In this edition of Mountain Talk: he may be retiring, but he’s still fired up— we start our show with a lively, feisty speech from longtime UMWA President Cecil Roberts, who stepped into that role back in 1995, and just retired last month, after 30 years. In this talk, which he gave this summer at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, Roberts, a WV native, reflects on the long and rich history of coal union organizing in Appalachia—including how his own great-grandparents were evicted from their Fayette County home, back in 1902, by a coal company, because they’d been suspected of supporting the union—and why he thinks, given the state of the country and the economy, the union is as important now as it’s ever been. Our thanks to the folks at the WV Mine Wars Museum for sharing the audio of this speech with us.

 Then: November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and, sadly, eastern Kentucky has higher rates of type 2 diabetes than both the state and national averages. But even if it runs in your family, diabetes *can* be managed, or even prevented in the first place. And for the second half of our show this week, as part of our ongoing series Prevent Diabetes EKY, we sit down with Allie Vogel, director of the Letcher County Public Library, to hear about both her challenges and her successes in her diabetes journey— including how she cut her A1C level plum in half. And as a quick PS, for more stories like this, of preventing and managing type 2 diabetes in eastern Kentucky, check out our project website: www.preventdiabeteseky.org. (Music this week is by J.P. & Annadeene Fraley, from the June Appal Records release “Galleynipper,” and by Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)

From Monongah in 1907, to Upper Big Branch in 2010, and—given the awful tragedy that claimed the life of a miner in Nicholas County, WV just last week—right up into the present, coal disasters have, sadly, been an all-too-frequent feature of life in Appalachian communities. And, of course, maybe even more tragic is that, in so many of these disasters, it would be found later that they could have been prevented, were it not for negligence on the part of coal companies. And as a mine rescue and recovery expert, over the course of Leonard Fleming’s career, he responded to mine disasters like these all over the country. But Leonard, a longtime resident of Kona, in Letcher County, Ky., was also there for one of the darkest chapters in our own local coal history: the Scotia Disaster of 1976, when 26 men lost their lives, after two different explosions rocked through the Scotia Mine, near the community of Eolia, in Letcher Co. (And Scotia was, sadly, one of those disasters that didn’t have to happen; it was well-known even before the disaster as a “gassy” mine, and it was later discovered that inadequate ventilation practices on the part of the company allowed explosive levels of methane to build up underground.) For Mountain Talk this week, we had the rare & special opportunity to sit down with Mr. Fleming, to hear about his experiences as part of the Beth-Elkhorn Mine Rescue Team, which led him to be one of the beyond-brave souls who went into the Scotia mine, looking for survivors. In this conversation, which was led by Dr. Brian McKnight, of UVA-Wise, and Appalshop's own Mimi Pickering, we also hear about Leonard's rich & varied experiences in the coal industry: as a miner, a high-ranking mine inspector for the state of Kentucky, and as a mine rescue expert for the UMWA who responded to other coal disasters both near and far. As a final note, this interview was recorded on April 4, 2025; we were so, so saddened to hear that Mr. Fleming passed away in October. Our thoughts are with his family, and loved ones. We’re honored to have been able to meet him, and to share his story this week. (Music in this week's show comes from Tommy Hunter, from "Deep in Tradition," on our own June Appal Records; Glenn Jones, from the Free Music Archive; Phyllis Boyens, from the "Coal Mining Women" compilation album; and from Erynn Marshall, from the release "Calico.")

We lost a giant last month, when the great Gurney Norman passed on, at age 88. A native of Perry County, Kentucky, Gurney was maybe best-known as a singular, groundbreaking writer, especially as the author of the books Divine Right’s Trip, Kinfolks, and Allegiance. But he was also *so* many things, including a community arts organizer, a filmmaker, a longtime teacher at the University of Kentucky, and a mentor to a truly staggering number of young writers and artists all across the region. He was also a longtime good friend, and co-conspirator, of ours here at Appalshop. And so, for this week’s show, we wanted to share a special part of his legacy with us here at the 'Shop: an amazing piece of work called Ancient Creek. Originally released by our own June Appal Records as a spoken-word album back in 1976, Ancient Creek is a rollicking, one-of-a-kind folktale—read by Gurney himself, before a live audience—that exists within the greater Appalachian 'Jack Tale' tradition, but also blazes its own ground, in the way that only Gurney could. It tells the story of: King Condominium III; a mountainous hill region (which just so happens to sound a lot like Appalachia) that has suffered at the hands of the King; and, ultimately, the uncrushable spirit of a group of “upstart hillbillies" who decide to fight back. And, in honor of Gurney, in this edition of Mountain Talk, we bring you—in full—Gurney's own reading of this truly special story. As a note: this version was drawn from the original LP release; Ancient Creek was also re-released on CD in 2012, and it’s also available in print from Ohio University Press. (Music in today’s show was by John McCutcheon, from the June Appal Records release “The Wind that Shakes the Barley,” and by Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)

This week on Mountain Talk, in honor of Hallowe’en (yes, on this show, we use the apostrophe), we’ve got a whole show full of ‘haint’ tales and spooky stories, told by mountain people, from across the Appalshop & WMMT archives. We’ll hear about a spirit appearing to Letcher County logging workers in the 1930’s; a hungry witch, who shows up out of thin air at a remote campfire; a bossy ghost; someone seeing the devil on her bedroom ceiling; an angel who shows up needing a place to crash for the night; and even a mysterious blue light that appeared one night to Letcher Co. master banjo player Morgan Sexton. Among the many voices featured this week are that of Knott Co.’s Florida Slone, and the nationally-renowned North Carolina storyteller Ray Hicks. (Music in this episode is from: Tommy Hunter, from the record “Deep in Tradition” on our own June Appal Records; Morgan Sexton, from the record “Rock Dust,” also on June Appal; and by Debbie Grim, from the June Appal record “Banjer Days.” All three of these records can be purchased or streamed for free at our Bandcamp page: https://juneappalrecordings.bandcamp.com/.)

Anyone in the WMMT listening area probably needs no introduction to the notion of substance use disorder, and just the massive and overwhelming toll it’s had on Appalachian people, and communities. Here at WMMT, we’ve partnered with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to be a part of their statewide FREE II project, which, among other goals, is trying to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around substance use disorder, treatment, and recovery. As part of this work, WMMT will be airing a brand-new podcast series over the coming months all about substance use disorder and recovery here in the mountains. In this edition of Mountain Talk, we bring you the very first episode of this new series, a roundtable discussion between several Appalachian people, who are all actively in recovery. In this candid conversation, hosted by FREE II Intern Austin Callahan, we hear their stories, and about what led them to take that crucial step of getting into recovery; we also hear about how trauma can play a role in addiction. These voices you’ll hear are that of local residents Samantha Colleen, Chris Campbell, Beckie Rose-Bowman, Iesha Elam, and Austin Callahan. Stay tuned in coming months for more episodes from this series! (Music in today's show was by Malcolm Dalglish & Grey Larsen, from the June Appal Records release "Banish Misfortune," and by Don Bikoff, from the Free Music Archive.)

In this edition of WMMT's Mountain Talk, we have a grab bag of a show. First, we hear about how the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” could affect low-income Kentuckians’ ability to stay enrolled in Medicaid and the SNAP program, through a presentation put on by Kentucky Voices for Health in Hazard last month. For the Cliff's Notes version: via cuts to Medicaid and changes to SNAP, the newly-passed, Trump-backed bill is projected (by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office) to cause ~7 1/2 million people nationwide to lose access to Medicaid, and ~2 1/2 million people across the US to lose access to SNAP. But then, we shift gears to a topic that is maybe… universally beloved? If such a thing exists in these times. And that, of course, is cornbread. Second on our show, we hear an excellent installment of the Center for Rural Strategies’ Rural Remix podcast series, about that most august of dishes, via an interview with the poet Tina Mozelle Braziel. And, just in time for our 40th b-day next month, we close things out with some WMMT History, including interviews with Evan Smith (longtime host of the landmark WMMT show "Ska, Punk, & Other Junk") and Randy Wilson (host of the inimitable, long-running WMMT show "Kids' Radio"). (MUSIC IN TODAY'S SHOW comes from: John McCutcheon, from the June Appal Records release "The Wind that Shakes the Barley"; Glenn Jones, via the Free Music Archive; and Don Bikoff, also via the Free Music Archive.)

Even if diabetes runs in your family, if you find out that your own A1C, or blood sugar level, is in the diabetes range, that still doesn’t mean your future with diabetes is set in stone. And Fannie Callahan, of Lee County, is living proof. 
Despite having a family history of diabetes, when Fannie found out her A1C had crossed over into the diabetes zone, she jumped into action, changing what she ate every day and starting to go out walking as often as she could. Before long, her A1C had fallen back down into a safer range, and, she says, she just felt better in general. This week on Mountain Talk, we visit with Fannie, as part of our ongoing storytelling series Prevent Diabetes EKY, and hear about her diabetes journey— including how, even if she’s exercising more, she still makes time to watch basketball. Also this week: having immigrants for neighbors is nothing new in Appalachia. We close this episode with a profile of Frank Majority, a Letcher County stone mason of Italian descent, and the son of immigrants. In this piece, which was adapted from an episode of Appalshop’s Headwaters TV series (1983; dir. by Marty Newell, Anne Lewis, & Jeff Kiser), Majority describes his father’s experience as an immigrant to the mountains in the early 20th century.

This week, we head to Wayland, Kentucky, where organizers, researchers, and residents have come together to commemorate the lynching of Fred Shannon — a Black man killed by a mob over 100 years ago. We’ll share moments from the ceremony, talk with those leading the effort, and reflect on the power of remembrance, community cleanup, and healing through history.

Queerness isn't just something that exists in the city. Our LGBTQ+ neighbors are an essential part of the fabric of mountain communities. And in this episode of Mountain Talk, in honor of June being national Pride Month, we bring you a special rebroadcast of a set of audio postcards from Pride celebrations right here in our region. In this show, which originally aired in 2022, first, former WMMT producer Katie Myers travels to Pride gatherings in Pikeville & at Breaks Interstate Park; then, we hear a report from former WMMT producer Rae Garringer, from the very-first-ever Pikeville Pride celebration, which took place in 2018.

On this episode of Mewz for Mountain Talk; Sleeping in the Woods Festival, recorded on location in Monticello, Kentucky in the 48 hours after the May 16th tornadoes. Hear the artists, in their own words, describe the feeling of the weekend, and how music can help us process and heal after the unexpected. Featuring conversations with Nicholas Jamerson, Jonathan Smithwick, Tori Forsyth, Cody Christian, and Maya De Vitry, and your host, Crystal Jones.

Scotia Disaster Remembered by WMMT/Appalshop

Today were exploring an eye-opening first segment where well take a closer look at Black Lung Disease, a devastating condition that continues to impact coal miners across the country. We will hear from a seasoned radiologist who’s seen firsthand how the disease progresses, and from a retired coal miner courageously living with it today. Their stories a stark reminder of the human cost behind the coal industry. But while the toll is great, so is the strength of those who’ve fought — and continue to fight — for the health and dignity of coal miners. One organization that has stood tall in that fight is the United Mine Workers of America. From pushing for the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 to demanding accountability through the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, the UMWA has been a relentless advocate for miners' rights and safety. Their role in securing benefits for workers suffering from Black Lung can’t be overstated — they’ve helped turn pain into policy

"Common Ground: Humanities at Work" is a special series from Mountain Talk produced in conjunction by Appalshop and Kentucky Humanities that brings you into the heart of the work shaping communities across Appalachia and beyond. Hosted by the Executive Director of Kentucky Humanities, Bill Goodman, each episode features conversations with leaders of state humanities councils and the grantees they support. Together, they explore the powerful role of the humanities in preserving local stories, strengthening communities, and inspiring change. Discover the programs, partnerships, and personal journeys that show how the humanities connect us all. Written by Bill Goodman and recorded, edited, and produced by Aaron Asbury. Our music is Remembering Peers by Ben Sollee courtesy of sonaBLAST! Records.

Overcoming Diabetes by WMMT/Appalshop

Welcome to Mountain Talk on WMMT 88.7 FM. I’m your host Josh Outsey and today’s episode is something close to my heart. We're taking a deep dive into my podcast, Intersections of Faith and Freedom—a space where voices rise in song, memory, and movement to explore the powerful links between faith, liberation, and community. We open with the stirring voice of Jacita White and her original piece, Love is the More Excellent Way. Later in the show, Miss White joins us to talk about the inspiration behind her song and how her spiritual journey and her pursuit of freedom have always been intertwined.

The Eastern Kentucky Remembrance Project has been gathering in Wayland, Ky. since 2021 to clean a mostly African-American cemetery on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. The project started when John & Jean Rosenburg visited The Legacy Museum & The Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery, Ala. They found out about The Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Project and started organizing. Community Remembrance Project’s seek to shine a light on the history of racial terror & lynchings in the USA. The Eastern Kentucky Remembrance Project has joined the others by gathering soil at the site of the lynching that took place in Wayland, Ky. They are expected to place the historical marker provided by EJI at this years event.

In this episode we honor the life and legacy of the poet, Nikki Giovanni, who sadly passed away in December. Nikki Giovanni was a force of nature, not just as a writer, but as a visionary who saw beauty in places others may have missed. We’ll be reflecting on the impact they had on the world of poetry, their profound words, and the inspiration they sparked in so many of us.

On this Mountain Talk…We’ll visit a music venue in Lexington, Kentucky to catch up with folks promoting mutual aid and recovery in eastern Kentucky. We’ll participate in some citizen science with the Bluegrass Mycological Society and the West Virginia Astrophotography Association. And finally, we’ll check in with the unusual Home for Wayward Babydolls near Elliottville, KY.

In this episode, a resolution check. Crystal Jones tells you how to get back on track no matter the time of year. We'll also talk about the loneliness epidemic we might be in and find out to grow a more sustainable lawn with spring right around the corner.

On this episode of Mountain Talk: Hosts Austin Callahan and Iesha Elam are taking us through Recovery Advocacy Day 2025, organized by People Advocating Recovery for the third consecutive year. It was a rainy day in Frankfort, Kentucky, on February 5th, where over five-hundred people were lined up to celebrate people in recovery, spread awareness, and advocate for policy that supports breaking the stigma around substance use disorder. Austin and Iesha speak to several advocates and attendees, including Tara Mosley-Hyde, CEO of People Advocating Recovery, and Amanda Hall, Senior Director of National Campaigns at Dream.ORG. We’ll also hear from the Governor’s address in the rotunda with an introduction from State Senator Keturah Heron. Austin and Iesha are interns for a special project at WMMT, funded through the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky’s Funding For Recovery Equity and Expansion (FREE) II project. Together, we are working together to raise awareness and reduce stigma around substance use disorder, recovery and treatment in Eastern Kentucky.