Real Appalachia

Like any traditional song that has endured through generations, there are lots of versions of “John Henry.” There are also many different interpretations of the song. For some people who grew up in Black communities in Appalachia, the song elicits a variety of feelings.

Appalachian old-time music is a confluence of many cultural traditions, including those of Africans and African Americans, Native Americans, and the Scots-Irish. Yet the contributions of Black and Indigenous musicians have often been denied and overlooked. In Floyd County, Virginia one man is working to amplify the participation of Black musicians in old-time music.

In the U.S., rap and hip-hop are usually associated with big cities like New York, L.A., and Atlanta. But hip-hop artists exist all over, including in rural areas. Our Inside Appalachia Folkways reporter Nicole Musgrave spoke with a group of hip-hop artists in the coalfields of Wise County, Virginia who are bringing more public attention to the music they’re making, while supporting other up and coming artists.

Have you ever heard of the Marmet Slaw Dog? The secret recipe for the was thought to be lost, but in recent years, has been rediscovered.

Throughout Appalachia, many communities share a common concern: As the young people leave and the older generations pass on, who will carry on the traditions?But in Wheeling, West Virginia, one young man, Dalton Haas, is determined to reverse this trend. He’s committed to bringing his community home, to the sound of church bells and the smells of homemade cooking.

In a special report as part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Project, Nicole Musgrave, traces the surprising history of gingerbread in Knott County, Kentucky from everyday treat, to election time tradition, to fundraising champion.

Hand pies can be savory or sweet, fried or baked, and some are sprinkled with sugar. Inside Appalachia Folkways reporter Kelley Libby found that with inspiration and local ingredients, hand-pie makers in Appalachia are getting creative.

Juggling work and child care has never been easy, but it’s gotten even more complicated during the coronavirus pandemic. Our child care system is in crisis.The system was patchwork and threadbare before this year. Working parents in the United States face a lot of pressure. And child care workers are often underpaid, overworked, and undervalued.In this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia we’ll hear from several people who have had to adjust their lives and work in the midst of the global pandemic.

It’s been quite a stressful couple of months for most of us. For this episode of Inside Appalachia, we wanted to slow down, take a breath, and talk about one of our favorite foods — cookies!We'll get some baking tips on a very special kind of cookie, made with local buckwheat and stone ground flour.

There is a story about a special type of heirloom tomato, called the Mortgage Lifter. These tomatoes are big, pink and sweet, that were so popular in southern West Virginia, they helped their creator pay off his mortgage. Except, that’s not the end of the story. There is another “mortgage lifter” tomato.