Amanda Larch
-Reader, writer, editor-
Here you will find examples of my magazine writing work with convenient links to take you directly to each story. I've broken it up into sections per publication. Happy reading!
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YNST
Spring
2024
Contemporary quilting in Appalachia
Think back to your childhood. Picture a room in your grandmother’s house, or maybe at another relative’s. Is there a quilt hanging proudly on the wall, lying carefully on a bed or draped over the back of a couch or chair? Chances are, if you’re from Appalachia, the answer is yes...
YNST
Winter
2024
How APBP challenges mass incarceration through books
“You’re not going to hear from me anymore because I’m about to be released; thank you for the years of books..."
How Ascend WV is recruiting and retaining remote workers to the Greenbrier Valley and beyond
With a mission to drive the outdoor economy and grow the population of West Virginia, Ascend WV is a grant-based organization and remote worker talent attraction and retention program that has welcomed more than 270 new residents to the Mountain State since it was formally launched in April 2021...
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Summer
2023
Family-owned Mountain Meadow Hunting Preserve feature
Mountain Meadow Hunting Preserve offers unique hunting opportunities for everyone. Owner Brandon White started the business as a teenager and now is able to watch it grow with his family at his side...
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Spring 2023
A clothing and accessory brand celebrating the historic--and iconic--highway.
Aaron and Monica Maxwell get their kicks on Route...60. Learn how the couple celebrates this historic highway by collaborating with local and regional artists to create a unique Route 60-inspired brand.
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly
Winter 2023
The world's first fully accessible hotel
Filled with relics and memorabilia, The Schoolhouse Hotel is completely renovated from a historic school building in the heart of White Sulphur Springs. It’s also the world’s first fully accessible hotel, now open to any and all guests.
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Fall 2022
Record-breaking pumpkins grown by local gourd enthusiast
Each year, Chris Rodebaugh receives recognition and awards for his giant pumpkins. Now, he’s sharing tips and tricks on how to cultivate the perfect pumpkin.
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly
Fall 2022
The Pomona Salt Cave and Spa in White Sulphur Springs, WV
Plucking strings and tinkling pianos waft in each room from invisible speakers, rich tastes from the café delight the taste buds, the striking color of the salt creates a faint glow in the cave, the feel of well-trained hands deliver massages, and smells of essential oils aim to relax, rejuvenate, and restore....
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Summer
2022
Interviews with the 7 artists in residence at Gum Store Studios
Dedicated entirely to the arts and soul, creativity thrives at Gum Store Studios...
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Summer
2022
Alex Brand, glass artist at The Greenbrier Resort
Hanging in the Virtu Glass hot shop at The Greenbrier is a little chalkboard that otherwise might be considered inconspicuous, listing items and tools the glassblowers need or are running low on, but on the top of the board someone has written, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream"...
Greenbrier Valley Quarterly
Spring
2022
Highland Outdoors July 2022
Meeks Mountain Trails: an epic trail system in my hometown
A few years ago, Brandon Doerner and his twin six-year-olds, Aaron and Katie, ventured into the woods behind the Hurricane City Park in Putnam County. Their mission: to break ground on what was to become the Meeks Mountain Trail System...
Highland Outdoors April 2022
The West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League
Since 2018, a rapidly growing group of middle and high school students across the Mountain State have been hopping on mountain bikes to challenge themselves and race against their peers in a good-natured, competitive atmosphere...
A feature on the home of a Barboursville, WV couple successfully combining the old with the new
Affectionately dubbed "America's Backyard" by their friends Dallas and Sarah Nibert live with their two children in their dream home...
Huntington Quarterly Winter 2024
Brad and Alys Smith personally fund a much-needed renovation of the Marshall President’s House
Breathing new life into a 100-year-old home is no easy task, and no one was more up for the challenge than Marshall University First Lady Alys Smith...
Huntington Quarterly Summer
2023
Breathing new life into a 104-year-old home
Someone once snapped a photo of Timothy Stanley leaning against his Camaro with a stately Colonial Revival home on 13th Avenue in the background. In a fun twist of fate, Stanley is now the proud owner of that very same home and has made the interior his own...
Huntington Quarterly Spring 2023
United Way of the River Cities' 100th anniversary
When the Woman’s Club of Huntington created the Community Chest 100 years ago, they had no way of knowing the very same ideals and dedication to community that went into its inception would evolve into what is now United Way of the River Cities...
Huntington Quarterly Autumn
2022
Huntington's most beloved restaurant celebrates a milestone
Forty-five years ago, Fleetwood Mac dominated the airwaves, Star Wars premiered in theaters and Rocco Muriale Sr. opened the doors to his small Italian restaurant in Ceredo, West Virginia, for the first time...
Huntington Quarterly Summer 2022
WV Explorer Oct.
2023
A mountain in WV has ice nearly year-round
One of West Virginia's most fascinating natural wonders, Ice Mountain, where winter ice can be found lingering in crevices until summer, is now open to guided hikes year-round...
WV Explorer Aug. 2023
Ohio River Islands kayaking challenge
More than 20 virtually forgotten islands in the Ohio River in West Virginia are increasingly attracting kayakers drawn by the opportunity to explore one of the nation's evolving wildlife refuges...
WV Explorer Aug. 2023
A grassroots, community-driven museum
Western West Virginia's new children's museum is expected to contribute to revitalizing Huntington’s West End and benefit families in an area where such advantages were traditionally few...
WV Explorer June
2023
Weishar Enterprises continues to produce iconic glassware
A West Virginia-based glassware manufacturer is carrying on the legacy of a more-than-century-old pattern that's attracting new audiences—the Moon-and-Star...
WV Explorer
June
2023
Surprising facts about WV's quintessential biscuit restaurant
Known for its made-from-scratch biscuit sandwiches, Tudor's Biscuit World has been a staple of Appalachian cuisine since it first opened and is one of the only fast-food chains of its size to originate in WV...
WV Explorer May 2023
The Nature Conservancy purchases Big Cove tract in Canaan Valley
An almost 2,000-acre property purchased by The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia will preserve habitat adjoining the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and will ensure access to outdoor recreation in the Canaan Valley...
WV Explorer May 2023
"Airbnb" for recreational properties to launch in West Virginia
A new mobile application that will allow landowners to lease their properties for outdoor recreation is currently accepting participants for a beta test...
WV Explorer May 2023
The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
As the Ohio River became cleaner in the 1980s, thanks to legislation like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, wildlife started to return, leading to an interest in protecting the river and its islands, and in 1990, the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect, conserve and restore habitat for wildlife native to the river...
WV Explorer April 2023
The only domestic marble manufacturer left in the U.S.
Able to produce upwards of one million marbles a day, Marble King Inc. has been a staple of West Virginia industry and manufacturing since it was formed in 1949 and remains the only domestic marble manufacturer in the nation...
WV Explorer March
2023
West Virginia history of glass manufacturing
West Virginia was once among the world's chief exporters of glass, supporting more than 400 factories through the 20th century. Now, only a handful of manufacturers remain, though its glass museums and exhibits are growing as destinations for collectors...
WV Explorer March
2023
How West Virginia honey benefits consumers, economy
West Virginia is a prominent producer of Appalachian honey, churning out almost 245,000 pounds annually from 13,300 registered bee colonies...
WV Explorer March
2023
Museum of American Glass showcases US made glass and American manufacturing.
WESTON, W.Va. — Minutes away from one of West Virginia's most popular tourist destinations—The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum—one of the most extensive glass museums in the U.S. is attracting tourists from across the globe.
WV Explorer
Jan. 2023
How did the house-sized boulders at Beartown come to be?
Among the smallest state parks in West Virginia, 110-acre Beartown State Park is nevertheless among its most fascinating. For decades, it's inspired visitors as a natural wonder--a densely shaded landscape of ferns and mossy rocks...
WV Explorer Jan. 2023
A Civil War battle fought at the site of a modern-day park.
Early research on a Civil War engagement at Hurricane Bridge tended to underestimate the number of soldiers involved, leading historians to mislabel the "battle" as a "skirmish," according to Hurricane native and historian Dr. Philip Hatfield, Ph.D...
WV Explorer Nov. 2022
How solar power benefits WV.
Perhaps surprisingly, much of West Virginia enjoys about 85 percent as much sunlight as Miami, Florida, which means it's ideally suited to solar energy use, says the founder and CEO of West Virginia-based Solar Holler.
WV Explorer
Oct. 2022
Feature on West Virginia-based travel blogger
Though travel to West Virginia is increasing statewide, a blogger best known for helping families with children find good hiking options says she's fielding more inquiries about the nation's newest national park.
WV Explorer
August 2022
Feature on the unique environment found at Cranberry Glades
Five hundred miles south of the Canadian muskegs, visitors to the highest mountains in West Virginia may be surprised to find a uniquely similar highland botanical area...
WV Explorer July 2022
The 'Trash Your Kayak' Cleanup Crew
While West Virginia boasts some of the cleanest mountain streams in the U.S., there's work to be done on rivers in formerly industrialized areas of the state where conscientious kayakers are working to remove debris...
WV Explorer July 2022
Learn why WV is an ideal destination for mountain biking
With its ideal mix of terrain, elevation, and untouched beauty begging to be discovered, West Virginia is an ideal destination for mountain biking, according to one of its chief proponents...
WV Explorer June 2022
A fun feature on a fun park right in my hometown
Residents of the Teays Valley in western West Virginia have been taking advantage of Valley Park at Hurricane since it opened in 1978, but now the park off Interstate 64 is attracting more visitors from out of town, thanks in part to renovations and new sports fields...
WV Explorer January 2022
The Huntington Museum of Art's nature trails
Nature has always been a key component of the mission at the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia. With a nature trail, plant conservatory, and wheelchair-accessible sensory trail on the property, it celebrates nature and strives to educate...
WV Explorer January 2022
How broadband access will improve safety in WV waters
The expansion of broadband and cellular access in West Virginia will notably improve safety and economics along its water trails, say officials with the state flatwater trail commission...
WV Explorer
January 2022
WV's Flatwater Trail Commission continues to grow
Established a year ago, West Virginia’s flatwater trail commission is moving forward to connect resources for the state’s 14 water trails, including 88 miles of waterway being developed for paddling, kayaking, and fishing...
The Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia
One chilly February evening in 2018, a group of ski enthusiasts congregated at a pub in Davis to discuss the idea of opening a museum dedicated to the history of snow sports in the state. Thus, the Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia was born...
WV Living Magazine
Winter 2021
Online retailers sharing their love of West Virginia
What started as a “missing home” project for Evan Chapman while living out of state quickly became a passion and a successful business. Chapman wanted to represent his native state using designs of his own creation and, six years ago, Loving WV was born...
WV Living Magazine Fall 2021
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