In the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer.

Also, Kentucky’s poet laureate lives down the road from what has been called the country’s most lethal cryptid. Attempts to spot it have led to deaths.

And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who's passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.

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

In This Episode:

How Oscar Micheaux Changed Filmmaking From Appalachia
Playwright August Wilson's Life And Legacy
Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage
Kentucky Poet Laureate Talks Deadly Cryptids
What Is Snow Mold?
Sharing Soul Food

How Oscar Micheaux Changed Filmmaking From Appalachia

A black and white photo of a Black man looking away. — Oscar Micheaux.

*Courtesy of the New York Public Library*

One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren't allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.

Host Mason Adams brings us this story.

Playwright August Wilson's Life And Legacy

A black and white photo of a man with his foot lifted on a piece of a building. — In a 1968 photo, Wilson poses amidst the burnt remains of the Hill District's Mainway Market, torched in the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

*Courtesy of the Frank F. Hightower Photograph Collection/University of Pittsburgh Press*

Acclaimed playwright August Wilson was deeply influenced by his hometown of Pittsburgh. Wilson was the author of 10 plays collectively known as The Pittsburgh Cycle. They include the Pulitzer Prize winning plays Fences and The Piano Lesson. Now there’s a new book about him, titled August Wilson’s American Century, by University of Pittsburgh professor Lawrence Glasco, and it explores that deep influence with his hometown.

WESA’s Bill Driscoll spoke with Glasco.

Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage

Two men stand next to each other in white aprons smiling for the camera. The men are also in business casual attire - button up shirts with ties. — Sonny (left) and his father Angelo pose in front of the meat case at Angelo’s Market in Powellton Hollow. From father to son to father to son, Angelo's Old World Italian Sausage has been around in the hills of West Virginia for a while.

*Courtesy of the Argento Family*

In 2023, Folkways Reporter Zack Harold took us to Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage. Angelo’s makes a craft sausage distributed throughout West Virginia, as well in southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky. The recipe comes from the Calabria region of Italy, and it’s made in West Virginia.

Kentucky Poet Laureate Talks Deadly Cryptids

Kentucky’s governor appoints a new poet laureate every two years. Last year, Gov. Andy Beshear named award-winning poet, essayist and teacher Kathleen Driskell to the post. Driskell’s poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Rattle, and Appalachian Review, among others. She’s authored six poetry collections. Her most recent is Goat-Footed Gods.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Driskell about living next to the dead, and America’s most lethal cryptid.

What Is Snow Mold?

It’s been a banner year for winter weather across much of Appalachia. And you may be plenty familiar with snow. But how about snow mold?

Louisville Public Media’s Bill Burton and WAVE 3 TV meteorologist Tawana Andrew break it down.

Sharing Soul Food

Large man in a blue polo cuts onions over a bowl in a kitchen. — Xavier Oglesby cuts onions for a macaroni salad he is cooking inside Manna House Ministries’ kitchen. A pot of boiling water is behind him, cooking the pasta for the dish.

*Photo Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Soul food like cornbread, extra-cheesy mac-n-cheese and collard greens plays an important role in Black communities across Appalachia. In 2023, Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña spoke with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley, West Virginia.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by John Blissard, Bennie Moten Kater, Tim Bing, Paul Loomis, John Inghram and Blue Dot Sessions.

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 Editors Nicole Musgrave and Chris Julin.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.