Kelley Libby
Inside Appalachia EditorKelley Libby is a Virginia-based public radio editor and producer. She currently edits for Inside Appalachia and its Folkways Reporting Project at WVPB. She also produces episodes of the Broken Ground podcast from the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville. Kelley is the creator and producer of UnMonumental, a Localore: Finding America project, and was for many years a producer at With Good Reason. Kelley’s work has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, StoryCorps, BackStory, and Re:Sound, and at the HearSay International Audio Arts Festival. She holds an MA in Writing and Rhetoric from Virginia Commonwealth University and attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
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The banjo, an instrument closely associated with mountain music, originated in Africa and came to America with enslaved Africans. In the 1830s and 1840s, it was taken up by white musicians and became a staple of minstrelsy, a form of racist entertainment in which white performers—often in blackface—depicted stereotypes of Black Americans. Eventually the banjo crossed fully over into white public culture and was separated from its African roots and identity. Now, there’s an emerging movement of Black musicians who are reclaiming the banjo and taking the instrument—and its sound—in new directions. -
Each October, storytellers and audiences of all ages gather at the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. This year, because of the pandemic, the festival is going virtual. It takes place the first weekend in October. We thought it was a fitting time to listen back to an episode of Inside Appalachia — which is all about the art of live storytelling.
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This week, we’ve pulled a few gems from our archive. We’re listening back to some of our favorite Inside Appalachia stories from the past year.
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Appalachian Zines, A Racial Revamp For Rock Climbing Routes And W.Va. Musician John R. Miller SpeaksIn the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear stories from creators across Appalachia and how they process their lives through their art. Everything from songwriting, to photography, to self-published zines. Suzie Kelly has been making zines for more than 20 years. She talks about how DIY publishing can connect people in unexpected ways.
