Jun 25
Tonia Moxley, avid writer, cook and gardener, shares the story of how she’s made room for bees in her backyard, like so many others experimenting in the urban agriculture movement, and why that journey has brought her closer to understanding her Appalachian heritage. Read more
By Beth Newberry
The video for the title track of 2/3 Goat’s EP Stream of Conscience features members of the New York City-based band standing knee-deep in a stream in the mountains of Central Appalachia. Lead singer and mandolin player Annalyse McCoy belts: “Stream of conscience hear my cry / I don’t want my hills to die.”
By Niki King
I came across a story NPR reported last year about a Seattle company that is creating scannable codes for burial markers. It said these codes can be placed on tombstones so visitors can learn about their departed, leave messages or record stories about them. A person needs only a smart phone and a free app to access the information.
I listened in rapt attention, imagining the possibilities for such technology at my own family cemetery. At this time of year especially, my mind turns to the dead there and their safe keeping.
By Niki King
The HillVille spent an afternoon roaming the streets of Atlanta’s Cabbagetown, a historically Appalachian community, talking to old-timers and newcomers alike about the mountain ways that have manifested here. What emerged was the story of a people and a place in transition and a musical tradition that will not die.
By Niki King
I’ve been thinking a lot about social media lately. It’s a residual warm and cozy feeling leftover from the Appalachian Studies Association conference in Indiana, Pa., this March.
Beth Newberry and I hosted a panel about online Appalachia, where we invited several folks whose work we admire to talk about how they’re using the web and social media to extend and enrich conversation, build community and encourage social action in the region. Read more
By Niki King
The HillVille was recently honored to make an appearance on Marie Directions’ “Keep Hearing Voices” show on Crescent Hill Radio. Marie’s show, which airs every Saturday at noon, features music, stories and news highlighting Louisville’s communities. People may also recognize her as the incredible singer/songwriter, dulcimer and guitar player about town in bands like A Girl Named Earl. And, she recently started The Local Trickle, a resource for people involved in community projects. We had a delightful conversation about the founding of The HillVille, urban Appalachia, what we’re doing here and hope to do in the future. If you missed it, no worries, tune in here. Go for the interview, stay for the great music. Read more
The HillVille unabashedly loves stories, community building and especially innovative ways to use stories to build community. So when we saw Hollow, an interactive documentary about McDowell County, W.Va., on Kickstarter, we were intrigued. We caught up with project founder and ex-App Elaine McMillion earlier this week to get the scoop.
by Marianne Worthington
Marianne Worthington, who reviewed the autobiography Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers by Charlie Louvin and Benjamin Whitmer for The HillVille, interviewed writer Ben Whitmer about his role in helping Charlie Louvin tell the story of the Louvin Brothers in Satan Is Real. Read more
by Marianne Worthington
The first distinctive quality about Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers, Charlie Louvin’s autobiography with Benjamin Whitmer, published just months after his death last year, is the physical book itself. Readers who study this volume on an electronic reader will be denied all the corporeal pleasures of holding this cleverly designed book, which resembles a 10-cent pulp fiction classic (jacketless hardback), complete with enticing endorsements and outrageous artwork. In this case the artwork is the same as the Louvin Brothers’ 1958 classic album Satan Is Real (more on that a little later). Read more
The HillVille has been on spring break and will return with lots of rad new content Thursday, April 12. In the words of famed Appalachian comedian and actor Robin Williams*, “Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!'”And well, we haven’t been partying in our brief hiatus, but we have been working on a bunch of stories that we are excited to roll out in coming weeks including book reviews, interviews, art criticism and city profiles. Read more
The HillVille 