The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities

Media Program

Virginia Foundation for the Humanities

Humanities Feature Bureau Winter 2006-07

December 2006

Contemporary Colonial Blacksmiths (December 1)

Visit the blacksmith shop the next time you’re in Colonial Williamsburg and you’ll find men in 18 th century costume, hammering away at bars of iron. No electricity, no central air or heating, other than the fires in the forges. You’re meant to feel as if you’ve stepped back in time, but what may seem like theatre is actually part classroom and part production line. Sondra Woodward talks with men who are very dedicated to an old trade that has modern appeal.

Brunswick Stew (December 8)

The cooking of Brunswick Stew has become a time-honored tradition, a source of regional pride, and a true Virginia culinary art. Reporter Nancy King spent a morning with a seasoned Brunswick Stew Master.

Plath Poem Debuts (December 15)

An unpublished Sylvia Plath sonnet debuted this fall in Virginia-based online literary journal, Blackbird.org. VCU graduate student and Blackbird contributing editor Anna Journey uncovered the work, written by Plath 50 years ago during her undergraduate years at Smith College . Reporter Mike MacKenzie spoke with Journey and Blackbird editor Greg Donovan in Richmond and has this report.

Kay Allison's Quest (December 22)

More than thirty thousand people are incarcerated in prisons throughout Virginia and most have a very limited access to books. Reporter Nancy King has the story of one woman’s quest to bring books to prisoners.

Virginia's Irish Flutes (December 29)

There’s an artisan living in rural Nelson County who crafts wooden flutes that are revered by Irish musicians. In fact, there’s a seven year waiting list to get one. Nancy King has the story of the Virginia flutes considered to be the best in the world by some pretty tough critics—Irish musicians, themselves.

January 2007

St. Dale (January 5)

Author Sharon McCrumb is best known for her ballad novels celebrating the history and heritage of Appalachia . Ms. McCrumb, however, just won the Library of Virginia’s 2006 People’s Choice Award for her fiction novel, St. Dale – a story of grief, faith, and grassroots sainthood. This book’s setting is not Appalachia , but NASCAR country – and the saint in question is the late Dale Earnhardt. Martha Woodroof explores writer Sharyn McCrumb’s literary shifting of gears.

Tales of Moonshining (January 12)

The new gallery exhibit at Ferrum College's Blue Ridge Institute is called "White Liquor, Blue Ridge Style." It's an intoxicating look at the history of moonshining in Southwest Virginia. Reporter Don Harrison spoke with one of the featured former moonshiners, Jimmy Boyd in his auto repair garage, about the disappearing folk art of making home brew.

Coming to the Table (January 19)

In his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, Martin Luther King junior dreamed that, one day, "the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners" would "sit down together at the table of brotherhood."  As we approach Black History Month, reporter Nancy Marshall-Genzer has the story of a small group of descendents of slaves and slave owners who gathered in Harrisonburg Virginia  to take the first steps toward fulfilling Doctor King's dream.  They called their conference "Coming to the Table."

Representation and Demographics (January 26)

Census estimates indicate rapid growth in parts of Virginia . Minority populations are changing the demographic landscape of the state. But the political landscape has yet to reflect those changes. Reporter Mike MacKenzie spoke with a Charlottesville demographer and a Fairfax political scientist about these changes and has this report.

February 2007

Foxhunting in Virginia (February 2)

Virginia is the epicenter of fox-hunting in America , a sport with an ancient history. On a recent winter morning, celebrated author Rita Mae Brown and 20 riders from her hunt club were getting ready for a few hours of chasing foxes in Nelson County. Reporter Nancy King tagged along.

Reflections on Lincoln (February 9)

Each year, America pauses to remember Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Lincoln has never been far from the mind of Bancroft Prize winning historian Bill Freehling. For over 40 years, Virginia-based Freehling has been ferreting out the complexities of the South's role in Civil War, traveling thousands of miles to study Confederate records first hand. Reporter Martha Woodroof sat down with Dr. Freehling to hear his equally complex take on the South's arch-nemesis.

A Persistent American Debate (February 16)

As Americans, we are dedicated to science and devoted to religion. But we historically have a hard time reconciling the two when it comes to the origins of man. A Virginia Wesleyan College symposium examines the history and future of this persistent debate. Sondra Woodward reports from Norfolk.

Closing Mt. Rogers's School (February 23)

Grayson County is known for its traditional music scene.  At Its heart is the Mount Rogers School and the Albert Hash Memorial Band - thought to be the only school-based old-time string band in the country. But Grayson County 's Facilities Improvement Plan calls for closure of the over fifty-year old Mt. Rogers School .  Joe Zupan has this report on the County's difficult decision.