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.

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!