It Still Lives

Back in March, we received an email from poet Louise Morgan Runyon that sent us down a rabbit hole of Western North Carolina history. Listen as we explore the founding of Macon County and listen to oral histories from Rufus Morgan and Louise.

In preparation for our Native Plant Week this summer, we sit down (virtually) with Appalachian poet and Western North Carolina native Rose McLarney. Rose shares her journey to becoming a poet and some sources of inspiration for her writing.

We're taking a break from the archives this month to sit down with our friends over at the Mainspring Conservation Trust, a nonprofit based in Western North Carolina that works to conserve the water, forests, farms and heritage of the Little Tennessee and Hiwassee river basins. Learn more at https://www.mainspringconserves.org/

Ever wanted to have your fortune told? Would you believe it if you heard it? Foxfire contacts Lawton Brooks and Leila Gibson sure did! They recall a group of nomadic traders in Appalachia commonly called gypsies, although we bet they aren't like the gypsies you're thinking of!

For part 2 of our celebration of Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a unique woman in our archive: Angelina del' Arciprete Davis, an Italian-born woman who immigrated to Southern Appalachia shortly after World War II. 

In honor of women's history month, we are listening to three interviews conducted in 1975, the "International Women's Year." Foxfire students sat down with women from three generations, all raised in the mountains. Join us as we learn Addie Norton, Lassie Bradshaw, and Emma Chastain's ideas of what it means to be an Appalachian woman!

Celebrate February with a few love stories from our archive! Learn about courtship (dating) practices and marriage customs from the early 20th century. We'll sit down with Granny Mary Cabe, Bessie Underwood, Lawton & Florence Brooks, Margaret Norton, Selma Mosley, L.M. & Mary Olive Keef, and O.S. & Olene Garland.

While we work on bringing you more great content in season 3, we are revisiting one of our very favorite episodes from season 1, featuring an interview with Aunt Arie Carpenter.

Join us for some holiday cheer as we travel back in time with Christmas memories from John & Margaret Bulgin, Lessie Conner, Louise Coldren, and Louise & Hubert Hooper. Stories from A Foxfire Christmas.

November often marks the beginning of hunting season for many in rural areas. This month, we're exploring folk tales, tips, and tricks for hunting in the mountains. Featuring interviews with Taylor Crockett, Minyard Conner, and Jake Waldroop.

In the 1980s, Foxfire students conducted a project to document the many varieties of wine here in the mountains, and just how those wines were made. Join us as we hear from Jake Waldroop, John Bulgin, Albert Greenwood, and Lawton Brooks on their secret recipes for success, along with a few stories about mishaps they made!

As students every where prepare for drastic changes to their schooling, we thought we'd take a look back at school in the early 1900s. This month, we feature interviews from Richard Norton, Stella Burrell, Lola Cannon, Billy Long, and Arie Meaders. All attended what were called "country schools"--small, one-room schoolhouses that were scattered throughout Rabun County.

Our small corner of Northeast Georgia has surprisingly been the filming site of several movies, as far back as the 1950s. In this month's episode, we feature oral histories from local folks who have dealt with the movie industry -- from loading train cars in "The Great Locomotive Chase" to restoring appliances for "Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

In Appalachia, shape-note singing dominated musical and religious groups. Shape-note music, also referred to as sacred heart music, uses different shapes, like squares, triangles, and diamonds, to represent notes instead of traditional music notes. Join host Kami Ahrens and guest Barry Stiles in a discussion of shape-note music, and listen to original recordings of Christian Harmony singers.

This month's update on the coronavirus focuses on the threat it presents to indigenous communities. We "sat down"--virtually, of course--with Dakota Brown, program director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Dakota shared the Eastern Band's quick response to the virus, and how it has impacted life and business on the Qualla Boundary.