I recently reconnected with a college friend who has spent decades writing and teaching literature in his hometown in New Jersey. His newest book of poetry is out, and like so many writers today, he’s been asked to promote it on social media.

We laughed about it a little. Not because social media is beneath him, but because of the absurdity of the ask. Most writers already have a full life: a job, a family, obligations that don’t pause for the muse. The writing happens in the margins — early mornings, late nights, stolen weekends. You carve out the time, guard it jealously, and try to do something worthwhile with it. And then, on top of all that, you’re supposed to be your own publicist too.

It’s a lot. And it’s something most of us in this community know firsthand.

Here at ABC, we don't have a fix for the day job or the social media feed. But we do know some places where writers can go to remember what the work actually feels like. I hope the list below is of some help.

—Natalie

Rooms for Writers: Retreats and Residencies in Appalachia

If you know of a retreat, residency, or writing program in the region that belongs on this list, hit reply and tell us, or comment on this post.

Troublesome Creek Writers’ Retreat | Hindman, KY — Happening This Week

March 24–26, 2026 | Hindman Settlement School | Facilitated by Silas House

If you’re looking for a last-minute reason to get to Hindman, this is it. The Troublesome Creek Writers’ Retreat is happening this weekend, facilitated by Silas House — New York Times bestselling novelist, former Kentucky Poet Laureate, and this summer’s keynote at the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop. The retreat is kept small, between 15 and 20 participants, with time for facilitated discussion, independent writing, and community. Lodging and meals on the Hindman campus are included.

Too late for this session? Hindman runs Troublesome Creek retreats each spring and fall. Details at hindman.org.

Appalachian Writers’ Workshop | Hindman, KY

July 26–31, 2026 | Hindman Settlement School

Now in its 49th year, the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop is the premier literary gathering of the Mountain South — a week-long residency open to published and unpublished writers alike. Structured workshops, special topic sessions, and readings by award-winning faculty. This year’s keynote is Silas House (yes, him again — the man keeps showing up where the work is). Faculty also includes poet Kari Gunter-Seymour, whose new collection Dirt Songs appears in our reading list this issue. Tuition is $450; campus housing available for an additional $225.

Details and application: hindman.org/workshop

Rooted by Words Writing Retreat | Irvine, KY

September 17–20, 2026 | Snug Hollow Farm Bed & Breakfast | Application deadline: May 1, 2026

This one isn’t widely advertised yet, so consider this a heads-up. Rooted by Words is hosting a small writing retreat at Snug Hollow Farm, nestled in the Appalachian foothills between Berea and Irvine, Kentucky. The farm is internationally renowned — previous writer guests include Crystal Wilkinson (Kentucky Poet Laureate) and Gwen Rubio, author of the Oprah Book Club selection Icy Sparks.

The retreat combines quiet writing time with group sessions, community-building, and one-on-one mentoring. Participants may submit up to five pages in advance for individual feedback. Space is limited to 20 participants. Cost is $900, covering three nights of lodging, three breakfasts, three dinners, and one-on-one mentoring.

Apply by May 1. Send applications or questions to sherry.robinson725@gmail.com.

Arthurdale Heritage Writers Residency | Arthurdale, WV

Applications open March 30 – May 31, 2026 | Residency: August 23–30, 2026

Established at Arthurdale Heritage — the site of the nation’s first New Deal homestead community, championed by Eleanor Roosevelt — this week-long residency supports emerging and mid-career writers working toward more nuanced narratives about Appalachia. Writers stay in a historic cottage on a rural homestead and receive a $250 stipend. Writers who attend will also teach a one-hour workshop and give a public reading on August 28.

Eligibility: applicants must have been born in Appalachia or made their home there, and must be an emerging or mid-career writer who does not yet have a published book. Selections will be announced by July 1. Questions: mary.l@arthurdaleheritage.org.

Details: arthurdaleheritage.org

Azule Art Residency | Hot Springs, NC

Rolling applications | Western North Carolina, 50 miles from Asheville

Azule is an art residency in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, open to writers as well as artists of all disciplines. The house itself — built over decades by artist-builder Camille Shafer — is an ever-evolving work of art: carved wood, stained glass, mosaics, a sky bridge. Up to three artists in residence at a time. Fees charged by the week or month. No structured programming; you bring your project and your focus.

Details and application: azule.org

Porches Writing Retreat | Norwood, VA

Rolling, open year-round | James River Valley, Virginia Blue Ridge foothills

An 1854 farmhouse on the James River, half an hour from the Appalachian Trail. Private rooms with original heart-pine floors, hand-blown glass windows, and views of wooded river bluffs. Communal kitchen; writers provide their own meals. Rates start at $70 per night for stays of a week or more, $75 for shorter stays; a private cottage is also available. Open on a first-come, first-served basis — no application required, just book a room.

Details and booking: porcheswritingretreat.com

Wildacres Residency | Little Switzerland, NC

Rolling weekly residencies, April–October | Blue Ridge Mountains | Free

Free one-week residencies in self-catering cabins on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. No internet in the cabins. Open to all artistic disciplines. One artist at a time; about 70 artists hosted per year. A good option for writers who want solitude without structure. Applications close October 15 annually — plan ahead.

Details: wildacres.org

An ABC Author to Know: Kelly Ward

Kelly Ward has been part of the Appalachia Book Company family since 2022, when we published her prose chapbook Rapture. A Kentucky writer born and raised in east-central Kentucky, Kelly received her MFA from West Virginia University, where her story “Rhapsodic” was nominated and selected as a prose winner of the 2025 AWP Intro Journals Project. Her work has appeared in Reed Magazine, Altered Reality Magazine, Anti-Heroin Chic, and midsummer magazine.

Kelly’s writing is rooted, as she is, in east-central Kentucky. Generations of her family come from the hills there, and she says she’s never felt like she belonged anywhere else. Her characters reflect that groundedness — and the weight that comes with it. She describes them as people who “carry the weight of generational trauma, descended from families who have been whittled down by poverty, environmental destruction, and socio-economic judgment,” and who connect more deeply to the natural world around them than to the wider world beyond the hills.

The story that became her chapbook Rapture came to her on a rainy August day in 2021, while she was housesitting a friend’s cabin near the Red River Gorge. The days were peaceful, she says — but when night fell and the cabin and woods were surrounded by full dark, she began to wonder what it would be like to live in that kind of constant darkness. That question became the story.

She is currently at work on a novel she’s been building for years, one that began as her graduate thesis. It’s a story she can’t quit until she gets it right — about navigating a new world and life with loneliness branded into your skin, and about what it means to love and live for yourself while honoring your roots.

When we asked about her reading life, Kelly’s list ranged widely and said a lot about her sensibility as a writer. She loves Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love, Jacqueline Harpman’s I Who Have Never Known Men, and Silas House’s All These Ghosts. For Appalachian literature specifically, she points to Every Bone a Prayer by Noah Ashley Blooms — who happens to be the editor of These Dreaming Hills — along with House’s Clay’s Quilt and Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God.

Kelly’s advice to readers? Request Appalachian books from your public library — no matter how new, obscure, or hard to find.

Follow Kelly at @justagirlfreak on Instagram or visit her at kellyward.carrd.co.

Rapture by Kelly Ward

Book Shelf

Recommended by Jacob Stump, Contributing Editor and ABC Reader-at-Large

Degrees of Elevation: Short Stories of Contemporary Appalachia, edited by Charles Dodd White and Page Seay | Bottom Dog Press, 2010

A deep cut worth tracking down. Jacob picked up this anthology recently and every story hit home in a different way. He singles out “Country Boys,” by Rusty Barnes — a compact, unsettling story about a town boy drawn into risky territory by his country girlfriend and her brothers, who play loose with the law. The cultural divide between town and county life in Appalachia is alive on every page. “I grew up a country boy out in the county,” Jacob writes, “and this story shines a light on dynamics I recognize — the kind that demand a little self-reflection after the last line.” A standout piece in a fearless collection.

Dirt Songs by Kari Gunter-Seymour | EastOver Press

A new collection of poetry that offers an insider’s lens into Appalachian culture: identity, poverty, generational struggle, and the region’s complicated relationship with the rest of the country. Gunter-Seymour is also on faculty at this summer’s Appalachian Writers’ Workshop at Hindman.

Deviant Hollers: Queering Appalachian Ecologies for a Sustainable Future, edited by Zane McNeill and Rebecca Scott | University Press of Kentucky

An edited volume of essays that takes on environmental destruction in Appalachia while mapping out alternative futures. Vital and timely.

These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Bethany House

A poignant novel of friendship, artistry, restoration, and second chances, set in the shadow of the 1920s Biltmore Estate.

No Son of Mine: A Memoir by Jonathan Corcoran | University Press of Kentucky

A memoir that traces a messy estrangement from his mother through lost geographies — the trees, mountains, and streams that were once his birthright, as well as the lost relationships with friends and family and the sense of home that were stripped away when she said he was no longer her son.

Deep Ruts by Julie Rae Powers | Platanus Editions

A collection of photographs that explores the deep roots of religion, a deer in a rut, and the ruts of the mind in which our ways of thinking and values carve into our daily lives.

These Dreaming Hills is ABC’s forthcoming anthology of speculative fiction — science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism — set in and inspired by Central Appalachia. Edited by Noah Ashley Blooms and publishing fall 2026, the collection reimagines this region’s landscapes, histories, and futures through speculative lenses.

We want cover art that does the same.

Think: a mountain hollow that might be another planet. A figure that could be an ancestor or a visitor. Something unmistakably Appalachian and unmistakably strange.

We welcome painting, drawing, digital illustration, photography, collage, and mixed media. We’re especially drawn to layered, atmospheric work — art that asks the viewer to lean in.

Selected artist receives $500 and full credit on the book and all promotional materials.

We strongly encourage submissions from artists with a personal connection to Central Appalachia.

Submission deadline: May 15, 2026

Learn more and submit: https://appalachiabookcompany.submittable.com/.../these...

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Bluegrass Writers Coalition Conference of Writers | Frankfort, KY

April 11, 2026 | Capital Plaza Hotel

BWC’s fifth annual Conference of Writers, with Kentucky Poet Laureate Kathleen Driskell as keynote. Details at bluegrasswriterscoalition.com.

Appalachian Literary Arts & Storytelling Festival — Call for Participation | Nelsonville, OH October 3–4, 2026 | Proposal deadline: May 15, 2026

The second annual ALAS Festival is accepting proposals from presenters, performers, panelists, workshop leaders, organizations, and exhibitors. The festival celebrates Appalachian storytelling in all its forms — literature, music, photography, performance, and more. Proposals may take any form that engages the tradition. Submit to alasfestival1024@gmail.com with a topic, format, abstract, participant bios, and any equipment needs. Notifications by June 30. Full guidelines at alasfestival.com.

Appalachian Writers’ Workshop | Hindman, KY

July 26–31, 2026 | Hindman Settlement School

Keynote: Silas House. Faculty includes Kari Gunter-Seymour. See full listing above. Details at hindman.org/workshop.

This year marks five years of Appalachia Book Company. Five years of reading submissions, publishing chapbooks, and asking ourselves the same question over and over: what makes writing Appalachian?

ABC publishes writers with a connection to central Appalachia—and that connection can look a lot of different ways. Maybe you grew up here. Maybe you moved here, spent time here, or chose to set a story in our region. We want to be inclusive.

But I’ve also learned something in those five years of reading: when the connection is there, you feel it. It shows up in the details. The dialect—not just the vocabulary, but the music of it. The landscape—not just described, but felt. The history—not just referenced, but understood as something that shapes people, that lives in them.

Details like that can’t be faked. They come from paying attention. From listening. From time spent in a place, or with its people, or in the pages of those who came before.

That’s what I look for when I read. Not a setting or a stereotype, but a sense that the writer knows something true about this place—and has found a way to put it on the page.

After five years, I have my own answers. But I’m curious about yours.

A reader survey can be found at the bottom of this newsletter—we’d love to know what you think makes writing Appalachian, and what you want to see from us next.

Appreciate you.

—Natalie

Catching Up

We’ve been quiet the past few months, and a lot of you are new to our project. Here’s a look at what we’ve got going on.

Appalachia, there is a future, and we’re gonna show you how writers see it.

When we started putting together These Dreaming Hills—our anthology of Appalachian speculative fiction—we wanted stories that asked: What if? What comes next? What’s been here all along that we haven’t seen?

We’re thrilled to announce that Noah Ashley Blooms is taking over as editor. If you’ve read Every Bone a Prayer, you know Blooms understands how to write Appalachia with both grit and tenderness. We’re in good hands.

Writers who submitted work for consideration will hear from the editorial team by the end of this month.

‘The Storied Song’ is coming this March!

On a September evening last fall, a small crowd gathered at the Appalachian Center for the Arts. The lights dimmed. A narrator’s voice filled the room, and for the next few hours, old ballads—the kind passed down through generations, sung on porches and at kitchen tables—came back to life in a new form.

That was the live recording of The Storied Song, our podcast series that transforms traditional Appalachian ballads into radio plays. Playwrights Jess Wells, Anne Gillespie, Diana Jean Skeen, and Ida Esmaeili each took a different ballad and cracked it open, finding the story inside the song. William Ritter narrated. Michael McNulty directed. Rosa Bott designed the sound. Samuel O’Sullivan engineered it all.

We’re in post-production now, and we can’t wait to share it with in March. More soon.

New Made In Appalachia prose chapbook available now!

A Librarian Walks Into a Story

For thirty years, author Steph Rantz carried a story around with him. He’d started writing it, set it aside, picked it up again. And again. Then came quarantine, and a short story class, and Jorge Luis Borges.

“I put all my love for libraries and books into the story,” Steph says.

The result is The Real Satyrs of Mt. Airy, the newest chapbook in our Made In Appalachia series. It follows Talmadge Strong, a librarian at the Mount Airy Library, as a mysterious fever blurs the line between the stacks and ancient myth. Reality slips. Legend seeps in.

Steph has worked in a historical library for 25 years. Questions about nearby Mount Airy—and its fictional twin, Mayberry—were part of the job. “Surry County lore and history,” he says, “have just been built into my DNA.”

He’s also just been named a finalist for the 2026 Saints and Sinners Short Story prize. Congratulations, Steph.

Read The Real Satyrs of Mt. Airy →

Writers: Made In Appalachia is open for fiction and nonfiction submissions.

You have until March 1 to get your stories in. Submit via Submittable.

Get a Free Chapbook!

We’ve been asking ourselves what makes writing Appalachian for five years. Now we want to ask you. What draws you to these stories? What are we missing? What would make this newsletter something you look forward to?

Take our short survey, and we’ll send you a free chapbook from our catalog as a thank you.

Take the survey →

We've got something pretty special coming up that we'd love to share with you! After working on this project since 2021, we're finally ready to record, live, ‘The Storied Song’—our podcast that takes old Appalachian ballads and turns them into radio plays with live music.

Two nights, two ways to dive in:

Ballad Workshop with William Ritter

Date: Thursday, September 25th
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Appalachian Center for the Arts, 218 2nd Street, Pikeville, KY

Come hang out with renowned ballad singer William Ritter and learn about the stories that make up ballads. It's a chance to really dig into how these ballads have been passed down through families and changed over time – plus you'll get some great context for Friday night's show.

Live Podcast Recording

Date: Friday, September 26th
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Appalachian Center for the Arts, 218 2nd Street, Pikeville, KY

This is where the magic happens! You'll get to watch us record four episodes with radio plays based on "Tom Dula," "Lord Bateman," "The Farmer's Curst Wife," and "The Wreck of the Old 97." Think old-time radio meets mountain storytelling—it's going to be a lot of fun.

The team bringing these stories to life:

Director: Michael McNulty
Sound Design: Rosa Bott

Audio Engineer: Samuel O’Sullivan
Featured Ballad Singer and Narrator: William Ritter

Playwrights: Idea Esmaeili, Ann Gillespie, Diana Jean Skeen, and Jess Wells

Cast:

• Jess Mullins Fullen as Tom (Tom Dula), Devil/Construction Worker (The Farmer's Curst Wife), Random Woman

• Celeste Holmes as Laura (Tom Dula), Singer (The Wreck Of The Old 97), Demons/TV News Anchor Sheila (The Farmer's Curst Wife)

• Tayler Bolling as Ann (Tom Dula), Turkish Lady (Lord Bateman), Farmer's Wife (The Farmer's Curst Wife)

• Ashlyn Mullins as Pauline (Tom Dula), Narrator (Lord Bateman), Baby Girl (The Farmer's Curst Wife)

• Holden Howard as Engineer (The Wreck Of The Old 97), Lord Bateman, Farmer/Demons/TV News Anchor Rob (The Farmer's Curst Wife), Random Man

Current students and graduates of UVA's College at Wise

What's ‘The Storied Song’ all about?

You might be wondering why a book publisher is getting into podcasts and ballads – it's a fair question! We've been working on this since 2021 because we realized that these old ballads are really just another form of Appalachian literature. They're stories that have been passed down through families for generations, told and retold, changing a little each time but keeping their heart.

At Appalachia Book Company, we're all about preserving and sharing the authentic voices of this region. These ballads are some of our oldest stories – they're like novels compressed into songs, full of drama, real characters, and the kind of human truths that make great literature. By turning them into radio plays, we're just giving them a new way to reach people while honoring where they came from.

These songs have survived because they tell stories that still matter – love, loss, betrayal, and all the complicated stuff that makes us human. We want families to rediscover their own ballad traditions and maybe remember the people who first taught them these songs. It's all part of making sure mountain stories keep getting told in authentic voices.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

This project wouldn't be possible without the support of some wonderful organizations who believe in preserving and sharing Appalachian stories. Huge thanks to the Berea College Appalachian Fund, Kentucky Humanities, and the Gilliam Family Foundation for making The Storied Song possible.

Special thanks to our presenting partner, the Appalachian Center for the Arts, for hosting both events and helping us bring this project to life in such a beautiful venue.

Admission & Reservations

FREE for both events! While admission is free, reservations are recommended.

Reserve your seats: https://us.patronbase.com/_AppalachianCenterForTheArts/Productions/199/Performances

Hope to see you there – it's going to be something really special, and we'd love to have you be part of it!

For more info, check out: www.appalachiabook.co/the-storied-song

Best,

Natalie Axton
Director of Programs
Appalachia Book Company

Can't make it? No worries – the episode will be available on all the usual podcast places after we record it.

Have you heard Jean Ritchie?

Five-year-old Jean Ritchie knew she wasn't supposed to touch her father's dulcimer. Balis Ritchie had made it clear—none of his fourteen children were to lay a finger on the precious instrument that hung on the wall of their four-room log cabin in Viper, Kentucky. But when the house grew quiet and her parents were busy with chores, Jean would sneak the dulcimer down and pick out "Go Tell Aunt Rhody," teaching herself to play in stolen moments.

By the time her father decided she was old enough for formal lessons, Jean was already accomplished enough that he declared her "a natural born musician." What Balis didn't realize was that music—like the ballads themselves—has a way of finding its path from one generation to the next, even when actively restricted.

This was 1927, and the Ritchie family possessed something more valuable than they knew: a repertoire of over 300 ballads that had traveled from Scotland and Ireland to take root in the Cumberland Mountains. Every evening after supper, the family would gather on their porch for what they called "singing the moon up"—sitting on swings and rocking chairs, sharing songs until the moon crested over the high peaks surrounding their hollow.

Jean Ritchie would grow up to systematically document these family treasures, writing down 300 songs she had learned "from her mother's knee" and becoming one of the most important preservers of Appalachian ballad tradition. But it all started with a curious child and a forbidden dulcimer, proving that the best stories—and the songs that carry them—always find a way to survive.

Appalachia Book Company is currently developing a podcast series, “Blood Roots,” that presents balladry through radio plays and original music recordings. The four-episode podcast will be recorded in front of a live audience in Pikeville, KY on Sept. 26th.

Ballads are story songs

What makes ballads special isn't just their melodies—it's that they're fundamentally about story. These songs are humanity's news reports, therapy sessions, and cautionary tales all rolled into one. They tell us very human stories: how pride can kill, how love goes wrong, how ordinary people face extraordinary choices. Whether based on true events or ancient folklore, ballads capture the kind of stories that people need to tell—and retell.

Which of these stories do you know?

Barbara Allen: The story of a young woman whose pride becomes her downfall—and his. When sweet William dies of unrequited love, Barbara finally realizes what she's lost, but it's too late for both of them.

Pretty Polly: Willie courts young Polly with promises of marriage, then leads her deep into the woods where he's already dug her grave. A chilling story of betrayal that asks: how well do we really know the people we trust?

Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender: Thomas loves fair Ellender, but his mother insists he marry another girl, for her wealth. The wedding becomes a bloodbath when all three discover that love and money make a deadly combination.

John Henry: The ultimate story of man versus machine—a steel-driving man races a steam drill to prove human worth isn't obsolete. He wins the race but dies with his hammer in his hand, asking what progress really costs.

Omie Wise: When Naomi Wise trusted Jonathan Lewis and met him by the river in 1808, she thought they were eloping. Instead, he drowned her. The real murder became a song that's still sung, proving some stories demand to be remembered.

A conversation with William Ritter

We spoke with William Ritter, a Mitchell County native and traditional musician, about the enduring power and relevance of Appalachian ballads. William finds his calling in the traditional music and foodways of Mitchell County, North Carolina, where he grew up surrounded by the cultural richness of the mountains. As a fiddler, ballad singer, and seed-saver, William believes deeply that these old ways of living hold essential wisdom for building strong, resilient communities today.

Q: Why do you think Appalachian ballads remain culturally important in our communities today?

A: These old songs connect us to the people that came before us, they reveal our ancestors’ “hopes, fears, and dreams.” There’s more that they have to offer us than just being historically significant relics. These were songs people sang and shared in difficult and trying times. In the aftermath of Hell-ene, we found that these songs could capture and communicate feelings that words and photographs and videos just couldn’t. I know an excellent photographer that was demoralized about his medium because no picture he took could match what it is like to be in the devastation. A “thousand words” was not enough. In Marshall, NC, which was halfway obliterated by the French Broad river, an artist and entrepreneur named Josh Copus owns this amazing restaurant and hotel called Zadie’s Market. He said the only thing that came close to capturing the swirl of emotions and feelings and thoughts he was carrying, was when Sheila Kay Adams sat down in his devastated building and sang one of these old songs. These are often songs of tragedy, but also resilience and defiance in the face of brutal realities. Many people criticize the content of ballads that feature violence against women, for example, but the songs don’t condone violence, they describe it. Very often the women in ballads have agency or push back against the norms of their society and time.

Q: When someone is listening to an Appalachian ballad for the first time, what should they be paying attention to? What are the key elements that make these songs distinctive?

A: First of all, I suggest that listeners close their eyes, or zone out doing something crafty–maybe crochet for example. Really try to follow the story. Don’t look at the performer. Let the narrative play in your mind like a movie. I have heard some of these songs hundreds of times and I still find something new in the lyrics all the time. Often the songs can be fragmentary, so you have to fill in the blanks a bit. To answer the second question, the key element is that ballads are a narrative story. A non-ballad folksong just throws a bunch of verses that may or may not be related together–they may hint at a story. The Ballad just *tells* you the tale. There’s different kinds of ballads, or genres of ballads, but they are united in that they are a narration set to a melody.

Q: You've learned from master tradition bearers like Bobby McMillon and documented musical families in your region. What have these ballad practitioners taught you about storytelling and human experience?

A: Well one reason I am always encouraging people to learn from living breathing singers (or whatever tradition you are interested in), because that experience can shape your life in so many meaningful ways outside of just learning a craft. From Bobby in particular, I learned that the song is more important than accurately singing a piece *just* the way you learned it. He would gently and respectfully tweak song songs–based on his long admiration and knowledge of the genre. Not unlike someone that restores an old rusted out antique car. Some folks look for this purity that’s never really been there. It’s more important that these songs *run* again, even if you need to borrow a verse from another version of the song, or make a rhyme work again. The songs are a living thing, not some artifact. I’m not suggesting just anyone do that though, restoration work takes experience, knowledge, and talent. For example, don’t go fixing up a violin without finding someone that can give you advice and guidance–look at a lot of violin making books, make relationships with folks who do that kind of thing, and your work will be so much better than if you are making it up as you go.

Q: How do you see the relationship between the musical elements of a ballad—the melody, the rhythm—and the story being told?

A: Well, it’s not often the case, but I generally really want a compelling melody when I am committing to learning a song. For instance, there’s a ballad, one of my very favorites called “Fair Annie of Roch Royal.” I love it, but I have put off learning a version of it because it’s been very difficult to find a text with a melody, and many that I have found just don’t match the hope and heartbreak and resolution of that song. I finally have found an excellent text and tune from a woman in West Virginia called Allie Nuzum recorded in the 40s. Most of the melodies I have encountered were really “sing-songy” and just not emotionally appropriate, in my mind. Granted that’s just my opinion, and I don’t know how many ballad singers are that picky about tunes.

Q: For someone interested in exploring Appalachian ballads more deeply, where would you recommend they start?

A: I don’t know who to attribute this phrase to, but sometimes in the field of folklore you’ll hear people talk about “learning from warm hands.” That means learning a tradition from a living person. There’s an incredible wealth of documented and recorded material in private and university collections, or the Library of Congress, and it is amazing these days what you can pull up on Youtube. That’s all wonderful and helpful and important, but I firmly believe that being in community with people that are carrying on these traditions is vital. I understand that not everyone lives in an area where there are still folks carrying on ballad singing (though you may be able to track down folks who knew ballad singers or are related to them and I think it’s important to be in community with them as well). That said, a good place to start would be going to an immersive music-instruction week focused on ballad singing or highlighting ballad singing. Examples of this would be Augusta Heritage Week, the John C. Campbell Folk School, Swannanoa Gathering, to name a few (scholarships are available). My little ballad singing community is in talks about hosting our own ballad focused weekend camp in WNC. I would also offer a word of caution with a lot of the literature associated with ballad singing, since many of the books you will encounter are dated and many of the conclusions of the collectors and folklorists can be problematic or misleading.

Q: What do you think these ballads can teach us about our own lives and communities?

A: Ballads are a mirror into the norms of the societies that created and carried these songs, and I think it’s an important reminder of how far we have come in personal rights and freedoms. Those rights were hard-won. Singing these songs can show us, dear “trad wives” that we don’t want to go backwards.

Q: Can you recommend any ballad events for readers to attend?

A: Outside of the music camps I mentioned earlier, there’s a ballad swap every second Wednesday at Zadie’s Market restaurant in Marshall, NC. It features singers from a family with perhaps the oldest documented and continuous English language ballad singing tradition. There’s also the Lunsford Festival @ Mars Hill University every year that features a lot of ballad singing. We also have ballad singing at the Happy Valley Jamboree, a festival I run Labor Day Weekend. It’s free to attend and there’s a small fee to camp. Beautiful spot on the river and is also the site of the grave of Laura Foster, who was murdered, according to the ballad and the courts, by Tom Dula.

Listen for yourself

Ted Olson, producer of the Grammy-nominated "Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition" and professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University, has provided us with a curated list of essential ballad recordings. These selections showcase both the historical depth and contemporary vitality of this tradition.

Contemporary Tradition Bearers

• Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition - Various Artists (Great Smoky Mountains Association)
  This album celebrates Appalachia's rich legacy of songs that tell stories, a tradition traceable to the British Isles, featuring 32 new recordings of traditional ballads by leading UK- and American-roots music luminaries, including Rosanne Cash, Doyle Lawson, Archie Fisher, Alice Gerrard, Sheila Kay Adams, Martin Simpson and others

• My Dearest Dear - Sheila Kay Adams [digital album]
  A powerful collection from one of the most important contemporary carriers of the Appalachian ballad tradition

• Rain and Snow - Elizabeth LaPrelle (Old 97 Records)
  A young artist's interpretation showing how the ballad tradition continues to inspire new generations

Appalachian Family Traditions

• Ballads from Her Appalachian Family Tradition - Jean Ritchie (Smithsonian Folkways)
  The legendary Kentucky singer presents ballads passed down through her family, offering an intimate glimpse into how these songs live within mountain families

• Family Songs and Stories from the North Carolina Mountains - Doug and Jack Wallin (Smithsonian Folkways)
  Two brothers from Madison County share their family's musical heritage, demonstrating the living tradition of ballad singing in western North Carolina

Scholarly Collections

• Classic American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways - Various Artists (Smithsonian Folkways)
  An expertly curated anthology that traces the development of ballads in American folk tradition

Connections to Origins

• Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry - Martin Simpson and Thomm Jutz (Topic)
  A tribute to two important North Carolina ballad singers, highlighting specific traditional repertoires

• Classic Scots Ballads - Ewan MacColl with Peggy Seeger (Essential Media Group)
  Essential listening for understanding the Scottish roots of many Appalachian ballads

• Ballads: Murder, Intrigue, Love, Discord - Ewan MacColl (Topic Records)
  MacColl's masterful interpretations reveal the dramatic power and narrative complexity of traditional ballads

What's your connection to ballad tradition? Did your family sing these old songs? Do you have a favorite ballad or recording we should know about? Drop us a line at hello@appalachiabook.co and tell us more.

Mark your calendars!

Lenoir, NC - Happy Valley Jamboree, August 29-31.

Berea, KY - Appalachian Writers’ Conference, September 2 -4.

Pikeville, KY - “Blood Roots” live recording, September 26th.

Thanks for diving into the world of Appalachian ballads with us! Next month we'll be exploring something completely different. And be sure to like us on Facebook to get the latest about our work!

Here’s to staying humble.

“An empty can rattles the loudest.” That’s one of my favorite sayings. It’s a succinct and distinctly Appalachian way of observing that it’s usually the people with nothing to say who seem to talk the most.

So I’ll keep it brief.

2024 was a great year for Appalachia Book Company. We published three chapbooks in our Made In Appalachia series; completed a professional development program in fundraising; partnered with Eastern Kentucky University to bring on editorial interns; raised $16,000 for our podcast on Appalachian balladry. We received more submissions than ever before.

Read Our 2024 Annual Report

Good things are happening this year, too. We’ve been awarded an inaugural literary arts grant from South Arts to publish a speculative fiction anthology. Yep, that will be a collection of sci-fi, fantasy and horror all set in Appalachia. We’ve contracted authors for some fascinating chapbooks, and we’ll be recording our podcast live at the Appalachian Center for the Arts on July 27th.

Appalachia Book Co. launched this newsletter to support our chapbook series and to provide readers a place to discover the history and doings of Appalachian literary culture. We have forthcoming issues on rural writing, environmental literature, mountain men and more coming soon. Promise. Meantime, I want you to know that we couldn’t do our work without supporters like you.

Thank you.

Support Appalachia Book Co.

Our mission at Appalachia Book Co. is to preserve and continue the literary tradition of central and rural Appalachia, and to curate a modern interpretation of our region’s history. We produce the prose chapbook series, Made In Appalachia, as well as special books and literary events.

This year we’re once again participating in Kentucky Gives Day on Tuesday, May 13th. Kentucky Gives Day directly supports our efforts to build essential literary infrastructure in underserved communities, challenge stereotypes while strengthening cultural identity, and provide educational and professional development pathways that help retain creative talent within Appalachia. By donating, you become part of a community dedicated to preserving and promoting authentic Appalachian narratives for generations to come.

Help Us Tell More Appalachian Stories

To donate, simply click here or visit https://www.kygives.org/organizations/appalachia-book-company.

Thank you for your continued support of Appalachia Book Company. Together, we're building a stronger literary foundation for our communities.

Sincerely,

Natalie Axton

Director of Programs

Do you know the Mothman?

Fifty-eight years ago today in the sleepy town of Point Pleasant, WV, a legend was born. That was the night several couples witnessed a strange moth-like creature chasing after their cars. According to Folklife Magazine:

Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette were driving together on State Route 62 near the abandoned National Guard Armory building and power plant when they saw a menacing figure standing six to seven feet tall. In the headlights, giant eyes shone bright red. Panic set in. Roger, the car’s driver, sped away toward town.

But the creature followed. According to these first eyewitness accounts, the “thing” rose up like a helicopter. Though a “clumsy runner” as they saw at the power plant, it excelled in gliding, easily keeping pace, even as the car reached a hundred miles per hour.

Journalist Mary Hyre of the Athens Ohio Register duly covered the incident. More sightings, stories, nonfiction books, and even a film starring Richard Gere followed. Mothman hasn’t been reported in West Virginia for some time, however, in 2019 there were sightings of the winged creature in Chicago.

Mothman is one of the best known cryptids in America. Cryptids are creatures occuring in stories and legends, and that people believe exist or say they have seen, but have never been proven to exist.

There are a lot of cryptids claiming Appalachian roots. Perhaps it’s the region’s dense forests, rugged terrain, and isolated communities that have contributed to the development of these cryptid legends. Some, like Mothman, are believed to be connected to local tragedies or disasters. Others, like Sasquatch, take advantage of the region's abundant hiding spots.

Cryptozoology Breakdown:

• Mothman: A large humanoid with wings and glowing red eyes, thought to be a warning sign of impending disasters.

• Sasquatch (Bigfoot): A large, hairy humanoid that roams the dense Appalachian forests.

• Flatwoods Monster: A tall creature with a red, glowing face and metallic or armored body, first reported in 1952.

• Wampus Beast: A shape-shifting half-woman, half-cat or -dog creature that brings bad luck.

• Snallygaster: A half-bird, half-reptile monster that preys on livestock and people.

• Sheepsquatch: A shaggy, white, bipedal creature with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.

While the existence of these cryptids remains — ahem — debated, their legends continue to captivate locals and visitors alike, adding to the folklore and cultural identity of Appalachia. Indeed, Mothman might be responsible for the cryptid comeback of the past twenty years.

Mothman is well-known to Appalachians. And the myth of Mothman snowballed into a phenomenon boosting Point Pleasant into a tourist attraction. The third weekend of September sees the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant. Visitors can take in the Mothman Museum, cosplay, street eats, and more.

How about the eerie side of Appalachian history?

If you’re a fan of the Appalachian supernatural, be sure to check out the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast, if you haven’t already. This entertaining series is a Lovecraftian horror anthology mythologizing true events that happened in central Appalachia. For ex., the Old Number Seven Mine disaster in Barlo, KY. The podcast’s creative team is based in Johnson City, TN, and they tour regularly.

Like your speculative fiction set in the hills?

There’s something about a holler that gets the imaginative juices flowing. Check out these recent and forthcoming titles from publishers around the country.

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister. Counterpoint, Oct. 2024

Synopsis: Kiron, Va., resident Bennie Mattox is on a quest to hold the White Rock mining company responsible for decades of disappearances from its Kire Mountain coal mines. In her search for evidence, she comes upon a woman lying half-drowned in a mine slough—Motheater, a witch bound to the region, who joins up with Bennie to protect both town and mountain.

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering. Tin House Books, July 2024

Synopsis: In 1980s Appalachia, life isn’t easy for Sheila. She endures relentless taunting and bullying at the hands of her classmates; she takes care of her great-aunt, the garden and home, and the rabbits; and forages for mushrooms in the forest, all while her mother works long, back-breaking shifts at the nearby state asylum. But it’s her peculiar little sister, Angie, who worries her the most. Angie is obsessed with nuclear war, Rambo, zombies, a Russian invasion of their community, and the ominous, tarot-like cards that she creates that somehow speak to her. When a pair of female hikers are brutally murdered on the nearby Appalachian trail, Sheila and Angie find themselves inexorably drawn into the hunt for the killer. As the ever-present threat of violence looms larger, the mountain might be the only thing that can save them from the darkness consuming their home and their community.

Motheater by Linda H. Codega. Erewhon, Jan. 2025

Synopsis: For generations, the Haddesley family has made a grim exchange: the life of the family patriarch for the delivery of a bog wife, a supernatural woman constructed of plants who will carry on the family line. But when five dysfunctional siblings gather to deliver their father to the ancestral West Virginia cranberry bog, they wait in vain for the wife’s appearance. The broken covenant sends the baffled, frightened family into further disarray.

You, from Below by Em J Parsley. Split Lip, Feb. 2025

Synopsis: This novella from writing professor and Kentucky resident Parsley tracks the lone survivor of an Appalachian holler town that disappears into the earth. Determined to find answers, the unnamed narrator heads up a nearby mountain, bearing an envelope they know they must deliver—but to whom? On their journey, they meet a beekeeper, an immortal woman, and a schoolteacher from a town left empty by the Rapture.

Mark your calendars:

Wise, VA: The University of Virginia’s College at Wise Theater Division presents 9 to 5 The Musical November 21st–23rd at 7 p.m. and November 24th at 2 p.m. on campus in the Gilliam Center for the Arts Black Box Theater.

Penned, the literary contest from Kentucky Monthly, is open for submissions. The max word count is 1200, and the deadline is Decemeber 11.

Hindman, KY: The Oak Ledge Writing Residency contest is an opportunity for three winners to receive a free residency at the Oak Ledge cottage at the Hindman Settlement School. Enter now through December 1.

Hey there! Just wanted to let you know about some exciting changes to our newsletter, "Made in Appalachia." We're shifting gears a bit – instead of updates about our internal happenings at Appalachia Book Co, we'll be focusing on what we're truly passionate about: the incredible work happening across our mountain communities.

Each month, we'll share what's catching our eye in the region's cultural scene, from the latest books hitting shelves to the festivals and events that bring our communities together. We're especially excited to spotlight other publishers and cultural organizations doing amazing work in Appalachia. Think of it as your monthly guide to the creative spirit of the mountain South – whether you've lived here your whole life or are just getting to know our corner of the world.

Want to take this journey with us? We'd love to have you along. You can use this form to submit your news.

—Natalie

Dir. of Programs, Appalachia Book Co.

“Why Every Appalachian Writer Is an Environmentalist”

From BookRiot: Kendra Winchester of Read Appalachia writes about environmental disaster in Appalachia and the many books Appalachians have written about it.

I’m already seeing Appalachian people roll up their sleeves and get to work. We don’t know what recovery will look like, but we’re going to fight for it.

How to help victims of Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene, now the deadliest hurricane to make US landfall since Katrina, has devasted parts of Appalachia. Our team in far eastern Kentucky wasn’t severely impacted. Our hearts break for the communities, families, and Appalachians impacted by this disaster.

For those looking to help or get assistance, visit https://asphome.org/helpafterhelene/ to donate or volunteer for assisting recovery and https://appvoices.org/helene-relief/ to find shelters, and area specific relief.

We’ll have more to share from our partner organizations in the coming months.

Coming Soon: Of Love and Water by Elizabeth Burton

The next chapbook in our Made In Appalachia series is a work of fiction about a young Kentucky woman living in far western China. Told in a masterful braiding of past and present, Of Love and Water is a story of renewal from writer Elizabeth Burton. 

Burton brings her personal experience of living in western China to the story, sharing glimpses of Uyghur culture and language. As she explains: 

The story was born from my fascination with the Silk Road region and its rich tapestry of cultures, as well as my personal experiences with horses in Kentucky. During my time in Kashgar, I often felt as foreign as Grace, the protagonist, allowing me to infuse the narrative with authentic details and emotions drawn from my own journey of adaptation and self-discovery in an unfamiliar land. I wondered what might happen if a character from Appalachia with a complicated past ended up in the Xinjiang Province of China. How might she react? How might she change? Grace is the result.

Of Love and Water is coming soon and will be available exclusively via our website.

Your thoughts on Mountain Dew?

And in case you haven’t noticed, Mountain Dew has changed its logo, bringing back the word ‘Mountain’ in the logotype after a 15 year hiatus.

According to writer Sarah Baird:

“Mountain Dew” is a centuries-old mountain slang term for moonshine, which Tennessee-bred creators Barney and Ally Hartman found fitting because their bubbly elixir was initially crafted as a mixer for whiskey in the early 1930s. It was hot potato’d around through several bottling companies before eventually being sold to Pepsi in 1964, and nationally marketed.

Read her Eater essay about the internalized shame of drinking Mountain Dew outside Appalachia. (Baird has a book about rural grocers, Shelf Stable, due out from University of Kentucky Press in 2025.)

Is Mountain Dew a deeply ingrained part of Appalachian culture? Does the phrase “Mountain Dew mouth” fill you with shame? Pride? Tell us your thoughts.

Mark your calendars:

Red Fox Storytelling Festival. Saturday, Oct. 26 6-8pm in Pound, VA. Sponsored by Appalshop. Hike up to Killing Rock for the story of the Killing Rock Massacre and a bonfire.

Kentucky Book Festival. Saturday, Nov. 2nd in Lexington, KY. A program of Kentucky Humanities, the 43rd annual festival will be held at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY.

At Appalachia Book Company, our mission is to preserve and continue the literary culture of central Appalachia. We’re a nonprofit literary publisher based in far eastern Kentucky. Support from individuals like you is crucial to our success. If you can, please consider supporting our work.

Support Our Work

When Grace encounters the little horse at the market, she feels a connection. She’s come to western China to teach English — as far away from Kentucky as she possibly can get — but something about the horse reminds her of home, and she knows she has to help it. Adopting the horse stirs memories of her former life, and the man she left behind.

Told in a masterful braiding of past and present, Of Love and Water is a story of renewal from writer Elizabeth Burton. Burton brings her personal experience of living in western China to the story, sharing glimpses of Uyghur culture and language. Of Love and Water is a work of short fiction. 32 pages.

Purchase at Appalachia Book Co..

Another Way of Coming Home follows the troubled Harley Upton, a drug addict on the run after committing a crime that landed him on the local news—and on the Bartlett County police department’s radar. His search for a hideout leads to an encounter with a woman from his past, with severe consequences for both of them.

Told close in to Harley Upton’s own point of view, Another Way of Coming Home steeps readers in the rich beauty of the Appalachian land while reminding them that no man is safe from the justice of the mountains. Another Way of Coming Home is a work of short fiction. 24 pages.

Purchase at Appalachia Book Co.

'Rapture' chronicles the end of the world as witnessed by a wise-beyond-her-years teenager named Sarah. From a holler in far eastern Kentucky, Sarah and her brother Micah are forced to create a new normal under mysterious and scary circumstances. While they cope with the slow end of the world in different ways, Sarah reflects on what made life worth living in the first place. 45 pages.

Purchase at Appalachia Boo Co.

"Five Little Fatalities" is a work of short fiction. It tells the story of Honey, a young woman living on the edge of a widower's farm in rural Virginia. Honey sells mushrooms and other intoxicants to the owner of the farm, Mr. An. The two develop a tender relationship despite their differences in age and circumstances. As Honey becomes closer to Mr. An and as his mental health deteriorates, she finds herself speculating as to the cause of his husband's departure. Examining their relationship patterns and artistic temperaments, Honey divines that she and Mr. An are not that unlike after all. "Five Little Fatalies" is a reflection on how isolation breeds unusual relationships to people, creativity, and art. 36 pages.

Longlisted for the Perennial Press 2022 Chapbook Award

Purchase at Appalachia Book Co. .

Four curious chickens find themselves in the fastidious Mrs. Britin’s yard, much to her annoyance. With a front row seat to her exasperation, Mrs. Britin’s neighbors watch the woman losing more and more of her cool, taking escalating actions to rid her yard of the free-range pests. But just how far is Mrs. Britin willing to go?

Lemon Street’s Angel of Death is a dark comedy from author Larry D. Thacker. A wry commentary on the interpersonal antics of small town neighborhoods, the story will ring true for anyone who has butted heads with a nuisance neighbor. Lemon Street’s Angel of Death is a work of short fiction. 28 pages.

Purchase at Appalachia Book Co..