Appalachian Journal

09/25/2025

Happy Birthday, Ron Rash! Born on September 25, 1953 in Chester, South Carolina, Ron Rash is the author of eight novels, seven short story collections, and five poetry collections. His work, which is often centered around Appalachian culture, can be found in numerous magazines and journals.

Rash’s works feature an in-depth examination of Appalachian culture and investigate complexities surrounding identity, permanence, and the convolution of good and evil. A two-time finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for his fiction work, Rash has been widely recognized for his work, winning three O. Henry Prizes, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and, in the fall of 2024, he was officially inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.

One of his most popular novels, Serena, became a New York Times Best Seller upon its publication in 2008, and was later adapted into a film in 2014. It follows the story of a newly married couple and their journey toward establishing a timber empire in North Carolina, investigating various themes such as greed and the clash between industrialization and nature.

Rash currently lives in Cullowhee and is a Parris Distinguished Professor at Western Carolina University in Appalachian Cultural Studies.

09/23/2025

Maggie Anderson was born in New York City on this date in 1948. Anderson has many accolades as an editor, artist in residence at various institutions, and as a poetry instructor in multiple institutions throughout the Appalachian region.

In her early teens, following the death of her mother, Anderson and father returned to their family’s home state of West Virginia. It is the landscape and culture of this region that inspired much of Anderson’s writing. In her words: “The hills are in everything I write.”

09/22/2025

Happy Autumnal Equinox! How do you plan to celebrate the arrival of fall?

09/17/2025

Today is International Country Music Day!

American country music was popularized at the turn of the 20th century by the Bristol Sessions, recorded by the Carter Family. Born and raised in southwest Virginia, Sara, A.P., and Maybelle Carter’s music was instrumental to the development of bluegrass and country music, as well as the American folk revival.

Bristol, Tennessee is officially designated the Birthplace of Country Music because of the significance of the Bristol Sessions. Starting in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry was aired by WSM in Nashville, broadcasting and popularizing country music into the present day.

09/15/2025

Exciting news! As the Crow Flies: An Open-Access Expansion of AppalJ is LIVE! Access fascinating new content, audio and video components, and more! Featuring writing by Matthew Johnson, Jarrod Ingles, Tara Peck, William Rieppe Moore (RieppeandCherith Moore), Megan Krupa, Todd A. Comer, Jesse Graves, Pam McFarland, Sarah Beth Hopton, Kristen Trent, Jody DiPerna, Carla Ramsdell, Genevieve Bardwell, Rene'Locklear White, Lucy Margaret Long, Stephen Moxley, Morgan Robinson, Amanda Green, and Mary Beth Crass.

Check out the inaugural issues on foodways here: https://as-the-crow-flies.pubpub.org/current-issue

09/14/2025

Tomorrow marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month! Lasting through October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a time to celebrate culture and to recognize the many contributions that Hispanic and Latinx communities have made! Here are some of our favorite works by Hispanic and Latinx Appalachian creators:
Los Appalachianos by the Lua Project
Rearrange My Heart by Che Apalache
Vida by Appalatin
Of Jibaros and Hillbillies by Ricardo Nazario y Colon
Speak of It by Marcos McPeek Villatoro
Fable by Benito del Pliego
Yndiana Montes Fogelquist, the genius behind Everybody Loves Maako and many other projects
Kate Cruz, poet whose work you can find at https://tinyurl.com/wu9yw8xu

09/12/2025

Just a few more days, friends and neighbors...

As the Crow Flies, the new open-access expansion of Appalachian Journal, goes live this Monday!

Appalachian Journal, founded in 1972, is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed quarterly featuring field research, roundtable discussions, interviews, first-person essays, and scholarly studies of history, politics, economics, culture, folklore, literature, music, ecology, and a variety of other topics, as well as poetry, photography, and reviews of books, films, and recordings dealing with Appalachia.

The material in As the Crow Flies undergoes the same editorial and peer review processes as the print content, but is more freely available to readers and researchers.

The inaugural issue focuses on foodways, features scholarly material, book reviews of recent publications, and shorter informative pieces.

🔗: https://bit.ly/3KhC0YS

09/11/2025

On this day in 1936, construction on the Blue Ridge Parkway began, and the Parkway was dedicated on this day in 1982.

Originally called the Appalachian Scenic Highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway was intended to connect Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Construction was completed in 1966 with the exception of the Linn Cove Viaduct in Avery County, NC, which opened in 1982, completing the Parkway after 52 years. The Viaduct is one of the most complicated concrete bridges ever constructed, with 153 segments placed from the top-down to minimize damage to the environment on the face of Grandfather Mountain. The Parkway now runs 469 miles through North Carolina and Virginia.

Be sure to check the NPS website for the most recent updates on Parkway closures!

09/09/2025

Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8th, 1932 in Wi******er, Virginia. She began performing on her local radio station at the age of 15 and signed her first recording contract at the age of 22. Known for songs like “Crazy,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” and “I Fall to Pieces,” Cline became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1960 after moving to Nashville. Cline died at the age of 30. In 1973, she became the first female performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

09/08/2025

Today we celebrate International Literacy Day! What does literacy awareness mean to you?

09/07/2025

Happy Birthday, Wiley Cash! Wiley Cash is the author of four novels, the host of the Our State Book Club Podcast, and a professor at UNC Asheville. A born and raised North Carolinian, most of Cash’s novels are set in Appalachia and explore themes related to the region.

Cash has been recognized with many awards, including three Southern Book Prizes. He was a finalist for an Edgar Award, and, in 2018, his novel The Last Ballad was nominated as an American Library Association Book of the Year.

09/01/2025

Happy Labor Day! The Labor Movement in Appalachia has a long history, from the Coal Wars to healthcare workers in the region fighting for better working conditions and pay. Check out these books on the history of the Labor Movement across Appalachia to learn more!

Rednecks by Taylor Brown
The Battle of Blair Mountain by Robert Sh**un
A Union for Appalachian Healthcare Workers by John Hennen
The Harlan Renaissance by William H. Turner
Never Justice, Never Peace by Lou Kelly Savage and Ginny Savage Ayers
Which Side Are You On? by John W. Hevener