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"For better or worse, this was my country, and I could not let it go until it blessed me. What form that blessing would take I did not know yet. I only knew that when it came I would recognize it through its disguises. It is this that keeps poets in their countries through namelessness, doors closing, hungers, and there are many kinds, until they are forced to abandon home, which can, in itself, become a blessing." (Mary Lee Settle, in Charley Bland, quoted by Aaron Smith in his essay "For Bette...
Creative Non-Fiction "confessional stories". These essays contain all the information that could NEVER make it into a dust jacket bio. Want to know your fav authors motivations, dark secrets, struggles, or sexual orientation- look no farther! It's all here. Contributors write about families left behind, hard-earned educations, selves transformed, identities chosen and risks taken. Great writing that reaches deep into the histories of the authors. The LGTB crowd is well represented here, many had...
Joyce Dyer's "A Tiger in Your Backyard" about the company town was the most home-hitting piece for me.
An amazing collection of essays by brilliant writers. Insightful mediations that help to dispel many of the stereotypes of the Appalachian people. Powerful voices speaking out from an Appalachia which is often defined by the outsiders. Filled with many words of wisdom - thoughtful, funny at times and beautifully written.
There are many five-star essays in here, and the anthology is a monumental project. To be successful at such an undertaking is incredibly admirable. The editors (Blevins and McElmurray) did a fabulous job both in selection and ordering, and of course so much more. Read the first essay, and you’ll be hooked.
Fantastic read! I'm not usually a personal essay person but these were fabulously engrossing.
3.5 stars. These are my people! If you have Appalachian roots, you’ll see yourself again and again in these essays. They concern religion (Silas House’s essay about growing up in the Holiness Church); Appalachians’ outsider status, with a particular emphasis on the LGBT experience, and reflections from authors who have left the region for good (Melissa Range’s “Outsider Appalachian”, David Huddle’s “Above My Raising”).The collection also included a great but harrowing essay by Chris Offutt, the
