There've been told stories of a big, black dog with glowing red eyes that mysteriously shows up at odd times and places here in Appalachia, leaving nothing good behind. Today we tell one of these stories. The MountainLore podcast is available on RadioPublic, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and a host of other podcast apps. We're on Facebook a…

Hello folks... Today we share with you our Christmas episode, which we recorded during a Facebook Live Audio session on our Facebook page @myappalachia. We talk about Christmas traditions, food, and we share some interesting letters to Old St. Nick that were written in years gone by. Give us a listen. You can subscribe to the My Appalachia podcast …

We're back with our November podcast, and this week we continue our conversations with folks from Appalachia. We spoke with Johnson City, Tennessee, private investigator Steve St. John, who tells us about the "glamorous" life of a P.I., and also shares a funny story about a squirrel in Mountain City, Tennessee. You can subcribe to My Appalachia at …

Today the podcast is a bit of a free form, inspired by all the insane things going on across our country, culminating in today's attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh. As the title of this episode says, vote or we all end up in hell. Thanks for giving us a listen. We can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn or on your favorite po…

East Tennessee was the focus of the world this past Monday as Donald Trump brought his traveling campaign rally to Johnson City. My Appalachia was there to talk with both Trump supporters and Trump protesters, and hear both sides. And, as part of this, we are pleased to introduce our guest host this week, broadcaster and author Jeffrey Alan Payne, …

We're baccckkkk!!! Hello folks, it's good to be back on the internet. On this episode Steve and Gena talk a bit about the Tennessee election; then it's on to a discussion of Appalachian folklore spurred by a story about a series of ghostly incidents in the building in which the podcast is recorded; then we talk to Rod Mullins, coordinator of the Ta…

Over the past few weeks, we've been sharing the MountainLore podcast on the My Appalachia page. For those of you who have been listening through www.myappalachia.net, we invite you to come on over to www.mountainlore.net and subscribe to the full podcasts!By Steve Gilly, Rod Mullins, Gena Gilly

Today Steve and Gena tell you three witch stories from western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia about dealing with young love, the hunt, and casting hexes. We hope you enjoy. You can subscribe to MountainLore on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook and Twitter @myappalachia. If you have a gho…

There are many places in Appalachia with strange stories told about them. One of these places is Roan Mountain, on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Today Steve and Gena tell the tale of a ghostly choir that some say originates in hell that's supposedly found on the top of the mountain. MountainLore is found on Apple Podcasts, Stitch…

Today on the MountainLore podcast, Steve and Gena have the story of how an innocent man's execution cast a long shadow, literally, across an Appalachian community. MountainLore is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app; be sure to subscribe. We have more tales from Appalachian folklore for you on our Face…

Hello folks, welcome to our new podcast! Today we get things started with a ghost story. The Reed Gold Mine was opened during the first gold rush, in Western North Carolina, back in the first part of the 19th century. And the mine needed workers, one of whom was Eugene Mills, whose wife, Eleanor, was more enthusiastic about his working there than h…

No, we're not necessarily advocating arming the teachers; we talk today about the West Virginia teachers strike that's going on. Then we move on to the third rail of guns, where we talk about the spontaneous movement led by teens who were at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and what to do about the continuing string of school shootings in this …

Hello podcast listeners! Today, it's just Gena and Steve, since Rod has lost his voice and is under the weather, but even with 1/3 of the crew missing, we carry on. We talk about the Appalachian tradition of planting by the signs, then look ahead to this spring to give some hints on when to plant, courtesy of the Old Farmer's Almanac; We then talk …

This week we take a look at religion in Appalachia by sharing some of our experiences in church during our time growing up in this place we call home, as well as our views on faith and spirituality as opposed to religion. We appreciate you listening. If you'd like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do so at Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Feedburner or…

On this week's episode of My Appalachia, we take a look at the state of the arts in Appalachia; both Kentucky and West Virginia are looking to defund the arts and education in those states, prompting a teacher sit in at the West Virginia state capitol in Charleston on Friday; the need for arts in the area; and a look at an Appalachian dance form, c…

Hello folks... This week Rod, Steve and Gena sit down for a conversation that goes all over the place, from Governor Matt Bevin's budget proposal that cuts a lot of programs that people use in Kentucky; that leads to a discussion of the problems in Washington with the budget and the return of pork; naturally, that leads Steve to give you a couple o…

Hello folks, it's good to be back! This week on My Appalachia, we talk about some of the places where you'll find natural beauty, history, or just odd stuff. From the Breaks Interstate Park to the Lost Sea to a bike trail from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., to a giant teapot, Appalachia has it all, and we'll tell you about it, or at least as much …

Today we look again at the opioid epidemic in Appalachia and efforts to legalize medical cannabis as a way to combat those highly addictive painkillers. You can subscribe to My Appalachia at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In, or on your favorite podcast app. We are on Twitter @myappalachia; we're now on Facebook, too, @myappalachia. Thanks for list…

This week, we talk with Ira Jackson Seay, who has written two books about his very interesting life in Virginia. Mr. Seay tells us of his days making and running shine in Henry and Franklin Counties, among other interesting stories. We hope you enjoy. You can subscribe to My Appalachia at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In or on your favorite podcas…

It's Christmastime in Appalachia, and this week Gena, Rod and Steve talk about Appalachian food, traditions, and folklore for this time of the year. We also get into the fruitcake a little too much, too, which leads to talk of possum, fresh and canned, and sundry other things! We're on Twitter @myappalachia. You can subscribe to the podcast at Appl…

Hello podcast listeners! On today's episode, Rod tells us about his recent trip to Pikeville to visit Bit Source, a recent high tech company formed to train and employ laid-off miners and others in need of work with decent paying jobs that have a future. We also talk about entrepreneurship as a way to develop new and profitable employment in Appala…

Hello podcast listeners! On this week's episode of My Appalachia, we talk with Seth McLaughlin, a nurse practitioner and herbalist. Seth tells us about common herbs in Appalachia and their uses; other medicinal plants from around the world; and tells some stories about the history and Indian traditions of Appalachian plant use. Seth is on the facul…

On this week's episode of My Appalachia, we're pleased to introduce you to Luke Bauserman, blogger, storyteller, author of Some Dark Holler, and who has his own website dedicated to spooky and offbeat Appalachian history, The Weekly Holler; then Rod tells us about his experiences at telling stories in Pound, Virginia, we tell the history of the Int…

It's time for English class, folks...Appalachian English! On today's episode of My Appalachia, we look at the thing that sets us apart from other Americans, our dialect. We discuss its origins, some rules of grammar, how we are looked at because of our accent and choice of words and phrases, and we look at words that are peculiar to Appalachian Eng…

On this week's episode of My Appalachia, Gena chats with Cody and Rene Helms, two young Appalachian entrepreneurs from East Tennessee who have decided to make a business out of beekeeping. That leads us to a discussion of the uses of honeybees, including helping to reclaim worked out mountaintop removal sites back to a healthy ecosystem. Gena also …

One of the most well-known holiday traditions in southern Appalachia is the running of the Santa Train, which takes place on November 18th. Started as a way to show the appeciation of Kingsport, Tennessee, merchants for all the business they got from Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, the Santa Train has evolved into something akin to Santa a…

Today on the podcast, we start by introducing you to an amazing immigrant to East Tennessee, Monica Neubert. Monica had a life altering experience that she shares with Gena, which led her to discover artistic talents she never knew she had. That leads us to talk about other Appalachians who have gone through similar circumstances, which leads to a …

Welcome in to this week's episode of My Appalachia. Gena is out this week, but Rod and Steve are here to talk about the latest unsuccessful attempt by white nationalists to organize a rally in an Appalachian town, this time in Murfreesboro and in Shelbyville, both in Tennessee; a development conference was held in Pittsburgh to hash out ideas to he…

Blair Mountain in West Virginia is the site of a 1921 pitched battle between coal miners and 3000 lawmen and strikebreakers that actually included aerial bombing of the miners. This battle is the most famous in the mine wars that took place in the coalfields as the UMWA organized the mines against the violent opposition of mine owners. Today it is …

Rod and Steve had the opportunity to speak with Appalachian author Sharyn McCrumb, who was in Kingsport, Tennessee, promoting her latest book, The Unquiet Grave. Today, we're going to share that conversation with you. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean or on your favorite podcast app. We're also on Twitter @myappa…

Two thirds of the hosts of the podcast are glad to be here to discuss last week's explosions at Eastman Chemical in Kingsport; that turns to a discussion of healthcare and RAM's appearance in Grundy, Virginia; the opioid crisis continues, and we introduce our countdown of the top five drug stories of the week; then we wrap up on a more positive not…

Hello, folks. Today we tell you about a recent conference on Appalachian stories, genealogy, history and culture that took place at the Breaks Interstate Park in Virginia last weekend, and the concept of "cultural tourism," which can be good, as in the aforementioned conference, or not-so-good, as in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. That lea…

Yeah, we know it's been awhile, but sometimes life gets in the way. Whadda ya do? On this episode of the podcast, we take a look at one of the rarest things in the country: listening to each other. We talk about the recent Trump supporters' rally in D.C., at which protesting Black Lives Matter folks were invited to take the stage and explain a bit …

With the events in Charlottesville this past weekend, we have decided to take a look back at where we have been in Appalachia, in terms of race. We do this to both show how bad things used to be here, but also as a warning as to how things could become again if we give in to the hateful rhetoric that we heard Friday and Saturday. On this podcast, R…

Hello folks! This week we're looking at the role sports, especially high school football, has played in knitting Appalachian communities together over the years, as we share some of our memories of long ago high school days. Then we talk about local dirt racing and NASCAR and how that has also become part of our culture and identity as Appalachians…

On this podcast Steve, Rod and Gena talk about land use in Appalachia, an important issue to deal with as we continue the slog on towards a post-coal economy; then we turn to what's become the topic of the day, health care. We look at how we got to the point where thousands of Appalachians show up for medical care at an event that was designed for …

Hello folks. Today Rod looks at the dire economic issues facing Dickenson County in Southwest Virginia, as well as in Southside Virginia. Then we look at some solutions that have been proposed, including a ten year tax "holiday" for the coalfields that is the brainchild of a Virginia state representative. We also talk about the possibility of a sor…

This week on My Appalachia we take a look at those summer festivals that pop up from North Carolina to Pennsylvania and tell you when some of the more interesting ones are scheduled; then we talk with one of the folks who work the festival circuit, caricaturist William Morrison, from Johnson City, Tennessee, who is following his dream. You can subs…

On this podcast, Rod has an update on the Dickenson County Memorial and Industrial High School Building, and some thoughts on how to save it for future generations. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @myappalachia and on the web at www.myappalachia.net. Thanks for …

Today Rod and Steve take a look at the type of people we elect to represent us, and whether those people have our best interests at heart, or their own. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean or on your favorite podcast app. You can follow us on Twitter @myappalachia. Be sure to share us with your friends. Thanks for …

My picking beans from my garden the past few weeks and sharing pictures of canning on Twitter has sparked a conversation about the foods we like to eat, Appalachian comfort foods if you will. Rod's not with us this week, but you can join Steve and Gena as they talk about those staples of Appalachian fine cuisine, like soup beans, chow chow, ramps, …

Today Rod and Steve tell about the Dickenson County Memorial and Industrial High School, which is facing possible demolition. We talk about the possibilities for the school and invite you to make your views known through a Change.org petition (found here). You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite…

Hello again folks...no Gena this week, but Rod and Steve take the reins and talk about the arts in Appalachia. We also have an interview with the son of Francis Gary Powers, the U2 pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, who has a new book out featuring correspondence between his grandparents, aunts and his father while Powers was in a Russi…

On this episode, Rod, Gena and Steve take a look at the origins of the opioid epidemic in America from ground zero: Appalachia. Our area was the initial target for the introduction of these highly addictive painkillers, and we tell you just exactly why that was. Thanks for listening. We're available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, the Podbean App o…

Today, we take a look at race and racism by way of the march in Pikeville, Kentucky, last Saturday by neo-nazis, neo-Confederates and white power groups, along with the countermarch by Antifas, all outside players on a stage they thought they knew, but didn't: Appalachia. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or …

Welcome to our second episode, folks! Today, we take a look at a number of topics, from entrepreneurism and why Appalachians might not be naturals at it; types of local business that have been successful, and can potentially be successful, from craft beer and legal moonshine producers to hemp and marijuana; Twitter brings us a discussion of eugenic…

Listen for the show on Radio Appalachia, Monday evenings at 6. Easiest way to find the radio station is to download the Tune In app on your phone, then search and add us to your favorites list. You can also visit the Radio Appalachia website at www.myradioappalachia.com and listen to the station from there. Radio Appalachia plays an Americana forma…

Hello folks, and welcome in to the first episode of My Appalachia! On this episode, Rod, Gena and Steve introduce themselves, then get right into that elephant in the room: coal. We talk about the Miner's Protection Act, then go on to look at a few of the possiblilities, post-coal. If you have any suggestions about future episodes, tweet us @myappa…

A brief introduction to the show, which is coming soon. Look forward to talking with you.By Steve Gilly, Rod Mullins, Gena Gilly