In my 2016 stage play Which Side Are You On: The Florence Reece Story, I envision a scene at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee, wherein union activist and songwriter Florence Reece and Civil Rights reformer Martin Luther King, Jr. are discussing ways for opposing violence. The exchange follows:Continue Reading

Welcome, readers. We have now come to the end of our journey. I hope everyone has avoided our creatures thus far. Hopefully, this series has better prepared readers for any future encounters. Let’s explore and investigate the following creatures together. XVI. Tennessee Wildman   First Encounter: 1800s in McNairy County,Continue Reading

My December 2019 side trip off Highway 68 to Ducktown was inspired by Edward Francisco’s “Copper Hill – A Legacy,” posted in September. I also had seen the “moonscape” as a child and swam in the sulfur-scented, olive-tinted water downstream. The mines and processing plants are closed; yet, their legacyContinue Reading

**Photo Source:  Library of Congress The history of the Southern Appalachian region is a saga of exploitation by profiteers inimical to the aims of ordinary people to provide for their families in safe conditions. The brutal treatment of coal miners and their families is well known and thoroughly documented. However,Continue Reading