Some people still farm like they did before the invention of the tractor. We visit farmers who still rely on real workhorses to get the job done.
The screen print “No Hate in My Holler” by Kentucky artist Lacy Hale could also never go out of style. The Appalachians still tell her how much they identify with that message.
And a Virginia poet reflects on the meaning of spoons and what helped him write.
In this episode
- Working horses on the farm
- No hate in my scream
- Jim Minick and the intimacy of spoons
Working horses on the farm
Before tractors, Appalachian farmers relied on workhorses to plow their fields and pull their wagons. In southwest Virginia, that practice has largely disappeared, often along with the farms themselves. But some farmers never gave up farming with horses.
Folkways reporter Connie Bailey Kitts had the story.
No hate in my scream
In Pound, Virginia, a mural depicts an old woman smoking a pipe and holding a baby wrapped in a large, bright blanket. The mural is a tribute to midwife Nancy Mullins Shores and is part of a growing body of work by artist Lacy Hale. Her work also includes the viral image “No Hate in My Holler.” In 2022, Mason Adams spoke with Hale about her work, but also recently met her again.
Jim Minick and the intimacy of spoons
Jim Minick has made a career as a writing professor, teaching at colleges and universities in Georgia, South Carolina, and southwest Virginia. He is also the author or editor of eight books. His latest work is a book/collection of poems entitled The Intimacy of Spoons.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Minick about book festivals in Appalachia and writing about silverware.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Additional music this week comes from Ed Snodderly, James Michael Stevens, Morgan Wade, John Blissard, Tim Bing, Sierra Ferrell and Kaia Kater.
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 at @InAppalachia.
You can email us at [email protected].
You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Þjórsárdalur @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.
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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
