Telling Your Own Story

BY TINA V. BRYSON

Rising out of the mountains of Appalachia, in the farthest part of Eastern Kentucky before you hit West Virginia, is the University of Pikeville (UPIKE). Its president, Dr. Burton Webb, lives by the university’s commitment to “create intellectual, cultural, and economic opportunities for Appalachia,” and in that vein he hosts the podcast, “Appalachia Rising,” to shine a spotlight on innovators in the region.

“We are at a moment in time where Appalachia has captured the interest of the greater culture in many ways, and that rises from things like the war on poverty and the decline of the coal industry,” Webb said. “There are incredible stories in Appalachia that we wanted to tell about how our collective investment in the region results in Appalachia being able to thrive on its own. Solutions need to come from inside the region rather than being imposed from outside. Ideas need to arise from here if they are going to catch fire here, and that was the idea behind the podcast. How can Appalachia rise? We think it is doing what we need to do on our own.”

The podcast kicked off in 2019 with the bold proclamation that “it was time for Appalachians to take control of the stories about Appalachia” and twelve episodes later Webb has introduced listeners to stories about creating new career paths in the tech industry for out of work coal miners, providing a new source of sustainable agriculture in Appalachia, and piloting new healthcare initiatives like The Farmacy Program that provides “prescriptions” for fresh produce to combat chronic health problems.

There are incredible stories in Appalachia that we wanted to tell about how our collective investment in the region results in Appalachia being able to thrive on its own.

--DR. BURTON WEBB

“So many people hold the stereotyped view of Appalachia that pervades the national narrative, and yet as I have lived here and my family has deep roots in this area, it isn’t the image that the people here hold,” Webb stated. “We’re trying to help the outside world realize that there are incredibly creative and innovative things taking place here that don’t get the national spotlight shone upon them because they are here, so we’re going to tell our own stories.”

Webb looks for stories that are unique or promote innovative ideas that hold the potential to have tremendous impact in Eastern Kentucky, and if replicated, outside of Central Appalachia as well. He contends that there is so much happening in the region that needs to be duplicated in other areas, but people don’t know about it.

“UPIKE is called to imagine what the future might be,” Webb said. “When you begin the process of imagining a possible future, you have to build the narrative. “Appalachia Rising” is about telling the stories that are rising in Appalachia right now. We had to ask ourselves, can we as an institution elevate those stories so that they can continue to thrive?”

Webb is candid about the challenges the region faces. “Sometimes we get caught in the trap of the stereotypical narrative too. We can’t afford that. We need to recognize that there truly are exceptional things happening here and that they are as much a part of who we are as the other narratives. I hope every episode has something that makes someone say, ‘Oh, I had no idea that was happening in Appalachia.’”

Dr. Burton Webb (left), host of the “Appalachia Rising” podcast produced by the University of Pikeville, shines a spotlight on innovators from Appalachia including Jonathan Webb (right), CEO of AppHarvest, which combines agriculture with technology to grow the farming movement in Appalachia.