. . . around two thousand armed miners stealthily advanced to the Tennessee Coal Mine stockade. Hidden from sight, they sent three men to inform Colonel Sevier, commander of the militia, of their demand for the convicts’ removal. When the Colonel tried to capture one of the three men, that man gave a signal and “at once the two thousand miners sprang to their feet and marched . . . “Continue Reading
We’re continuing our exclusive interview with Knoxville, Tennessee’s Poet Laureate, Joseph “Black Atticus” Woods.Continue Reading
Near the tail end of 2023, Appalachia Bare had the great honor of interviewing Knoxville, Tennessee’s Poet Laureate, Joseph Woods, aka Black Atticus. The esteemed Woods is a hip-hop artist and spoken word poet who weaves words into a tapestry of storytelling and poetry.Continue Reading
I wish everyone a belated Happy New Year! I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and warm. In East Tennessee, 2024 has come roaring through like a mad badger, bringing with it a snowstorm I hadn’t experienced since I was a child. My mind hearkens to winters in the holler. We were essentially trapped for weeks at a time back in the beautiful dark places, where mountains hide the sun so that it barely glints across the valley, let alone the backroads burdened with ice under snow under ice under snow.Continue Reading
Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling, When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling! When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin, Glaring out through the dark with a candle within! (25-28) —from “The Pumpkin” by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1844 People living inContinue Reading
Creepy things happen sometimes. Halloween is around the corner and this past Thursday I had planned another article in our Appalachian Hauntings series about Richard Drummond, a coal miner (22-23 y.o.) who was lynched in 1893 by Tennessee militia soldiers during the Coal Creek war near Briceville, Tennessee, and whoseContinue Reading
He left work early and didn’t expect her to be home. But the hazy air from a fresh shower greeted him as soon as he opened the door. A pungent linen soap pierced his nostrils. He saw her straightaway at the small kitchen table in her pink bunny bathrobe, herContinue Reading
I hope everyone has been pleased with this Daugherty series, or, perhaps, been enlightened? My goal has always been to write the facts and let the reader sift through it all. Though admittedly, I may have either ventured into my own opinions or, perhaps, somehow revealed them in my writing.Continue Reading
Almost everybody in Appalachia has a home canning story. Whether it’s that jar of pickles that just didn’t keep its crunch, or the homemade apple butter with that heavenly taste, or the month canning went awry when several jars burst, and so forth. And I’d go even further to sayContinue Reading
I have a little wonderland in my backyard. Among this happy place, dragonflies hover, rabbits abound, squirrels cavort, and a few dozen bird species flutter about. I love birds, but I do have my favorites. I love chickadees and owls. I think blue jays have gorgeous markings. The plain littleContinue Reading