The Appalachian Voice
John McCain to Appalachian Voices: “Stop the Removal of Mountains”
/images/AppalachianVoice/Jan_2008/obama_circ.gif Southern Appalachia has never been closer to New Hampshire than it was at this year’s New Hampshire primaries. As thousands of New Hampshire voters gathered in the chilly, slushy streets of Manchester and Concord to support their favorite candidates, many of them learned about their personal connection to mountaintop removal (MTR). Even two of…
Read MoreReview: A Hard Journey: The Life of Don West
James J. Lorence, A Hard Journey: The Life of Don West (University of Illinois Press) Review by Kirk R. MacGregor appvoices.org/books In this comprehensive and insightful biography of radical Appalachian poet, preacher, and social activist Don West (1906-92), James J. Lorence, professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin, Marathon County, carefully traces the…
Read MoreWhen the Buffalo Roamed
A curious characteristic of Appalachian geography is the number of features- creeks, knobs, hollows, etc. – with “buffalo” in their name. This beast from the western plains seems as out-of-place in the forests of Appalachia as a saguaro cactus on the Blue Ridge. In colonial times though, buffalo were found throughout much of eastern North…
Read More“Strange as this weather has been” – a book review
/images/AppalachianVoice/Jan_2008/strange_circle.gif Ann Pancake, Strange as This Weather Has Been (Shoemaker and Hoard) Review by Bill Kovarik Some novels are so good you can’t put them down, but Strange as This Weather Has Been is not one of those. It’s the better sort of book, the kind you can’t keep reading, the kind that you have…
Read MoreReview: Strange as This Weather Has Been
/images/AppalachianVoice/Jan_2008/strange_circle.gif Strange as This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake Shoemaker and Hoard Some novels are so good you can’t put them down, but Ann Pancake’s book is not one of those. Strange as This Weather Has Been is the better sort of book, the kind you have to put aside every few pages just…
Read MoreSaving Place: Art in Nature
Theresa L. Burriss is an assistant professor at Radford University. She is currently working on a book entitled Women of Change, Women of Courage: Appalachian Activists, to be published by the University of Tennessee Press. Natural beauty abounds in Appalachia, and it inspires artists and scientists equally. In a discussion at Radford University entitled “Saving…
Read MoreMoral compass points South again
WORLD’S MORAL COMPASS POINTS TO THE SOUTH AGAIN American Southerners are independent folk — independent enough to stand for the truth, even if it means standing alone. A few weeks ago, Al Gore joined five other Southerners who have also been awarded the world’s most distinguished honor, the Nobel Peace Prize. We conservatives and liberals…
Read MoreTilly Wood: Beloved Hostess and Guardian of the Appalachian Trail
In summer, we would always travel the winding country roads past Pearisburg, Va., watching for the dog that chases us those last few feet of pavement, nudging past the cows on the washed out Forest Service road, navigating the ruts, and finally, turning left into Wood’s Hole. Tillie’s warm welcome would always greet us from…
Read MoreHiking the Highlands: Graveyard Fields
Graveyard Fields may not sound scenic, but don’t let the name fool you. This stop along the North Carolina portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway offers not only a chance to splash in a couple of waterfalls. It is also simply pretty, and it provides an environmental history lesson. Graveyard Fields lies between Asheville and…
Read MoreAcross Appalachia: News Briefs
Clean Water Network Gives Wilma Dykeman River Hero Award KNOXVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Clean Water Network gave its Bill Russell River Hero Award to writer Wilma Dykeman this fall. The award honors “those who strive to protect, restore and enhance the watersheds of Tennessee and the communities that depend on them.” Dykeman, one of…
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