Blog

Garrett Robinson 4/21/22 Garrett Robinson 4/21/22

Wendell Berry's ‘Farming’ is a long marriage to the land

This week, Garrett reviews a classic of Appalachian Literature: FARMING: A HANDBOOK by Wendell Berry. This collection of poems and a short, poetic play was first published in 1971, and explores the relationship of a man to his land, and a man to his family. Berry's love for Appalachia is visceral and pervasive, inviting the reader to commit to the health and wellbeing of this region and give what they can give to help it thrive.

Garrett Robinson 4/8/22 Garrett Robinson 4/8/22

Becoming Grateful After Leaving Home

This week, Garrett wrote about the universal process of learning what you have by losing it. He explores the intersection of grief and relief, and the way that becoming separated from our roots can help us appreciate the grounding feeling of finally coming home.

Garrett Robinson 3/25/22 Garrett Robinson 3/25/22

‘Quarantine’ walks an uncomfortably thin line

This week, Garrett reviews QUARANTINE by Rahul Mehta. Released in 2011, it’s gained new meaning more recently, as most people have had to experience the liminal sensation of being trapped between worlds and states of being. Each of the stories feels simultaneously autobiographical and critical, with a healthy dose of mixed and compounded identity.

Kendra Winchester 3/10/22 Kendra Winchester 3/10/22

Q&A with Kris Maher, Author of “Desperate: An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia”

This week, Read Appalachia talks with Kris Maher, the author of Desperate: An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia, which is out now from Scribner books.

Garrett Robinson 3/4/22 Garrett Robinson 3/4/22

Creating theAppalachian Fantastic, Part 1: An Introduction to Vernacular Fantasy

This week on the blog, Garrett Robinson wrote advocating an addition to the Appalachian literary movement: Appalachian Fantasy. This is a topic that’s always on one burner or another at Read Appalachia, since the team is 100% fantasy nerds, so while this piece is an introduction, expect more on this topic in the future.

Garrett Robinson 2/21/22 Garrett Robinson 2/21/22

‘Clean Coal Burn’ Smolders Its Way to an Explosion

Knott explores the tense, troubled relationship of an Appalachian to the land he lives on and the forces that damaged it. He examines the ways that generational trauma bleeds downstream until at the resources exist to halt its trajectory. And finally, he looks forward with hope and determination, committing to a better future regardless of adversity.

Garrett Robinson 1/22/22 Garrett Robinson 1/22/22

The Course of a Creek

This week, Garrett wrote about his relationship to the work of Annie Dillard, exploring the ways that her artist's eye and her obsession with the details of her habitat helped him fall in love with his own home in Appalachia.