A Russian classical guitarist, newly christened an American citizen and living in West Virginia, hosts a June 1 benefit for Ukraine, as he works passionately to counter an invasion he abhors.
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The heart-rending and oligarchic view from ‘Coal Country’
The incendiary, heartbreaking "Coal Country," a play drawn from interviews with survivors and family members of the deadly 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in West Virginia, made a splash Off-Broadway. Here's a reaction to its staging for the first time in the Mountain State, 35 miles from where the tragedy fueled by corporate malfeasance that killed 29 miners occurred.
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EDITORS/NOTE: May 4, 2022
A few words — indirectly via Bob Dylan — about the reason why life in West Virginia can be sweet. Plus, what's up in the jam-packed May 2022 issue of WestVirginiaVille.com
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FIRST/PERSON: On the streets in “the capital of pain”
There are mayapples unfurling on the banks of the Kanawha River in the darkness of West Virginia's capital city. There are humans sleeping there, too, on this cold and rainy April night, and we are among them.
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CHARACTERS: “The Hobo Girl” had many names and left many stories
Beautiful and mysterious — and ultimately tragic — was "The Hobo Girl" who traveled the country with her dog Ashes, like a footloose wanderer from another era. One day, she wandered into St. Albans WV.
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5 QUESTIONS: Spencer Elliott on the Art of the Guitar
Spencer Elliott's instrumental guitar persona is two-fold: as a genre-defying solo performer and in the burning-down-the-house trio SE3. Like many stellar players, he has kept his day job in West Virginia's capital, even as his international fanbase grows.
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LISTEN/UP: Artists & Podcasters worth noting via BLACK BY GOD
From hip-hop innovator Shelem, based in Charleston WV, to a lineup of podcasts worth checking out, a heads up from Black By God on performers and podcasts to watch and hear.
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FIRST/PERSON: Choice words on Ukraine, Putin, Navalny & Zelensky
J. Michael Willard worked for Sen. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller then went on to international career that landed him for years in Ukraine, where he raised a family. Excerpts from his thoughts on Putin's brutal invasion of the country where two daughters still live.
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5 PHOTOS: Mountains, Bubbles, Light Shows, Forests & Faces
Five photos. Five photos we like, shot somewhere in and around West Virginia. A few words on who, what, and where. The why is in the seeing.
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POETICS: Two by Colleen Anderson
Clean music. The notes fall one upon the other, / transparent. Closing my eyes on this city concert,/ I hear water, the song of melting snow on a hill / in Braxton County, in spring ...
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MAN/MADE: A brief meditation on ‘Reflected Glory’
I may be obsessed with the way a glass-wall skyscraper in Charleston WV tries to re-define the sky. Each square of the building's many-eyed frontage is like a channel-surfing TV screen, displaying constant motion.
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EDITORS/NOTE: March 30, 2022
The new issue of WestVirginiaVille.com is jam full of good writing, significant subjects, and photos and images worth a second glance. Free subscribe to hear of our ongoing work.
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Ashes, Ashes, All Fall Down
“How much of the stuff is there?” I asked, always imagining that, cremated, a person was reduced to just a handful of ashes.
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Many Fights, One Big Fight
A new history of Local 1199 chronicles the history of a small, respected union that represents the overlooked and previously unrepresented workers of Local 1199. The book conveys the human longing for fairness within an often heartless industry.
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The barriers to Black West Virginians getting the mental health care they may need
barriers that impact mental health for Black West Virginians include a scarcity of Black mental health professionals and mental health resources, stigma, lack of proper mental health education, poverty, racism, substance abuse, and incarceration.
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First Streets in West Virginia
The streets of downtown Huntington have changed considerably since I began strolling them in 1980. So, too, have I.
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‘A Tragedy Full of Joy’
West Virginia-born NBA legend Jerry West’s life shows the painful complexity of America’s myths. A man can come from the holler, with little money and a dad who beat him, and end up in Los Angeles, hooping for the Lakers and partying with Jack Nichols.
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‘Day 34 of Russia’s Cowardly Invasion of Ukraine’
'The Ukrainian fighting force has bested the Russians in every category. All the big bear can do is cowardly lob cruise missiles from a distance that destroy towns and kill innocent citizens.'
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Buddhist daily life in backwoods West Virginia
A picture show and video of an unexpected place in the West Virginia woods. In the face of often overwhelming challenges of daily life, and horrors like the current attempted mugging of Ukraine, places that strengthen the spirit such as the Bhavana Society Buddhist forest monastery deep in West Virginia's hills are vital.
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Chris Haddox tells stories from the hills, plus unexpected ones, too
On the occasion of the March 2022 release of his CD of high songcraft from the Appalachian hills, here's the world-premiere music video of the Chris Haddox tune "A Soul Can't Rest in Peace Beside the Four Lane — and a chat with the artist about songwriting and life.
