Tag Archives: the little bookstore of Big Stone Gap

Breaking News! Listen Soon (link included) to Hear Wendy

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Wendy has branched out into yet another frontier, broadcast journalism

So after six months of intense education and training as one of their newest Folkways reporters, my first Inside Appalachia story went out Sunday morning. It will run for a week, and then on to the next round.

Wendy…
…and Jack listening Sunday

I have three more stories in the works (no spoilers) and will be looking for more interesting ways to bring folkways to the airwaves in the future. Hint, hint….

The first of anything is usually not one’s best, but the experience was made easier because the people taking me on the hunt were Shawn Means and Amy McLaughlin. Back in 2017 I saw a small advert appear briefly on an Appalachian scholars site, offering a creative residency at Lafayette Flats, a boutique vacation rental in Fayetteville, West Virginia. They gave you all-utilities and one of the flats free of charge; you would buy your own food, have a good time, make art.

The instant I saw it, I wanted to be that artist, but it was competitive, so there was no sense in getting my hopes up–until the day Shawn called to tell me the good news.

I wrote my first novel there (Bad Boy in the Bookstore, Sidekick Press) and have kept up with them casually since then. They were nature enthusiasts even then, so when the mushroom topic came up, I knew where to turn. And my friend Beth O’Connor introduced me to Den Hill. I’m planning to buy an inoculated log from them this winter.

So it went well, and there’s a real kick to hearing something you’ve worked hard on being enjoyed by people. It’s kinda like writing with sound, this radio work. And I look forward to doing more of it. Meanwhile, please enjoy the entire episode, including my mushroom story, via this link, and remember: there are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters. Be well and safe!

https://wvpublic.org/mushroom-mania-soul-food-and-aunt-jeanie-inside-appalachia/: Breaking News! Listen Soon (link included) to Hear Wendy

Food for Thought

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Jack’s weekly guest post homes in on gastronomic reminders –

It’s sometimes surprising the connections that can be made in our local supermarket, and I don’t mean the people you bump into.

Our Good Chef Kelley, owner of The Second Story Cafe here above the bookstore, often shops for us when she’s getting in her cafe provisions, and sometimes surprises us with something she thought we’d specially like. Imagine our astonishment when she triumphantly ploncked down two packs of Mull of Kintyre mature cheese in front of us a few weeks ago. – Mull of Kintyre, for goodness sake!

The Mull of Kintyre is a hard-to-get-to promontory in the Southwest of Scotland, within sight of the North of Ireland. It’s most famous for two things: it was part of the ancient Kingdom of Dalriada, which composed the SW of Scotland and Antrim in Ireland as well as the sea between; and Paul McCartney (remember him?) who owns a house there and wrote what is probably his worst ever song about the place!

Paul’s song is affectionately known as ‘Mulligan’s Tire’ in Scotland, so the label on the cheese is rather clever and subtle (do you get it?)

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And then there’s the San Daniele Prosciutto Wendy came home with from a business trip to Abingdon (a wealthy town about an hour away) last week, which immediately took me back to Friuli in NE Italy where my old group Heritage had such great times playing at FolkEst back in the eighties. We were based in San Daniele and looked after royally by the lovely guy who’s family owned the most respected prosciutto place in town. I love the stuff and was gob smacked when Wendy handed me the packet.

There’s our long-running search for Romanian Pinot Noir, which we fell in love with when we were both working there temporarily, way back in 2002. We were delighted to find when we got back to Scotland that the local Tesco supermarket not only stocked it but it was the very same brand – Prahova Valley. Since moving to Virginia we’ve spent years trying to persuade the local supermarket – – –

I didn’t mention Patak’s hot curry paste, or elderflower presse, or McVittie’s plain chocolate digestives, or, or, – – –

Something about food just transports us back to special places and times, doesn’t it? The good news is, with the exception of the Romanian Pinot, our sweet little local Food City (owned by KVAT) has mostly managed to get in these items. They also try to buy produce from local farmers, regionally specific to each of their stores.

Here’s to supporting the local guys! We really need to send them a bottle of the Prahova Valley next time we find it online…..