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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

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The commander’s desk rattled; his military knick-knacks crashed to the floor.  I watched, fascinated, as a crack widened on the opposite wall and the parking lot undulated outside the ground-level window . . . Continue Reading

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In: Environmental Studies, Interviews, Nonfiction, Our Better Angels, Sustainability
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Founded in 2009, SEEED, or Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development, is an exceptionally designed non-profit with a mission to help young people find a way out of poverty. Their story is so unique because SEEED is an entirely local grown organization, cultivated from concerns about housing costs, high utility bills, and gun violence. These issues, paired with the fact that few real opportunities exist out there for youths to succeed and excel, prompted SEEED to start digging for a solution.Continue Reading

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At the age of 28, tired of bouncing from job to job . . . I opted to go back to school for a nursing degree.  Once the transferable credits were applied from my B.A. in psychology, I could finish the program in only two and a half years.  I just had one problem—I was broke.Continue Reading

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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

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In: Appalachian Connections, Nonfiction, Our Better Angels, Way Back When
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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

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In: Agrarian, Book Review, Nonfiction, Our Better Angels
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For a half century Wendell Berry has been on record defending small communities and local economies, dating back to his 1977 treatise The Unsettling of America, which, as Appalachian author Wilma Dykeman once observed, deserved to unsettle America more than it did. In his roles as poet, essayist, novelist, and,Continue Reading

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In: Nonfiction, Our Better Angels, Resurrecting Forgotten Writers, Way Back When
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Tomorrow is the birthday of revered Appalachian poet and novelist Byron Herbert Reece (1917-1958). Join Appalachia Bare in celebrating his life and talent through a heartfelt tribute by acclaimed writer, Mark Wallace Maguire.   I go by ways of rust and flame Beneath the bent and lonely sky; Behind meContinue Reading

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In: Appalachian Connections, Nonfiction, Our Better Angels, Way Back When
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While meandering through the Museum of Appalachia’s treasure trove in Norris, Tennessee, I came across an exhibit encased in glass, and was intrigued by the words: She has been called: The Cherokee Chieftainess. The Pocahontas of the West, One of the Great Women in American History. In another section, I readContinue Reading

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One rarely comes across an artist whose remarkable talents flow across a wide swath of multiple medias. Such is true of Mary Ruden – painter, sculptor, textile artist, illustrator, renovator, etc. She is a tireless champion of history and uses her artistic talents to promote and preserve antiquity. She masterfullyContinue Reading