Red Holler

July 15, 2013
Branscum and Thomas push beyond the old tropes in this diverse but uneven anthology of contemporary Appalachian fiction, graphic narratives, nonfiction, and poetry. Jacinda Townsend’s wonderful but abruptly ended account, “Lackland,” traces her father’s real-life experience as a black Appalachian serviceman stationed in Jim Crow Mississippi. Jeff Mann offers a memoir in “715 Wiley Street,” shedding some light on an oft-neglected perspective, even though “writing about gay people in Appalachia,” Mann says, “doesn’t net me much money or attention.” “Affrilachian Poet” Makalani Bandele approaches the universal in “Southbound #71,” where she expresses what it feels like when “the bus driver looks at you like you just picked your nose and wiped it on your shirt.” The best surprise of the collection is Pinkney Benedict’s graphic narrative, “ORGO vs the FLATLANDERS,” which lovingly mocks the genre’s overwrought mythologies while “work out on paper that boyhood understanding of the true nature of the world,” which his farmer father broke in two: “mountain people and flatlanders.” Benedict, Ron Rash, and Dennis Covington—as well as Donald Ray Pollock, Jane Springer, and Alex Taylor—help move the collection beyond many amateurish pieces. Teachers and enthusiasts of Appalachian literature will appreciate the breadth of work, including artist statements and bios.

Starred review from September 1, 2013

Branscum (creative writing, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania) and Thomas (creative writing, Tusculum Coll.) collect the short fiction, essays, graphic narratives, and poetry of two dozen writers--both established and new to the scene--whose work paints a vivid picture of contemporary Appalachian life ranging from Mississippi to New York. Detailing history, place, and memory (Maurice Manning's "The Geography of Yonder," Davis McCombs's "Tobacco Culture"), lifestyles (Jeff Mann's "715 Wiley Street"), the weird (Alex Taylor's "Lakeside Penitence," Pinckney Benedict's "Orgo vs. the Flatlanders"), and the way we live now (Desirae Matherly's "Vagina Dentata"), these pieces deliver the cutting edge of a new literature that "recasts and builds on these tales from our youth, and, in doing so, comprises a revolutionary twenty-first century portrait of the region." Humorous, poignant, caustic, and keenly aware of their "outsider" status, the writers redefine what it means to be Appalachian. VERDICT Branscum and Thomas have chosen their entries well, balancing genre with an eye for the astonishing diversity of themes. Worth reading for Benedict's introduction alone, this title will appeal to all readers interested in a deep, passionate treatment of a specific geographic and cultural milieu.--Patrick A. Smith, Bainbridge Coll., GA

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