We’re nearing the end of the year and the holiday/ winter season is just around the corner. The chilled air carries a magical, fresh scent; holiday bells jingle our benevolent ears; families and friends gather for grand meals or just plain old togetherness. This season affords us the chance to hear our family stories, our histories, our proud moments, and some we might like to sweep under the rug.Continue Reading

This layered life is a concoction of things sweet and fiery. Fables and folklore drive this land and the people of it, up the holler and into the hills, away (in)voluntary isolation. Honeycomb, oil lamps, and good heads on our shoulders— a community of individualists each with hidden talent. RevealContinue Reading

Oak Ridge. These words always had an enigmatic, almost magical sound to my ears. I couldn’t imagine what my father found so fascinating about this place. More fascinating than nature walks in the woods. More fascinating than teaching biology at the university. So fascinating that he would give up theContinue Reading

Appalachia Bare is proud and honored to feature the Write the World contest winners for fiction and poetry, hosted by East Tennessee’s Pellissippi State Community College. The contest centers on an international-focused theme or topic. The college’s participants were encouraged to reflect upon and write about experiences living or traveling in aContinue Reading

Appalachia Bare is proud and honored to feature the Write the World contest winners for fiction and poetry, hosted by East Tennessee’s Pellissippi State Community College. The contest centers on an international-focused theme or topic. The college’s participants were encouraged to reflect upon and write about experiences living or travelingContinue Reading

We’re coming upon a holiday where we as a people gather together and reflect on gratitude. We may contemplate the hundreds of Thanksgivings our people had before us. Or, perhaps, we ruminate over the gatherings in the most recent decade. A particular dish. A special person. A family tradition. WeContinue Reading

**Appalachia Bare is stepping outside of its usual practice of publishing only shorter videos to share this full-length documentary that takes a glimpse into modern-day Appalachian lives and culture. You can watch the full video below or open it on Rachel Harville’s YouTube page.    From Rachel Harville, the director:Continue Reading

Grandmother’s button box was always kept on her sewing machine desk. It was more of a small canister, really, made of tin, with a terra cotta-colored plastic lid. The box was decorated with images of people from the Victorian era shopping for fabrics and notions. I do not remember aContinue Reading

No one comes to the front door of the old clapboard house, unless of course they are peddling something, or lost. The gravel drive shoots up a short, steep hill and curves around to the back of the house like a strong arm pulls you in for a hug. LeftoverContinue Reading