Some of the stories on our show inspired college student art — including a vivid image of a bear smashing a clarinet.

Also, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens.

And, COVID-19 exposed the contempt society has for marginalized people. One author says, these folks are anything but passive.

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

WVU Students Carve Prints From Stories On Inside Appalachia

A print of a bear breaking a clarinet. — Meghan Sterrett “Bearing the thought of being disposable."

*Courtesy of Joseph Lupo*

We occasionally hear from educators who find ways to work Inside Appalachia into their classrooms. In December, the show was tagged in an Instagram post by West Virginia University (WVU) art professor Joseph Lupo.

The post showcased four-color reductive relief prints made by WVU students — each one inspired by a story or episode they heard on Inside Appalachia.

Host Mason Adams spoke with three of Lupo’s students and asked them to describe their work and its connection to the show. But first, he asked Lupo to explain the assignment he gave his class.

The Three Kitchens Of New Vrindaban

A man with a blue headwrap standing behind a plate of food in front of photos. — Saci Suta offers food to Krishna in the devotee kitchen.

*Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

New Vrindaban is a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. It started in the late 1960s and is home to a few hundred permanent residents — but thousands of pilgrims visit each year. They come to worship in the temple — and to visit the opulent Palace of Gold.

But those main attractions were a pretty small part of Folkways reporter Zack Harold’s trip. He ended up spending much of his time in the kitchen.

New Book Exposes ‘America’s Contempt’ For Marginalized Underclass

A black and white photo of an upside-down American flag hanging over an empty street. — The cover of Sarah Jones' new book *Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass*.

*Photo courtesy of Sarah Jones/Simon & Schuster*

More than one million Americans have died from COVID-19. Some groups of folks died at much higher rates than others. And those deaths tended to follow lines of race, class, age and disability. In other words, conditions that were already making life harder for some people played out during the pandemic, too.

Last year, host Mason Adams spoke with reporter Sarah Jones about her book, Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass.

Leann Ray And Her Support For Coal Miners

Six people looking at a camera and smiling. Four people are wearing jackets with reflective yellow strips and hard hats. — West Virginia Republican Sens. Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito pose with coal miners at a White House event where President Donald Trump signed executive orders to loosen regulations for coal mining.

*Courtesy Office of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.*

The Trump administration has slashed federal jobs and loosened energy production regulations, and delayed a Biden-era rule to protect miners against silica dust, which contributes to black lung disease. Last April, we spoke with Leann Ray, the editor-in-chief of the nonprofit news outlet, West Virginia Watch, about an editorial she wrote.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Tim Bing, Frank George, Blue Dot Sessions and Hello June.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff 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 send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.