Culture

On this West Virginia Morning, we speak with a professor of musicology at West Virginia University who is also the editor of a book called, “The Opioid Epidemic and U.S. Culture: Expression, Art, and Politics in an Age of Addiction.” The book collects 23 essays by academics, artists, and activists about how art and the opioid epidemic overlap.

Did West Virginia inspire the John Denver Song “Take Me Home, County Roads?” The song is one of the things people across the globe connect with West Virginia. But there’s a debate about whether the song was really even written about the state. This year marks the 50th anniversary for the song.

On this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we are taking a much-needed break from the news. We’ll explore ways we can continue to stay connected with…

It was Arts Day at the Capitol. We spotlight the activities from the day, and we bring you a special report on an educational effort by the West Virginia…

In 2017, West Virginia Public Broadcasting featured one of West Virginia’s last remaining broom makers; Kanawha County resident Jim Shaffer. The story ended with a question: would this dwindling art continue once Shaffer retired? Well, it turns out, a whole family in Hampshire County makes brooms together, and they were inspired by Shaffer himself.

West Virginia’s arts and culture just got a boost through a federal grant.The National Endowment for the Arts, or NEA, awarded West Virginia nearly…

Acts of violence and protests resisting racial integration were features in many American communities in the 1950s and 60s. A tiny town in the coalfields…

Much of Appalachia’s economy has rested on the boom and bust cycles of industries like coal and manufacturing for decades. It’s true that these industries…

Ever hear the word 'Affrilachian'? In the 1990s, a poet in Kentucky named Frank X Walker came up with the term. It refers to African Americans living in…

An Israeli General Consul is in West Virginia this week visiting lawmakers as well as both Jewish and Christian groups.Sideman met with members of a…