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.
Episodes
36 episodes
Adriana Trigiani: a Bestselling Author on Books, Movies, Podcasting, and Place
Adri and I sit down at the Library of Virginia to catch up and talk about writing, The Origin Project, her podcast (
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Season 2
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25:56
Finding Glimmers with Poet Jane Hicks and Music by Tiffany Williams
Poet Jane Hicks is the author of three award-winning poetry collections: Blood and Bone Remember, Driving with the Dead, and recently,
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Season 2
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29:33
"Hillbilly" and an Interview with Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker Ashley York
In this episode, I explore the word "hillbilly" with native Kentuckian and documentary filmmaker Ashley York, who co-directed the award-winning film by the same name in 2018. I talk about the history of the word first, and then Ashley and I dis...
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Season 2
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41:54
The Meaning of "Redneck" and Its Role in the U.S. Labor Movement
Redneck. Hillbilly. White Trash. These are some of the class-based words used to describe people of Appalachia. But did you know that redneck, in particular, has a very special meaning associated with red bandanas worn in solidarity by...
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24:38
Appalachia's Scottish Roots and the Influences of Scots Gaelic
Musician and storyteller Jack Beck, a native of Dunfermline, Scotland, joins me in this episode to talk about his homeland's cultural connection to the Appalachian region. He'll tell us about: how Scots-English came to be part of the Appalachia...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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46:15
A Conversation with Barbara Kingsolver Part II
In this continuation of the Barbara Kingsolver episodes, the eastern Kentucky native gives her last talk on her novel, Demon Copperhead on the campus of The University of Virginia's College at Wise
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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1:03:08
A Conversation with Pulitzer Winning Author of Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver (Part 1)
In this first of two episodes with the author of Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver says she is "bringing Demon home" in her last talk about the novel. She discusses her love of her Appalachian language, how the novel began at the de...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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45:01
Mountain Lake Lodge in Southwest Virginia: History, Mystery, and Hollywood
Join us as we spend a weekend at beautiful Mountain Lake Lodge in this Appalachian Places and Spaces episode. Hear about the history of the lodge, dating back to the 1700's, and why the property was once known as "Salt Pond." We'l...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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23:58
The Origin of "Dog Days" and Its Folklore, and the Southern Appalachian City of Knoxville
Dog Days has begun, and I'm exploring the origins of this 16th century phrase. Did you know the season from July 3rd to August 11 coincides with Sirius, or Canis Major (in the shape of a dog) of the Orion Constellation? Joining me in this...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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32:01
The Tradition of Prayer Cloths, and the Only Town in Appalachia That's Named "Appalachia"
Prayer cloths are symbols of a deep and widespread faith that has been in Appalachia since its settlement. From simple squares to quilts to shawls, prayers are embedded in the fibers, along with a promise that faith has healing power. Learn abo...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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10:17
The word "Holler," Lightning Bug or Firefly, and Spellcheck by Anne Shelby
Those of us who grew up in a "holler" know that they can be deep, dark valleys or winding roads between hills. But did you know holler also refers to yodeling, calling, yelling? And if you've never heard "holler down a rainbarrel" you might be ...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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19:17
The Myth of Isolation in Appalachia
We know modern Appalachia isn't isolated, so why do people keep using that word to describe a region that includes 13 states and 25 million people? This episode is a commentary on the origins of isolation (the word and the concept), ho...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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25:14
'Eye Dialect' as a Contributor to Stereotype and Michael Montgomery's Research on the Written Dialect of 18th Century Documents
Early authors used "eye dialect," or a deliberate misspelling of words that doesn't change how they sound (like "tu" for "to" or "uv" for "of.") This literary practice, based on the authors' observations of what they heard people say, was to ma...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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9:26
Talking Cherokee, Resilience and Devotion
A Cherokee language revival is underway, thanks to the efforts of the Cherokee Nation and their communities in Oklahoma and western North Carolina. The story of Cherokee language history and the work to create Cherokee language schools and imme...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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40:19
The Burial Ground in the Woods Part II
How do ghosts speak through their artifacts? As we continue the story of the burial ground in the woods, I'm joined by Dr. Angela Washington, my co-researcher and family. We talk about the chilling death portrait that proved to be our starting ...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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28:01
The Burial Ground in the Woods
What secrets does a 19th century burial ground hold, when the stones have no words or dates, and family folklore says they belonged to enslaved people? In this episode, I'm joined by William Isom II of
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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31:58
Talking Appalachian in Ireland
Join us in beautiful Ireland where we learn about a town with two names (Londonderry/Derry), an Irishman's take on "hillbilly," familiar words and pronunciations, and a primitive alphabet inspired by trees.
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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23:38
The Woodcarver
The sisters remembered her "witchy" looking dolls, but they were forever haunted by that one day when the woodcarver's knife nearly took their mother's life.In this episode, I retell a chilling story told to me by my great-grandmother a...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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24:58
What Two Letters a Century Apart Tell Us About the Writers' Home Voices
Listen to the voice of John Gregory, a Civil War infantryman writing home from a cold, February campsite in 1862, a year before he would die at Gettysburg. Then, listen to the voice of Cordia Nichols, a woman diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1959...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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28:19
Three Reasons Why You Can be Proud of Your Dialect (Plus a Discussion of 'Sworp' and 'Watch for Deer')
If you've ever found yourself in the position of having to defend your accent or dialect, or if you're an educator who wants to support your students' home voices but you're not sure whether you can do that while teaching standard English, this...
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Season 1
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18:24
A Conversation with Pulitzer Winning Southern Writer Rick Bragg (Part II)
In Part II of my conversation with one of my favorite writers, Pulitzer-winning southern writer and journalist Rick Bragg, he talks about some of the news stories that haunt him. He also gives both teachers and students his best advice for beco...
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Season 1
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24:01
A Conversation with Pulitzer Winning Southern Writer Rick Bragg (Part I)
Author Rick Bragg is a true storyteller. Though his work as a Pulitzer-winning journalist at the New York Times took him all over the world, the Alabama native came back home in his memoir writing. His books such as Ava's Man (my f...
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Season 1
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40:58
New Year's Eve Superstitions and Foods, Old Christmas, and the Word "Untelling"
It's "untelling" what 2024 will bring, but in this episode we'll talk about why you should eat black- eyed peas on New Year's Eve, why you shouldn't do housework on New Year's Day, and why some people refuse to take down their...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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12:38
Fixin' to, the A-Prefix and Twelve Days of Christmas, and an Excerpt from Verna Mae Slone's "How We Talked"
In this episode, I research the history of "Fixin' to" (as in "I'm fixin' to put up the holiday decorations.) Add the very old (middle English) dialect feature "a-prefix" and you've got "I'm a-fixin' to put up the holiday decorations.) Then, I'...
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Season 1
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11:02
Napoleon Hill Part II with Don Green on The Four Uses of Money and Millionaire Mindset
Part II begins with a story about how Napoleon Hill's influence reached all the way to the Kennedy White House. Then, Executive Director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation and bestselling author, Don Green, continues our interview with what he kno...
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19:48