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We Got Lucky: My Life with Tom Petty

Silas House ♦

Blog ♦

I was seventeen when I first loved him. Seventeen and a complete mess. I had recently “gone wild.” That’s what people in my church said. All my life I had been the perfect little Holiness boy, and I had only recently started to drink: Natural Light or Jim Beam. And…

2016 Denny C. Plattner Awards

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

Blog ♦

Plattner Awards

We are proud to announce the winners of the annual Denny C. Plattner Awards, which were established in 1995 by Kenneth and Elissa Plattner to honor their late son and his love of writing. The awards are given to the finest pieces of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that appeared…

Words of Wisdom: Lee Smith, Barbara Kingsolver, bell hooks

Hannah Musick ♦

Blog ♦

advice, Appalachian Authors, authors, writing, Writing tips

Welcome to the first post in a series that gathers wise observations on craft and the writing life from interviews with some of our contributors. We hope that their experiences will inspire you in your own writing endeavors. … “For me, writing any novel starts way back. I mean, there will…

What Our Writers Are Reading

Dylan Mullins ♦

Blog ♦

In search of a good book to curl up to during a fall afternoon? We compiled a list of books our contributors have been reading to provide you with some inspiration! Jeremy B. Jones won the 2014 Appalachian Book of the Year in nonfiction with his book Bearwallow: A Personal History…

Appalachian Heritage Essays Named Notables in Best American Essays

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

Blog ♦

Best American Essays

Congratulations to Appalachian Heritage contributors bell hooks (“Writing Without Labels,” Fall 2015) and Beth Newberry (“The Curve of the Smoke,” Fall 2015) on their wonderful essays being named as Notables in Best American Essays 2016, edited by Robert Atwan. Other AH contributors are listed as well for work published in…

6 Apps That Will Change the Way You Write

Dylan Mullins ♦

Blog ♦

technology, writing

We’ve heard it said enough: “There’s an App” for that — Does it ring true for writers? We think so! Here’s a few of our favorites sure to boost creativity, minimize procrastination, and turn rough drafts into polished manuscripts. 1. Brainstormer In need of inspiration to write your next novel? This…

Interview with Darnell Arnoult

Caroline Hughes ♦

Blog ♦

Appalachian Authors, Interview

Darnell Arnoult is the author of the novel Sufficient Grace, and two books of poetry, What Travels With Us and Galaxie Wagon. Her work has appeared in the Asheville Poetry Review, Sandhills Review, and Southern Exposure, to name a few, and she has won multiple awards, among them the Weatherford…

Four Challenges to Keep Your Writing on Track

Caroline Hughes ♦

Blog ♦

Writing tips

All writers know the struggle for motivation and consistent writing habits. One way to combat this is to join an online writing challenge. The writing goal and time frame are set (or in some cases, you set a goal yourself) and you have the community support of fellow challenge participants. Here are…

Our Kind: An Interview with Julia Franks

Susan Tekulve ♦

Blog ♦

Interview

Within the first few pages of Julia Franks’ breathtaking debut novel, Over the Plain Houses, a North Carolina mountain farm wife named Irenie Lambey slips from her husband’s bed in the middle of an early spring night and runs up to the highest ridge on her property. There, she ducks…

2015 Denny C. Plattner Awards

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

Blog ♦

Plattner Awards