younger children is becoming a bigger part of being a parent. Chris Schulz takes a look at this issue in the latest installment of, “Now What? A Series On Parenting.”
On this West Virginia Morning, harm reduction advocates celebrate an anniversary and a discussion about the state’s role in supplying the global market of natural gas.