I love you Grandma. I love you Grandpa. I love your hands, Leathered brown from Years of plowing. I love your palms, Calloused from years of Weeding and canning. I love the syrup Before milkin’ time When the stars are still out, And I love you waiting now, With hoeContinue Reading
The following tale can be found in Ivy Love Brown’s short story anthology, Mr. Lotman. This particular story was originally published by Appalachia Bare in 2019. With the author’s permission, we are revisiting the story and adding her warm tribute to the person who inspired the tale. Please enjoy .Continue Reading
Introduction I was born and raised in Clendenin, West Virginia, a small town in Appalachia. When I was fourteen, my mom piled me and my sisters into a brand-new blue Chevrolet Impala convertible and we headed west to California, then to Miami, and finally back to West Virginia for aContinue Reading
“There’s been another school shooting,” announced Mrs. Anderson. She was sipping coffee from a chipped mug and reading the news on her phone. “It happened at Goode High just yesterday.” She looked expectantly at Tom, waiting for him to react to what she just said. Tom was Mrs. Anderson’s son,Continue Reading
when i was a child i would spend South Texas evenings throwing myself with reckless abandon into the gnarled branches of a waiting magnolia. above the pecan falls and beyond the waiting call of my mother’s dinner bell. all to sit for a moment with those sweet flowers in theContinue Reading
I saw your face, and felt the gravity of the moment. The ghost inside echoed the shift, recording the tangent in my course. Your words, your touch, and your spirit nudged my bearing. Tracking left and right, I found no center where once it guided. Bending to the mass ofContinue Reading
In a break from our usual practice, we’re releasing the answers to the quiz now, so you can check and see how you did. We will publish an article discussing the etymology and cultural context of our language next week. This will give us the opportunity to provide a thorough,Continue Reading
Welcome to our fifth quiz in Appalachian English. I always try to write some little introduction before the quiz with a little tidbit of information about our language. Here goes . . . The way Appalachian dialect is portrayed in media, literature, and television often discriminates against and inhibits us.Continue Reading
There was Red Jaws sitting on the couch, mom’s half-brother, while we waited for his tale. He took a minute, easing into the story like a slow drink of whiskey. I ain’t drunk today he said, still too early but there has been many a time when me and aContinue Reading
Sunlight touches my face at dawn A butterfly lands on my hand Bees kiss wildflowers on the lawn Crimson cardinals present their demands The last glow of sunset reveals a doe and fawn Fireflies twinkle in dewy evening starlight Crickets and bullfrogs sing their soulful tune Moon-eyed owl keeps vigilContinue Reading