George Scarbrough, Appalachian Poet


Book Description

A writer's writer, East Tennessee poet and novelist George Scarbrough enjoyed a career that spanned eight decades and included numerous awards. This biography makes use of Scarbrough's personal journals to tie his literature to his life and presents previously unpublished poetry, letters, and prose pieces. Somewhat overlooked during his lifetime, he is, as this book demonstrates, among the best poets of the 20th century.




Appalachian Elegy


Book Description

A collection of poems centered around life in Appalachia addresses topics ranging from the marginalization of the region's people to the environmental degradation it has endured throughout history.




Nine Acres


Book Description

A collection of poems whose titles are based on the chapter titles of "Five acres and independence" by M.G. Kains.




Doubly Erased


Book Description

The first book of its kind, Doubly Erased is a comprehensive study of the rich tradition of LGBTQ themes and characters in Appalachian novels, memoirs, poetry, drama, and film. Appalachia has long been seen as homogenous and tradition-bound. Allison E. Carey helps to remedy this misunderstanding, arguing that it has led to LGBTQ Appalachian authors being doubly erased—routinely overlooked both within United States literature because they are Appalachian and within the Appalachian literary tradition because they are queer. In exploring motifs of visibility, silence, storytelling, home, food, and more, Carey brings the full significance and range of LGBTQ Appalachian literature into relief. Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina and Alison Bechdel's Fun Home are considered alongside works by Maggie Anderson, doris davenport, Jeff Mann, Lisa Alther, Julia Watts, Fenton Johnson, and Silas House, as well as filmmaker Beth Stephens. While primarily focused on 1976 to 2020, Doubly Erased also looks back to the region's literary "elders," thoughtfully mapping the place of sexuality in the lives and works of George Scarbrough, Byron Herbert Reece, and James Still.




The Ever Changing Sky


Book Description

The Ever Changing Sky: Meditations on the Psalms, a book of lay meditations on the Psalms composed in fits and starts over a thirteen-year period, is for anyone struggling with the challenges of leading an authentic life in what poet John Keats termed an “arena of soul making.” Special emphasis is given to the trials and fulfillments the author experienced while journeying to discover the indivisible connections among his roles as husband, father, grandfather, teacher, author, and Catholic. Although this book should appeal to a wide audience of readers seeking to uncover sacramental graces in everyday life, The Ever Changing Sky is especially meaningful for those wishing to contemplate their lives in a spirit of wakefulness.




The Ore Knob Mine Murders


Book Description

How could the peace and quiet of Ashe County, North Carolina (in the mountains, at the Virginia-Tennessee corner), turn into a nightmare of crime and drugs, and the old copper mine itself become a dumping ground for the dead? In 1982, two bodies had been chipped from an icy grave and brought up from the 250-foot mine shaft where they had been thrown while still alive. Now, there were rumors of 21 bodies still down there. If the mine was ever re-opened, what would they find--copper or bodies? Murder, drugs, prostitution and gangs come together in the history of the Ore Knob Mine. A small Appalachian community became the heart of a vicious drug ring ruled by the Outlaws motorcycle gang from Chicago. Ashe County made national headlines when a police informant came forward confessing that he had pushed a man alive into the Ore Knob Mine shaft. This book is the full story.




Appalachian Gateway


Book Description

Featuring the work of twenty-five fiction writers and poets, this anthology is a captivating introduction to the finest of contemporary Appalachian literature. Here are short stories and poems by some of the region’s most dynamic and best-loved authors: Barbara Kingsolver, Ron Rash, Nikki Giovanni, Robert Morgan, Lisa Alther, and Lee Smith among others. In addition to compelling selections from each writer’s work, the book includes illuminating biographical sketches and bibliographies for each author. These works encompass a variety of themes that, collectively, capture the essence of Appalachia: love of the land, family ties, and the struggle to blend progress with heritage. Readers will enjoy this book not just for the innate value of good literature but also for the insights it provides into this fascinating area. This book of fiction is an enlightening companion to non-fiction overviews of the region, including the Encyclopedia of Appalachia and A Handbook to Appalachia: An Introduction to the Region, both published by the University of Tennessee Press in 2006. In fact the five sections of this book are the same as those of the Encyclopedia. Educators and students will find this book especially appropriate for courses in creative writing, Appalachian studies and Appalachian literature. Editor George Brosi’s foreword presents an historical overview of Appalachian Literature, while Kate Egerton and Morgan Cottrell’s afterword offers a helpful guide for studying Appalachian literature in a classroom setting. George Brosi is the editor of Appalachian Heritage, a literary quarterly, and, along with his wife, Connie, runs a retail book business specializing in books from and about the Appalachian region. He has taught creative writing, Appalachian studies and Appalachian literature. Kate Egerton is an associate professor of English at Berea College. She has taught Appalachian literature and published scholarship in that field as well as in modern drama. Samantha Cole majored in Appalachian Studies and worked for Appalachian Heritage while a student at Berea College. Morgan Cottrell is a West Virginia native who took Kate Egerton's Appalachian literature class at Berea College.




D.D. Dougherty, Lillie Dougherty and the Early Years of Appalachian State


Book Description

The 125-year history of Appalachian State University rests on the ambitious yet selfless dream of empowering impoverished mountain families through education. Dauphin Disco Dougherty, his wife Lillie Shull Dougherty, and his bachelor brother, Blanford Barnard Dougherty, founded a small semi-private high school in 1899 at great personal cost and would only be able to sustain its growth to a state teacher's college through their fortitude of character and commitment. Drawing extensively on primary sources, some of which have appeared in no previous book, this history presents the first 30 years of the university's life and background. With over 100 historic images and dozens of first-hand accounts and interviews, the text uncovers forgotten foundations and fascinating personal details of the school's founders, bringing the first 30 years of App State to life.




From the Front Lines of the Appalachian Addiction Crisis


Book Description

Stories from doctors, nurses, and therapists dealing on a daily basis with the opioid crisis in Appalachia should be heartbreaking. Yet those told here also inspire with practical advice on how to assist those in addiction, from a grass-roots to a policy level. Readers looking for ways to combat the crisis will find suggestions alongside laughter, tears, and sometimes rage. Each author brings the passion of their profession and the personal losses they have experienced from addiction, and posits solutions and harm reduction with positivity, grace, and even humor. Authors representing seven states from northern, Coalfields, and southern Appalachia relate personal encounters with patients or providers who changed them forever. This is a history document, showing how we got here; an evidenced indictment of current policies failing those who need them most; an affirmation that Appalachia solves its own problems; and a collection of suggestions for best practice moving forward.




Appalachian Fiddler Albert Hash


Book Description

World-class luthier and renowned guitarist Wayne Henderson calls Albert Hash "a real folk hero." A virtuoso fiddler from the Blue Ridge, Hash built more than 300 fiddles in his lifetime, recorded numerous times with a variety of bands and inspired countless instrument makers and musicians in the mountains of rural Southwest Virginia near the North Carolina border. His biography is the story of a resourceful, humble man who dedicated his life to his art, community and Appalachian musical heritage.