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The lofty vision of the Harvest Table Restaurant in Meadowview, Virginia can be served up in two different ways. One, you can catch the drift by reading some of the comments on the menu and getting into a heated debate with the restaurant manager. Or two, you can read the runaway bestseller, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,…

Lockjaw by Holly Farris Gival Press, Arlington, VA The language is fresh, the stories stimulating. Holly Farris’s first short story collection, Lockjaw, offers poignant glimpses into the interior lives of an array of diverse characters that linger in the reader’s mind. Her Appalachian narrators, though deeply rooted in Southwest Virginia, exhibit characteristics universally human. As…

By Keith Deel By the sweat of their brows and the strength of their backs, settlers built a life in Appalachia. Few reminders of their struggles remain, but one is the Matthews Living History Museum, located outside of Galax, VA. It gives a glimpse into the lives of the citizens of Grayson County from 1880…

Labeling coal fired electric power “immoral and destructive,” sixty religious leaders called on Virginia governor Tim Kaine to drop any support for a proposed power plant in Wise County. The religious leaders included Jewish, Protestant and Catholic leaders from all around Virginia. Among them were Bishop Charlene Kammerer of the Virginia Conference of the United…

Protests against coal fired power plants continue around the region. In early March, students from around the country attending Mountain Justice Spring Break marched to the regional offices of the Virginia state environmental agency in Abingdon, VA to oppose the coal plant proposed for St. Paul, VA by Dominion. They were greeted with supportive horn…

Although the statements and sermons rarely grab headlines, religious leaders in Appalachia and throughout the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the moral dimensions of coal mining, climate change and environmental stewardship. In March, 2008, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville said that Baptists have a moral responsibility to combat climate change.…