Hurricane Helene Comes To The Mountains, Inside Appalachia

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Hurricane Helene dumped nearly 30 inches of rain in parts of western North Carolina and east Tennessee. Communities are reeling from the devastation. We check-in with Lilly Knoepp at Blue Ridge Public Radio in western North Carolina.

Also, a new book illustrates the tiny worlds of mountain critters, like a lizard that changes color.

And White potters co-opted the African art of face jugs in the 1800s. A modern-day Black potter says his art can’t be replicated.

In This Episode

• Hurricane Helene Hits Appalachia
• Rosalie Haizlett Explores “Tiny Worlds”
• Reclaiming An African Art

Hurricane Helene Hits Appalachia

Hurricane Helene brought flooding through Appalachia, including southwestern Virginia.
Photo by Roxy Todd

As we were working on this week’s show, Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast. The storm washed away roads and bridges, knocked out power and cell service and left a trail of devastation. Many people are still missing, and the number of confirmed dead continues to rise. Mason Adams spoke with Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter Lilly Knoepp, who lives in western North Carolina, near where the storm caused the most damage.

Helene also rocked southwestern Virginia. Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd reported.

Rosalie Haizlett Explores “Tiny Worlds”

"Tiny Worlds" is a menagerie of little critters found in the Appalachian Mountains.
Photo by Rosalie Haizlett

In 2022, nature artist Rosalie Haizlett set out on a trip to illustrate some of the tiny “critters” of the Appalachian mountains. Her illustrations became “Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains, an Artist’s journey.” Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Haizlett about the book.

Reclaiming An African Art

African Face Jugs came to America through Slavery. Artist Jim McDowell uses the art form to speak about the African American experience.
Courtesy

You’ve probably seen pottery with a face on it.

There are lots of examples of face-shaped vessels out there — from cheap souvenir shop knick-knacks to museum-quality pieces that can sell for millions of dollars.

Some are connected to African Face Jugs, an artform made by enslaved people in the deep South in the mid-1800s.

In 2023, Folkways reporter Zack Harold traced the story of Face Jugs, beginning in the basement pottery studio of West Virginia artist Ed Klimek.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Dinosaur Burps, Sierra Ferrell, Sean Watkins, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Paul Loomis, Blue Dot Sessions

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from folkways editor Chris Julin. You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia.

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.