Radiolab: "Our Common Nature: West Virginia Coal" (Nov 21, 2025)
A Summary
Episode Overview
In this special crossover episode, Radiolab features an installment from "Our Common Nature"—a podcast series created by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and producer Ana Gonzalez. The episode is a rich, immersive journey into the heart of West Virginia's coal country, exploring the complicated, deeply woven relationships between coal, community, nature, labor, race, music, pride, and hardship. Through storytelling, music, field recordings, and deeply personal interviews, the episode examines what keeps coal country together and what it means to belong to this landscape, despite its hardships and contradictions.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Genesis of the Project: Music as a Bridge to Nature and Community
- (02:12 - 06:19)
- Yo-Yo Ma’s inspiration: After performing outdoors in unexpected places (riverbeds, coal mines, caves), he wanted to deepen the connection between music, nature, and place.
- Ana Gonzalez was brought on to document this journey; she compares her recording work to Yo-Yo Ma's music—both are ways of "relaying energy and sound and feeling" (05:38).
- Yo-Yo Ma likens his role as a musician to that of a reporter, capturing experience through sound (05:10).
Notable Quote
“What I do as a musician is not unlike what a reporter does. I just have to report it through sound, and you report it through words.”
— Yo-Yo Ma (05:10)
2. Setting the Stage: Arrival in West Virginia
- (08:15 - 11:50)
- Ana and Yo-Yo join a group picnic near the historical Nuttallburg mine with miners, musicians, and poets.
- The episode opens with Diane Williams singing "16 Tons," a classic coal miner anthem, emphasizing coal’s grip on local culture and personal histories.
Notable Quote
“Coal has formed the lives of so many West Virginians. It's formed this country, really. But there's a dark irony to coal.”
— Ana Gonzalez (09:44)
3. Music, Memory, and Myth
- (12:02 - 16:16)
- Kathy Mattea (folk singer/songwriter) shares stories of her coal mining family and discusses the ambiguous accuracy of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” the state’s unofficial anthem—not actually written by or for West Virginians, nor referencing true West Virginia geography.
- Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” is introduced as a truer West Virginia song, written about community support in a coal camp.
Notable Quote
“It’s like a place where people feel invisible. And so to have that celebratory song that's proclaiming our existence and that yearning to be there is profound for people who are from there.”
— Kathy Mattea on "Country Roads" (15:25)
4. Race and Labor in Coal Country
- (16:51 - 24:20)
- The narrative explores how racial dynamics manifested (and still manifest) in the mines.
- Zora (Diane’s mother), a Black woman and miner for 20+ years, faced both racism and sexism.
- Chris Saunders, Zora’s son, shares stories of resilience: “In coal mining, we always say everybody going to be black at the end of the day.” (18:42)
- For Zora, survival required strength and wit—telling racist coworkers to write out their jokes only to reveal she collected them for a “book” (22:31).
Notable Quote
“She said, sometimes you just gotta let it roll off your back and keep on doing what you gotta do.”
— Chris Saunders on his mother Zora’s philosophy (22:31)
5. Modern Mining, Pride, and Economic Realities
- (24:33 - 30:16)
- Chris explains why coal remains a lifeline for many: financial stability, health insurance, and legacy.
- Despite increased automation and layoffs, mining continues to offer “the best coal in the world to make steel” (29:15).
- There’s a tension between external condemnation of coal and internal pride.
Notable Quote
“If I gotta be on oxygen again, I don’t want it.”
— Chris Saunders, reflecting on health risks and family legacy (24:55)
6. Tragedy: The Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster
- (34:20 - 39:19)
- Chris revisits the site of the 2010 disaster that killed 29 miners.
- He recounts being underground when the explosion happened and losing many friends.
- The community mourned while corporate priorities forced survivors back to work almost immediately.
Notable Quote
“Regardless who wrong, who right, what happened, let’s show some kind of compassion.”
— Chris Saunders, on going back to work after the tragedy (39:19)
7. Articulating Pain and Hope: Voices of Black Appalachia
- (39:33 - 45:28)
- Poet and activist Crystal Good shares her poem “Black Diamonds,” focusing on black miners’ invisibility and communal grief.
- She speaks of feeling tired—of activism, of surviving, and of poisoned water supplies from coal.
Notable Moment
“In Appalachia, West Virginia is 3% black. It’s survival. Tell me how you’re gonna survive in a coal mine talking about, you know, black power…”
— Crystal Good (42:46)
8. Resilience, Nature, and Renewal
- (47:23 - 51:23)
- Whitewater rafting trip with local youth program "Step by Step"—a joyful, communal moment capped by Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach along the riverbank and music-making with Dom Flemons and Kathy Mattea.
- Singing, dancing, food, and music show communal bonds and foster belonging.
Notable Quote
“We need one another in order to function and survive and thrive. We need one another and we need to do things together in order to break the ice and to break the cycle of fear, of mistrust and territoriality.”
— Yo-Yo Ma (50:15)
9. Personal Loss, Community, and Legacy
- (52:09 - 54:08)
- Ana follows up with Chris Saunders, whose mother Zora died shortly after their interview.
- Chris’s grief and pride in his mother’s resilience and legacy are palpable.
- The funeral home gave Zora’s family a discount for her service as a miner.
Notable Moment
“My mom loved me, and I love her. I said, and we just coal miners, you know?”
— Chris Saunders (53:54)
10. Final Reflections and Farewell
- (54:36 - 56:58)
- The episode closes with “We Are Almost Down to the Shore,” a song etched with pain, perseverance, and hope.
- Ana reflects on how coal both enriches and takes from the community, and how the river and mountains remain central to recovery.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
- “What I do as a musician is not unlike what a reporter does...” — Yo-Yo Ma (05:10)
- “Coal has formed the lives of so many West Virginians. It's formed this country, really. But there's a dark irony to coal.” — Ana Gonzalez (09:44)
- “It's like a place where people feel invisible... to have that celebratory song that's proclaiming our existence ... is profound for people who are from there.” — Kathy Mattea (15:25)
- “In coal mining, we always say everybody going to be black at the end of the day.” — Chris Saunders (18:42)
- “Sometimes you just gotta let it roll off your back and keep on doing what you gotta do.” — Zora Saunders (as recounted by Chris, 22:31)
- “We need one another ... to break the cycle of fear, of mistrust and territoriality.” — Yo-Yo Ma (50:15)
- “The biggest thing I've learned about West Virginia is just how much coal seeped out of these hills and into people’s lives ... It's a mixture of both [enriching and taking].” — Ana Gonzalez (41:50)
- “My mom loved me, and I love her. I said, and we just coal miners, you know?” — Chris Saunders (53:54)
Important Segment Timestamps
| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|------------------| | Meet Yo-Yo Ma & Ana Gonzalez, project origin | 02:05 – 06:41 | | Diane Williams sings “16 Tons” | 08:15 – 08:51 | | Kathy Mattea on “Country Roads” | 13:32 – 15:25 | | Stories of Zora Saunders (black woman, miner) | 17:26 – 24:20 | | Chris Saunders: economics & community pride | 24:33 – 30:16 | | Upper Big Branch Disaster | 34:12 – 39:19 | | Crystal Good performs “Black Diamonds” | 39:33 – 41:50 | | Nature outing: whitewater rafting, music | 47:23 – 51:23 | | Zora’s death: Chris’s call with Ana | 52:09 – 54:08 | | Episode reflection and closing song | 54:36 – 56:58 |
Memorable Moments
- The sound of Yo-Yo Ma’s cello echoing along the riverbanks during a whitewater rafting trip with local children (48:07).
- Crystal Good’s “Black Diamonds” poem connecting grief, labor, and racial invisibility (39:33–42:46).
- Portrayal of Zora’s wit and strength in facing racism, and the familial love and loss that bookends the narrative (22:31, 52:09–54:08).
- Towns binding together in song—singing “Country Roads” despite its inaccuracies and “We Are Almost Down to the Shore” as a benediction for coal country (51:23, 54:36–56:58).
Tone & Style
The episode, like the "Our Common Nature" series itself, is gentle, immersive, and deeply empathetic, mixing field reporting with live music, personal testimony, and a sense of awe for nature and the community spirit of Appalachia. Ana Gonzalez’s and Yo-Yo Ma’s engaging, curious, and respectful approach brings out human vulnerability and resilience, while refusing to shy away from the complexities and pain that define life in West Virginia’s coal country.
Conclusion
Radiolab’s feature “Our Common Nature: West Virginia Coal” offers a nuanced exploration of coal’s role in shaping people, environment, and culture. With perspectives from miners, artists, and activists, and with music as a connective tissue, the episode honors the literal and figurative landscape—celebrating both belonging and struggle, and inviting listeners to reflect anew on nature, community, and the stories that bind us to place.