The Geography of Sorrow:
Mountaintop Removal in Appalachia
by Megan Jewell Kerns

"First the vegetation is razed and sometimes burned or pushed illegally into the valley, in the haste to get to the coal. Then heavy explosives are used to blast away hundreds of feet of elevation, in order to access the coal seams deep in the heart of the mountain."

Coal Mining: A Family Business in West Virginia
by Shainna Sticklen

"You could say that Morgan Sears, a senior in West Virginia University’s mining engineering program, was born into his field. His father, Casey, quit school when he was fifteen to work for his dad in the coal mines. When Casey Sears was in his thirties, he decided to go back to school and studied mining engineering at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery."

"The Upper Cumberland Plateau is part of a larger region known in early historic times as the “Wilderness.” John Campbell, writing in 1921, called it “that dark and mysterious forest.” Early historic travelers through the region remarked that the sun seemed to be blocked out for days at a time."

A "River of Earth":
How it Helped Shape the People of Appalachia
by Fred Brown

"Land shapes had everything to do with early population growth, because in East Tennessee, the mountains and valleys were not only reminiscent of home across the oceans, but also allowed for independence, safety, the ability to grow food, and, above all, to be left alone."

Reconstructing the Ancient Ecology of the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee
by Larisa R. G. DeSantis

"Reconstructing the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee, a unique find because of its location in time and space, will improve our understanding of ancient environments and the context of vertebrate evolution."

Why is it Called the "Rhino Pit"?
by Steven Wallace

"When you visit a fossil site or archaeological dig, ever wonder how they come up with their goofy nicknames? Whether referring to a particular specimen or an excavation unit, they always seem to make the strangest choices. Well, I’m not sure how other scientists do it, but nicknames are earned on my digs."

Looking for Land
by Jim Minick

"Our rented place was fine, but not ours. And if we wanted to homestead, we needed a home to stead. We looked for signs on back roads, or traveled on daylong tours with local realtors."

Shoveling Deep into the Family Cemetery
by Dustin Higgins

"Suffice it to say that good neighbors should always have that bit of extra sugar handy in case it is needed, keep the yard clean and orderly for the appearance of the community, ensure that they are always there to help the community, and . . . dig a grave?"

Of Graves, Grandfathers, and Wild Leeks
by Lori Tucker-Sullivan

"I have been only an annual visitor to the emerald and gray Smoky Mountains, having grown up in an urban landscape. The five of us, having never gathered before now, are here playing detective, looking for my grandfather’s grave."

Digging for Heritage: Lisa Alther's Search For Her Melungeon Roots
by Wayne WInkler

"Beginning with Kinflicks (1976, Alfred A. Knopf, New York), Alther created a body of work dealing in large part with identity and sense of place. But through her voyage of discovery—both in her work and in her life—a mystery remained."

Meditation on a Groundhog Brood
by Dan Stryk

"We’d spied them rutting, in late March, among our hillside brush. A single mound of quivering fur above our garden patch, guarded by mere daffodils we plant each autumn’s end. We knew it was all over, once again."

We "Dig" Appalachia
by Randy Sanders

"A résumé is an odd thing. There, on paper, is a short- hand version of a life’s experiences, encapsulated for others. And yet a résumé, like an address or a credit score, does not truly tell who “we” are."

Digging Appalachia: Cycles of Interest from Beyond Our Borders
by Abe Whaley

"Interest in Appalachia is by no means a new phenomenon. It has come and gone in steady cycles over the last century and a half. To those outside the region, Appalachia is often seen as a mysterious place full of homespun folkways, rough terrain, and rougher people. This mystery drives curiosity, which gives way to interest and investigation."

The Transplanting
by Denise Heinze

"That small garden, no bigger than a vacant city lot, moved, if not mountains, then the people who graced them. Less than a week as a novice gardener, I was startled when I heard a friendly voice behind me."

'Sang Season: Digging Spirit-Frisking Ginseng
by Michael Joslin

"His hazel eyes peer through thick glasses as he scans the shaded green foliage on the forest floor. A glint of red catches his attention. Bending down he parts the symmetrical leaves to find a stalk with a head of berries, some red, some green, some turning from green to red."

Treasure Hunter Finds British Coin Dated 1734
by J. Ann Tipton

"Armed with only a small shovel, sift screen, and dusting brush, the twenty-five-year-old digs until he finds something—anything to connect him to the past."

Highways and Bones
by Harry Moore

"As routine highway construction projects go, this one started out as an ordinary road building project. However, what started out as a routine shift of roadway alignment to improve a serious dip and sharp curve in the road ended up being one of the most incredible fossil finds not only in Tennessee but east of the Mississippi River."

The Old Linemen Say by Dory L. Hudspeth

Lottie by Judy Lee Green

First Dig by Sandi Keaton-Wilson

Sweet Potato Pie by Marilyn Kallet

Global Economy by George Ella Lyon

Music in Brief by Wayne Winkler

Get On Board! Underground Railroad and Civil Rights Freedom Songs, Volume 2 - Kim & Reggie Harris

Ricky Scaggs & Bruce Hornsby - Ricky Scaggs & Bruce Hornsby

Slidin' Home - John Starling and Carolina Star

Appalachia and Beyond
Edited by John Lang
Reviewed by L. Elisabeth Beattie

The Collected Short Stories of Harriette Simpson Arnow
Edited by Sandra L. Ballard & Haeja K. Chung
Reviewed by Danny Miller

Contested Borderland
By Brian McKnight
Reviewed by Michael R. Rogers

Appalachian Studies
By Anne Shelby
Reviewed by James Owens

A Smelly Business But Good
by Fred Sauceman

"Mention ramps in Southern Appalachia and the stories pour forth. Valued and reviled, honored and abhorred, this wild mountain leek is both a welcomed sign of spring renewal and a mark of shame."

The First Family of Ramps
by Fred Sauceman

"Coy and his brother Charles are hard-working members of the Flag Pond Ruritan Club, and for twenty-two years, these citizens of the south side of Unicoi County, Tennessee, have put on a spring festival, in honor of Allium tricoccum, the ramp, the wild mountain leek."

Growing Greasy Cut-Shorts
by Bill Best

"Mother’s beans never got tough, even after they had matured and turned yellow on the vine. They had the same tastes and textures I had remembered before I had started growing commercial varieties. I quickly reverted back to growing her beans and realized that my taste buds were still intact."

Boiled Peanuts and the Bonds of Family
by Fred Sauceman

“There’s hardly any gray area with boiled peanuts,” says Paul, president of East Tennessee State University since 1997. “Usually on first tasting, people make up their minds whether they like them or not.”

Photo and illustration credits (from the top): Mike Smith, Shianna Sticklen, Jay Franklin, Archives of Appalachia, Steven Wallace, Karen Carr, Sara Peters, Laura Wilson, Lori Tucker-Sullivan, ETSU Photo Lab, Randy Sanders, Mark Musick, Archives of Appalachia, Randy Sanders, Michael Joslin, David Grace, Harry Moore, Larry Smith, Fred Sauceman, O'Neil Arnold, Fred Sauceman.

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