I am from the muddy brown waters of the Muskingum River. It is a place I cannot hide from the truth of myself – where lies burn away like sins on an altar. I am both pulled to and pushed away from its borders. The small Appalachian town raised meContinue Reading
Sometimes things happen that just beggar belief – not the muddled-up head-scratching kind, but the holy-crap-get-me-outta-here kind. A person starts to think in terms of that old cliché: “This could only happen to me.” The following events occurred over eleven years ago and are as truthful as I can recollect,Continue Reading
When I was a little girl living in the holler, I took special note of plants my parents loved. They often pointed out wildflowers, trees, vines, shrubs, and grasses, etc. The wisdom they imparted was such a treat, because, in addition to a little botanical information, my brother and IContinue Reading
Appalachia Bare would like to thank all our military and service members. This Memorial Day, we remember and honor all those who served and fought for our country. Our warriors in valor, strength, and excellence . . . The following is the fourth excerpt of Benny F. Shown Sr.’s memoirsContinue Reading
“I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them have a good time, and all I get is abuse, the existence of a hunted man.” – Al Capone Introduction Perhaps the nation should have looked closer at a Tennessee precedent before Prohibition wasContinue Reading
Kin Takahashi was a five-feet-two-inch, 123-pound ball of joyous energy whose fire burned brightly for only thirty-six short years. But Mr. Takahashi shared his energy with all those around him willingly and without hesitation. It could be said that his life was so brief because he gave everything of himself,Continue Reading
The “back of beyond!” Writing from North Carolina, that’s what Horace Kephart called the Tennessee side of the Great Smokies. It was nearly impossible to get there in his day and a stingy place to scratch out a living. Kephart wrote about that dark side of the Smokies in hisContinue Reading
In early March, Appalachia Bare received an email announcing the upcoming album release of Earth Bow (available at Bandcamp.com) by Sarah Louise, a musician from the Asheville, North Carolina, area. I must admit that prior to this email, I was largely unfamiliar with her work. But the email and thisContinue Reading
I am the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran. My father, Benny F. Shown, Sr., served honorably from 1967-1968 with Second Platoon in B Battery of the 29th Artillery. He served with the First Air Cavalry Division, various infantry units, and, in some cases, with Special Forces. He rarely spoke aboutContinue Reading
On a rainy day in late March our family decided we needed a day in the Smokies, or, to be more precise, under them. Our destination was Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend, Tennessee, about 25 miles south of Knoxville. The word Tuckaleechee is derived from the Cherokee word, Tikwalitsi (original meaningContinue Reading
