The Talking Appalachian Podcast
Talking Appalachian is a podcast about the Appalachian Mountain region's language or "voiceplaces," cultures, and communities. The podcast is hosted by Dr. Amy Clark, a Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at the University of Virginia's College at Wise. The podcast is based on her 2013 co-edited book Talking Appalachian: Voice, Identity, and Community. Her writing on Appalachia has appeared in the New York Times, Oxford American Magazine, Salon.com, on NPR, and Harvard University Press blog. She is also founder and director of the Appalachian Writing Project, which serves teachers, students, and the communities of the central Appalachian region.
Podcasting since 2023 • 68 episodes
The Talking Appalachian Podcast
Latest Episodes
Bonus Episode for Subscribers: Homer Hickam on Writing, Publishing, and his Latest Project
In this bonus clip, Homer talks about the time he challenged himself to write a romance novel, and his method for researching and studying the form. He also dives into the publishing world, and what he's doing to nurture Appalachian writers who...
Subscriber Episode
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8:42
Homer Hickam: From Rocket Boy to Bestselling Writer
Renowned author of 19 books and former NASA engineer Homer Hickam sits down with me and a few students at UVA's College at Wise to talk about his journey from the coalfields of West Virginia to becoming a celebrated author and esteemed engineer...
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Season 3
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Episode 68
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47:19
The Last Run: Molasses-Making in the Mountains
*From the Season 1 Archive*"Molassey," as that smoky, syrupy mixture is known in central Appalachia, is a dying tradition. Appalachians call the process of making molasses a 'stir-off,' and everybody in the community would come by to hel...
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Season 3
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Episode 67
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7:42
The "Re-Storification" of Appalachia with Jeff Biggers
Jeff Biggers is the author of The United States of Appalachia, In Sardina, Trials of a Scourge, and many more. You've heard me discuss his work on the podcast, particularly in New England, wh...
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Season 3
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Episode 66
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31:55
The Folklore and Custom of "Telling the Bees"
What does it mean to “tell the bees”? In this episode, we explore a centuries-old European custom carried into Appalachia by Scots-Irish, English, Welsh, and German settlers. Families once whispered news of births, marriages, and deaths to thei...
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Season 3
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Episode 65
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11:23
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