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Appalachian Journal Publishes Fall ’11/Winter ’12 Issue

June 29, 2012. The Fall 2011/Winter 2012 issue of Appalachian Journal is now available to readers of Appalachian regional studies, poetry, history and other topics dealing with the Appalachian region. The latest issue is $20 and available from www.appjournal.appstate.edu

The journal is published by the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University.

“This edition features two interviews, one with a senior scholar of Appalachian labor history, and one with a young Affrilachian writer, both of whom speak frankly about their work and their lives,” said journal editor Dr. Sandra Ballard, a professor at Appalachian.

“I was pleased to have so many fine poems and reviews, including several review essays on writers who deserve to be the focus of increased attention: Denise Giardina, Irene McKinney, Don Johnson and James Agee,” Ballard said. “Another writer who is not typically thought of as having Appalachian connections is Willa Cather. The article by Appalachia’s premiere Civil War historian, John Inscoe, offers a revelation about her work.”

The edition contains an award-winning article by Kathy Staley, who won the Carl Ross Prize for the best student essay from the Appalachian Studies Association, and submissions from many first-time contributors to Appalachian Journal.

“Do What Lights Your Fire: An Interview with Ron Lewis,” profiles Lewis’ career as a scholar of Appalachian history, and in particular his research redefining Appalachia’s labor history. Lewis told interviewers that his passion for Appalachian history and the history of the region’s coal industry was fueled by his experiences living in Central Appalachian and of relatives who worked in coal mines.

Lewis advises graduate students that, “It’s really important to do what lights your fire. Do what you like, do what you know, and when nobody else cares, it will still be important to you, and that is what will sustain you.”