It Still Lives

Our final podcast episode features a conversation with director, writer, producer, AND teacher Evelyn Pollard of Louisville, Kentucky. Evelyn works with diverse student groups to capture their stories and experiences through filmmaking. She has also been working a documentary highlighting the Cleveland Buckeyes - a Negro League baseball team who took home the championship in 1945. Join us as we speak with Evelyn about her work and experience as a creative storyteller on the cusp of Appalachia. Visit www.foxfire.org to learn more.

Have you ever thought about what a superhero from Appalachia would look like? Coder and developer Justin Hall blends his love of art and storytelling with tech to create interactive comic book characters that retell the story of coal mining counties. Learn more at www.foxfire.org

Madison Whittle, a senior at Western Kentucky University, shares her work in User Experience and design this week as part of continuing miniseries on creatives in Appalachia as part of the Civic Imagination Incubator. Head to www.foxfire.org for more info!

Our next installment in the Civic Imagination mini series features Assistant Professor of Broadcasting at WKU, Ryan Dearbone. Ryan is active in his community as a leader in DEI practices. He shares his current project with us, which is examining the impact of covid and post-pandemic trends on churches in and around Appalachia.

We are continuing our mini series on the Civic Imagination Incubator! Join us as we sit down with sci-fi author and storyteller Clinton W. Waters. They share with us their vision for a utopic Kentucky known as the Commonwealth.

We're joined this month by the leaders of the Civic Imagination Project, an initiative started by a small team at the University of Southern California. We'll be talking about how imagination and storytelling can bring communities together in our region.

We are celebrating Black History Month with a featured interview from Lena Dorsey, who grew up in Bean Creek, Georgia. Head to foxfire.org for images and more information about this month's episode.

We're taking a listen to historic accounts of logging in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Featuring interviews from Will Zoellner, Shirley Buchanan, Jake Waldroop, and Preach Parsons. Find images and bonus content at www.foxfire.org

As s we enter the holiday season, we’re reflecting back on the real stories behind coal – that dreaded lump that shows up in naughty children’s stockings on Christmas morning. Featuring interviews with retired coal miners Carl Shoupe, Connie McKnight, and Mike O’Bradovich.

In honor of Veterans' Day on November 11th, we're listening to stories from servicemen and women. Featuring Harley Penland (WWI), Teenie Howell (WWII), Ben Purcell (Vietnam), and James Jobbit (Iraq). Visit www.foxfire.org to learn more.

As we approach the annual Foxfire Fall Festival, we take a look at historic traditions and community activities here in the mountains, from corn shuckings to baseball games. Featuring interviews with Arie Carpenter, Carrie Stewart, Florence & Lawton Brooks, Harriet Echols, Richard & Margaret Norton, and Lena Dorsey. 

We're revisiting music in Appalachia and taking a look back at banjo making in Appalachia, from its origins in West Africa to mountain musicians in the 1970s. Visit www.foxfire.org/category/podcast for show notes and pictures!

This month, we are taking the podcast on the trail as we explore the history and impact of William Bartram's travels through Southern Appalachia with Brent Martin, Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy.

In 1981, the Foxfire students dedicated an entire issue of the Foxfire magazine to the topic of fishing, from types of fish in the mountains to equipment and, of course, big fish tales. This month, we are pulling just a few excerpts from this robust issue to share with you! Interviews featured include Buck Carver, Minyard Conner, Melvin Taylor, Willie Underwood, and Florence Brooks.

We sat down with traveling artist and Appalachian-native Rosalie Haizlett to talk about her upcoming project Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains. Learn about how Rosalie explores nature to discover the miniature miracles of our mountains!

Several months back, Foxfire staff members met with Dr. Trey Adcock (Cherokee Nation) and Gilliam Jackson (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) to learn about their work in the Snowbird Community, near Robbinsville, North Carolina. 

We are carrying on the conversation around craft and community this month, as we sit down with quilter Zak Foster at the Foxfire Museum. 

We are continuing are exploration of weaving in the southern mountains with this look back at what the craft looked like during the first half of the twentieth century. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Foxfire students sat down with Marinda Brown, Edith Darnell, Lula Norton, and Lyndall Toothman to talk about their memories of the craft.

Host Kami Ahrens and Foxfire weaver Sharon Grist take a field trip to the John C. Campbell Folk School to meet with Allie Dudley, the school's new resident artist and a flourishing young historic weaver. Listen in as Sharon, Kami, and Allie talking weaving patterns, the future of craft, and it's role in communities.

We are kicking off Season 4 of It Still Lives with an interview from with art lover, gardener, and author Mignon Durham to talk about her passion project Devotion and how it helped her cope with the uncertainty we faced during 2020. Listen as Foxfire curator Kami Ahrens and Blue Ridge Public Radio regional reporter Lilly Knoepp talk with Mignon about her experiences in Appalachia and creating a space in our community that honors the culture here.