BOONE, N.C. — The new Appalachian Journal (vol. 51, no. 3-4) celebrates the life and career of Gurney Norman, Appalachian writer, documentarian, English professor and Kentucky Poet Laureate (2009-10). Norman is the author of Divine Rights Trip: A Folk-Tale (1972), Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories (1977), One from Crazy Quilt: A Novel in Progress (1990), Ancient Creek: A Folk Tale (2012) and Allegiance (2019).
This special edition, with Guest Editor Robert Gipe, features tributes to Norman from Gurney Fest, held at University of Kentucky in November 2023. During two days of events, people from across the region and U.S. met to acknowledge the remarkable range and influence of Norman’s life and work. Events included speakers, panel discussions, readings, music, impromptu storytelling, documentary films and short films adapted from Norman’s short stories. The edition honors Norman and the organizers, speakers and participants who made Gurney Fest possible.
In “Living with Kinfolks: Gurney Norman as a Master of the Short Story,” scholar Morris Grubbs discusses Norman’s collection Kinfolks. Affrilachian poets Frank X Walker and Crystal Wilkinson, documentary filmmakers Jean Donohue and Fred Johnson and scholar Theresa Burriss discuss the documentary film Coal Black Voices. The panel agreed, “there would be no Affrilachian poets if there were no Gurney Norman mentoring at least one Affrilachian poet.”
Gipe moderated a panel on “Teaching Gurney Norman’s Work.” Participants included Burriss, Chris Green, Grubbs, Leatha Kendrick and Erik Reece. In addition to screenings of short films adapted from Norman’s Kinfolks, director and filmmaker Andrew Garrison talked with actors Jerry Johnson, William Johnson, Robin Mullins and Frank Hoyt Taylor.
In “Gurney Norman’s Writing Community” longtime friends and writers Gipe, Sharon Hatfield, Chris Holbrook, George Ella Lyon, Maurice Manning and Bobbie Ann Mason share their stories about Norman. In “The Genesis of Kinfolks,” Jonathan Greene describes the origins and the publishing process of Kinfolks. Dee Davis, Gipe, Pam Meade, Mandi Fugate Sheffel, Nick Smith and Jack Wright present “Gurney Norman’s Homefolks.” In “Granny & Gurney” Angelyn DeBord shares personal and family connections to Norman’s Ancient Creek. Authors Wendell Berry, Nikky Finney, Silas House and Jim Minick offer special tributes to Norman’s influence on their own creative works and lives.
Ron Rash introduces Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s keynote address from the 2024 Appalachian Studies Association conference. Jerry Williamson responds to Susan O’Dell Underwood’s first novel, Genesis Road, andinterviews her and her mentor Fred Chappell, who passed away in January of 2024, on Appalachian literature.
Five brilliant poets contributed to this issue: Leatha Kendrick, Lyon, Michael McFee, Annie Woodford and first-time contributor Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. This issue also features illustrations by artist Annie Greenwood, accompanying “Signs of the Times.”
In a review essay on Robert Morgan’s In the Snowbird Mountains and other Stories, Robert West explores Morgan’s vibrancy and ambition as a short story writer.Three additional book reviewers offer their thoughts on recent Appalachian books. Laurel Sanders examines Sounds of Tohi: Cherokee Health and Well Being in Southern Appalachia by Lisa J. Lefler and Thomas N. Belt. Jessica Cory, the newly-appointed AJ editor, considers Clapsaddle’s debut novel Even as We Breathe. John Lang reviews Jim Minick’s poetry collection The Intimacy of Spoons.
To order this issue of AJ, visit appjournal.appstate.edu. Use the "ORDER ONLINE" tab to select “Current Issue,” located under the heading “Store Categories.”
Related: Dr. Jessica Cory appointed editor of Appalachian Journal
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About the Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review
Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review, founded in 1972, is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed quarterly journal housed at Appalachian State University. The journal features field research, interviews and other scholarly studies of history, politics, economics, culture, folklore, literature, music, ecology and a variety of other topics, as well as poetry and reviews of books, films and recordings dealing with the Appalachian Mountains region. Learn more at appjournal.appstate.edu.
About the Center for Appalachian Studies
The Center for Appalachian Studies promotes public programs, community collaboration, civic engagement and scholarship on the Appalachian region. The center is committed to building healthy communities and deepening knowledge of Appalachia’s past, present and future through community-based research and engagement. Learn more at appcenter.appstate.edu.
Written by Dr. Sandra Ballard
Edited by Lauren Gibbs
July 25, 2024
BOONE, N.C.
Appalachian Journal (vol. 51, no. 3-4)
Appalachian Journal (vol. 51, no. 3-4)