Conversations on Folklore with Craig Payst

As we wait for the Haunted Biltmore episode to be released, we present to you Christopher Balzano’s interview with Craig Payst, the creator of North Carolina Ghost Stories (http://northcarolinaghosts.com) and Kentucky Ghosts and Monsters (http://www.kentuckyghosts.com/). Payst’s research into the ghosts of the Piedmonts in North Carolina was crucial in the planning stages of our recent Tripping on Legends Road Trip as we made our way through the state. Hear the episode of our journey through North Carolina as we explore three legends he presents on his site: http://triplegend.hipcast.com/deluge/triplegend-20170725015217-5483.mp3 What was meant to be a talk on some of the background of the sites quickly turned into a discussion on the nature of folklore, the changing face of storytelling, and the role of the paranormal and race relations in the stories we know and retell. Many of these ideas make an appearance, oddly enough, on Christopher’s appearance on Binnall of America a week later (http://host2.cyberears.com/31798.mp3). Some of the media we discussed: Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era (The Steven and Janice Brose Lectures in the Civil War Era)by Tiya Miles https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469626330/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=legend02f-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1469626330&linkId=8539f37e09425127d0e42bef780008ab The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained by Whitley Strieber and Jeffrey J. Kripal (who will be appearing on Spooky Southcoast (www.spookysouthcoast.com) in a few weeks https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101982322/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=legend02f-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1101982322&linkId=5d4a5ce643e5894cc2b449291fa6e2ae Boondock Saints https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004J14VHE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=legend02f-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004J14VHE&linkId=9e69245b1cc7afde77e791fdfc19ae72 Ghosts of the Triad: Tales from the Haunted Heart of the Piedmont https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609491408/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=legend02f-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1609491408&linkId=7a6747e31bb7c10be6c7c86dc6c47244 Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4JMQ33/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=legend02f-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01N4JMQ33&linkId=02c08abdf1b029dd2b56483d8c75950d