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Jewish in Appalachia
By P.B. Cooley | Jewish liturgical poetry sung to Appalachian Mountain music may sound like something out of a Christopher Guest film...
Aug 12, 20246 min read


From the Vault: ‘Now & Then’
By Patrick Sloan | The radio was the hearth around which our family and neighbors gathered on those stark, winter nights in the 1950s...
Aug 12, 202415 min read


African American contributions to the Appalachian bluegrass of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Buck Graves, and others
By Jack Tottle | History. Does it repeat itself? Sometimes. Kind of. Earlier this year, Texas-born Beyoncé’s country single “Texas Hold...
May 28, 202411 min read


Appalachia’s other company towns
By Thomas E. Wagner and Phillip J. Obermiller | The Industrial Revolution led corporations to build towns near their factories, sources...
May 28, 202410 min read


I Carry the Mountains with Me Wherever I Go: Remembering Fred Chappell
By Jesse Graves | Imagine for a moment, a boy and his father building an ornate wooden bridge over a backyard creek, conceived as a...
May 28, 20244 min read


Dick Gaughan’s ‘Handful of Earth’: Deep roots in other people’s soil
By Ted Olson | Among the most influential folk musicians living in the U.K. today, Dick Gaughan was born Richard Peter Gaughan in Glasgow...
May 28, 202411 min read


Students of traditional Appalachian music spend time with bluegrass royalty
By Mark Rutledge | There is a long history of bluegrass legends stopping by East Tennessee State University to teach, make music with...
May 28, 20243 min read


Tennessee Mountain Writers conference celebrates 35 years of sharing creative skills and energy
By Lacy Snapp | “We all drove through gaps to get here,” writer Jim Minick said during the April 4 kickoff reception for the 2024....
May 28, 20246 min read


Bill Monroe’s bluegrass — Black and white music intertwined
By Jack Tottle | The "Father of Bluegrass Music” often spoke frankly and eloquently about the indispensable role of African American
Feb 17, 20248 min read


Tim Stafford planning year two of Artist in Residence term at ETSU
By Mark Rutledge | It could be said that the title of Artist in Residence for East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old-Time, and ...
Feb 17, 20247 min read


Appalachian books and picket lines: A conversation with George Brosi
By Ron Roach | Next month, as the Appalachian Studies Association will hold its 47th Annual Conference at Western Carolina University, we...
Feb 17, 202411 min read


From Iran to Appalachia: A journey in rural health care
By Jason Soong | Dr. Fereshteh Gerayli can speak with authority about the fact that rural communities around the globe face similar ...
Feb 17, 20247 min read


Research study: Leadership, community volunteers, festivals, marketing help to lift distressed Appalachian counties
By Mark Sarver | In Franklin County, Alabama, near the state’s northwest corner, there is a story of resilience and revival among a ...
Feb 17, 20249 min read


The 1950s: Appalachia invades the nation’s capital — peacefully
By Jack Tottle | As a high school kid in Washington, D.C., during the early 1950s, I fell in love with Appalachia. I’d barely been there...
Nov 28, 202310 min read


Lilley Cornett Woods: The Hill Country’s Legacy
By Scott Honeycutt | We had been walking up trail for five minutes, when a loud snap and crackle began on the ridge above us. As I looked...
Nov 28, 202315 min read


Experience The Warrior’s Canvas & Women Veteran’s Art Exhibit
By Appalachian Places staff | Lots of color and expressions of art and culture was on display at The Women Veteran’s Art Exhibit on Aug. 25.
Nov 28, 20231 min read


‘This one knocks the rag off the bush’
By Terry Roberts | John Ehle and I were friends for almost 40 years. We first met about 1980 when I wrote him a fan letter. I was a young...
Nov 28, 20236 min read


Poetry by Jim Minick, Darnell Arnoult, Bart Sides, Kevin LeMaster and Arthur Smith
Poetry by Jim Minick, Darnell Arnoult, Bart Sides, Kevin LeMaster and Arthur Smith
Nov 28, 20239 min read


A conversation with Jim Minick
A conversation with Jim Minick | I first heard the name Jim Minick from the advice of poet Linda Parsons at the 2023 TN Mountain Writers ...
Nov 10, 20236 min read


A performance of impossibilities
By Jeremy Smith | By all accounts, the concert on Aug. 15, 1947, was a triumph for Mildred Katharine Ellis. After more than three years ...
Aug 7, 20238 min read
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