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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A West Virginia hero’s life to be showcased June 23 at 2022 FestivALL Charleston
"The Wake Up Call," a documentary about the remarkable and heroic international life of West Virginia native Dave Evans, will be screened Thursday, June 23, 2022, in West Virginia's capital city as part of the citywide FestivALL Charleston 2022.
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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.
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Thich Nhat Hanh in the West Virginia Hills
The great Vietnamese Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh, who died this week, once led a retreat in the West Virginia hills in 1993. I was there with some friends, finding myself at one point serenading the beloved monk. Thirty year later, the retreat continues to resonate in the lives of those of us who went.
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10 Illuminated Thoughts About Life on Manchin Island
The stakes are high in WV senator Joe Manchin's Build Back Better gamesmanship. What happens now that he blew up negotiations — and now it looks like they're coming back together?
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EDITORS/NOTE: December2021
Here's what's up in the December 2021 issue, last one for awhile as we go on hiatus with this edition until March 1, 2022.
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Losing yourself in Lost River
Wandering the byways and backroads of the Lost River environs in eastern West Virginia, while trying to write a sorta memoir. An imagistic journey.
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The sink as a refuge of sanctuary & solidarity
'I am at one with a long line of the faithful, monks of Ireland, or Tibet, or France, silently preparing or cleaning up from the day’s meals, mindfully caring for community, or in readiness to offer hospitality.
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Multifest still a beacon of the need for the Black press
Like many injustices Black newspapers fought head-on, solutions arose only when the Black press first drew attention to them. A look at the West Virginia Beacon Digest and the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta.
