The documentary "Where Sky Meets Eternity” profiles an ambitious, offbeat art project from deep in the West Virginia hills, as 12 artists bounced off each other's work in often surprising, unexpected ways.
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PICTURE/SHOW: The Hills & Dales of Al Peery’s West Virginia
When it comes to Autumn in the West Virginia outback, nothing could be finer than Al Peery framing the scene from his wanderings in the West Virginia wilderness.
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POEM: “A Year of Few Apples” by Kirk Judd
'Pantry shelves and freezer bins/ Scavenged for this season’s solitary pies/ Settled atop cooling racks/ On cinnamon evenings/ In oven-warmed kitchens.'
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POEM: “Almost” by Marc Harshman
'The world will go on without me but for these few moments I am/ sitting on top of the world, a simple summer's day, away/ from the busy rush of roads, the scrolling of screens,/ almost off the map, almost heaven, almost where/ sky meets eternity ...'
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DOGGEREL: The Ballad of Bobby and Joe
Yes, we are not too proud to resort to doggerel to compare the legacies of West Virginia senators Robert C. Byrd and current Sen. Joe Manchin. The legacy match-up is not looking good for Joe, right now.
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SPOKEN/WORD: “The Cold Visitor” by Bobby Lee Messer
The autumn leaves brighten the rolling hills with a kaleidoscope of colors. Yet in the wings of all such beauty awaits The Cold Visitor. Watching. Waiting. Always present. | A Spoken Word multimedia performance of an original work by Bobby Lee Messer.
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CARTOON: A funny thing happened to Joe Manchin on his way to Heaven …
Here's what happened when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin showed up at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, briefcase in hand ...
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CLIMATE/CRISIS: Taking the measure of climate change in three short videos
In three short videos, take the measure of climate change. The climate crisis deepens every day, yet more and more people planet-wide awaken daily to the reality of what must be done to turn down the fever threatening the planet.
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MEMOIR: ‘Memory of a Waitress’
One night in West Texas, taking refuge from a motorcycle ride through buckets of rain, fleeing a broken heart, an empty diner ahead. A beaten-down waitress finally appears ...
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EDITORS/NOTE: It’s a Character Thing
Charly Jupiter Hamilton speaks for himself in a three-part farewell to the beloved West Virginia artist that involves hippos and painted coffins. Plus, Michael and Carrie Nobel Kline on the tricky art of listening. And two famous character studies, imprisoned separately by booze and prison bars.
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THE/ARTS: Charly Jupiter Hamilton, in his own words
Charly Jupiter Hamilton reviews himself: "A lot of my feelings about my art — it's Catholic. You know? It has sin. Redemption. It has lust. It has love. It has hell. It has heaven in it. And I think that appeals to people ..."
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THE/ARTS: A public art boss on Charly Jupiter Hamilton’s bravura mural, an ArtBus & his artful coffin
The wonder of the 'Wonder Mural' in Charleston WV, the art and significance of public art according to West Virginia's capital city Public Arts director, and sending an artist off in artistic style.
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THE/ARTS: When Charly Jupiter Hamilton channeled hippo hearts & Shakespeare
A heap of hippopotamus hearts and famous American journalist's appreciation are two ways to recall the legacy of Charly Jupiter Hamilton.
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When Socialist presidential candidate Eugene Debs was sent to Moundsville Prison for making a speech
The story of how Socialist firebrand Eugene Debs once landed in the state penitentiary in Moundsville WV illustrates "how easy it is for Americans to vilify their own citizens and, when seized by fear or fashion, step on each other’s rights," says John W. Miller in this reprint from the Moundsville Blog.
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LISTEN/IN: Michael and Carrie Kline on the art and craft of of hearing & sharing stories
Michael and Carrie Kline sing and listen for a living. But what their songs and stories actually do is affirm "the depth and breadth of cultures under siege by forces of systemic oppression often threatening their very existence."
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EDITORS/NOTE: Look this way
Here is looking at you, Thomas, West Virginia. Plus, how a COVID test saved Jeff Seager's heart and maybe his life; a Crystal Good essay on Black miners and Blair Mountain; new poetry and prose by James Cochran from "I Am Appalachian," and how to get kids talking climate change before it's too late.
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PICTURE/SHOW: 36 Ways of Looking at Thomas WV
Thomas, West Virginia, is a bump in the road several thousand feet up in the mountain air. With a storied past, small-town European feel, and humming creative scene it's a special place in the hills. A photographic encounter.
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RE/PRINT: ‘Almost Heaven ’Til We Get There’: Black Miners and Blair Mountain
"I’m a sixth-generation West Virginian. My children are seventh-generation. My generational claim to Appalachia is subversive. It talks back to cavalier anti-Black stories of poor white redneck hillbillies and to the white people who claim an entire region as their own."
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READINGS: Three from “Corona Time Capsule”
'Feed Them on Peaches,' 'Grass Fire,' and '¡Ya Basta!' — three excerpts of poetry and prose from poet James Cochran's forthcoming book "Corona Time Capsule."
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VIDEO: Getting Kids Talking About Climate Change
The best time to address the growing crisis of global climate change was yesterday. The next best time is today. But how to get kids themselves talking about climate change? Here is a video than can help.
