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West Virginia

Journalism, Non Fiction

Feb 16: Stephen Kurczy’s quest to understand The Quiet Zone

February 16, 2022

Unpacking the Mysteries of a Town Suspended in Silence

Imagine a place completely disconnected from everyday tech. Where you’re not supposed to use cell phones; where the peaceful solitude of forest hikes is never invaded by ringtones or one-way conversations. Where getting lost means unfolding a map because GPS won’t work?

When Stephen Kurczy embarked on his three-year journey to understand The Quiet Zone, he figured a community based in quiet would be idyllic. He hadn’t owned a cell phone for 10 years, so he’d fit right in … right?

Among the hippies, mountain men, and electrosensitives, he also uncovered a darker side of this Appalachian region — unsolved murders, Nazis, a government spy facility. Can you say conspiracy theories?

About Stephen Kurczy

From the Cambodia’s muddy jungles to the dense rain forests of Brazil, award-winning investigative journalist Stephen Kurczy, reported stories from around the globe for The Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, The New York Times, and other publications. The Quiet Zone is Stephen Kurczy’s debut nonfiction book.

 

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

NOV 24: Pulitzer Prize Winner Eric Eyre with Death in Mud Lick

November 24, 2021

Why Death In Mud Lick Booka town called Kermit with only 382 residents prescribed 12 million pills in 3 years.

In Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies that Delivered the Opioid Epidemic, journalist Eric Eyre set out to expose the mysteries, tragedies, and government corruption behind the opioid crisis in West Virginia.

Eric joins us to share stories from the investigative research that took him to counties at the heart of the opioid crisis—small rural counties with the highest overdose rates in the United States.  We discuss the  importance of strong independent journalism, and community journalism in particular. Eric also shares the  concept of sustained outrage and how even tiny actions can make a huge impact.

About Eric Eyre

For more than 20 years, Eric Eyre was a reporter for the Charleston Gazette-Mail.  His series of investigations into massive shipments of opioids to West Virginia’s southern coalfields was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2017, and led to his book, Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic.

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Journalism, Non Fiction

SEP 08: Stephen Kurczy’s journey to understand The Quiet Zone

September 8, 2021

Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence

What if there’s a place where you can totally disconnect from everyday tech? Where you’re not supposed to use cell phones; where forest hikes are never interrupted by ringtones or one-way conversations? Where getting lost means using a map because GPS won’t work?

When Stephen Kurczy began his three-year quest to understand The Quiet Zone, he figured a community based in quiet would be idyllic. He hadn’t owned a cell phone for 10 years, so he’d fit right in … right?

Among the hippies, mountain men, and electrosensitives, he also discovered the darker side of this Appalachian region — unsolved murders, Nazis, a government spy facility. Can you say conspiracy theories?

About Stephen Kurczy

From the muddy jungles of Cambodia to the dense rain forests of Brazil, award-winning investigative journalist Stephen Kurczy, reported stories from around the world for The Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, The New York Times, and other publications. The Quiet Zone is Stephen Kurczy’s debut nonfiction book.

 

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Journalism, Non Fiction

Apr 22: Death in Mud Lick with Eric Eyre

April 22, 2020

Death In Mud Lick BookWhy would a  small town called Kermit, with a population of just 382 people, need 12 million pills in 3 years? In his new book, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Eric Eyre investigates the mysteries, tragedies, and government corruption behind the opioid crisis in West Virginia.

The counties where the story unfolds have the highest overdose rates in our country and Eric joins us to share some of his investigative journey to Death in Mud Lick. We discuss the importance of strong independent journalism, and community journalism in particular. The concept of sustained outrage. And how small actions can make a big difference.

Eric Eyre was a reporter for the Charleston Gazette-Mail more than 20 years. In 2017, his  series of investigations into massive shipments of opioids to West Virginia’s southern coalfields was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. His new book, Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic.

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