Thank you, Appalachia, for all your creativity, talent, and beauty. We offer our heartfelt gratitude to you all, along with a steadfast commitment to remain a venue for the creative spirit in these mountains. We are so honored to . . . Continue Reading
Even though I’ve only lived in the South, I tried to make my own path in the world, from the East coast to the West coast, from my childhood to getting older, in between work to earning a living. The core values I gained from being raised on a farm guided me on a . . . Continue Reading
The attacks usually wouldn’t start until late, after midnight. There would be gunshots, the rhythmic thumping of mortar fire, and the whistling of heavy artillery. Either our base was under attack, or the air strip or some groups of men were getting fired upon. The sounds went on and on. Sometimes we saw red flares shoot up—a red alert—meaning the enemy had infiltrated our perimeter. Somewhere, close by, enemy soldiers were coming. The shelling . . . Continue Reading
Anymore, the bearded faces that smothered my cheeks with burns and kisses have been shaved. Some buried. The dresses now are too small, the laced edges ripped . . . Continue Reading
He gently eased his scarred arms into the box and lifted out a coiled snake. The snake twisted and curled its smooth body as the preacher began dancing while lifting the snake in the air. He passed the snake on and returned to the boxes on the floor, retrieving another snake from an identical wooden box. Sweat started to drip down Frank’s back and he . . . Continue Reading
That’s when the police scanner started scratching about a call coming in over at Jerry’s house. I thought, Uh oh. Cass and Jerry are up to something. The way Cass looked, maybe Jerry had roughed her up. Her hair looked wild, like a skein of wool yarn a cat had pawed with its claws. Maybe Jerry had . . . Continue Reading
“That’s all for now. Don’t pay me. You will be back. You will be back next year. You will be back after you start that new job,” she stated, taking another sip of the Southern Comfort.
I tried to pay her, but she vigorously refused to accept the five-dollar bill. As I was leaving, a brand-new . . . Continue Reading
Appalachia Bare has received requests to extend our contest deadline due to Helene’s devastation in our region. We have heard you. First, Appalachia Bare offers our deep, heartfelt condolences to the people in our region . . . Continue Reading
I am seven. I lay in “my bedroom,” the spare bedroom at her house in Tazewell, Tennessee. Dusk settles down in the holler, and the only light shining through my window is from the moon. Earlier, I had . . . Continue Reading
Most of all, I watch her
Wander about her garden,
Near-waltzing through rows of
Tomatoes and lilies,
Through okra, peppers, and fig trees,
And I see . . . Continue Reading