To say that Hollins University is haunted would be a bit of an understatement. Records of the various spirits and supernatural occurrences popcorn throughout the school’s almost 200-year history: correspondence from the mid-19th century debates the level of concern that should be assigned to the strange occurrences in a student’sContinue Reading
**Trigger Warning: This article contains supernatural violence and abuse. The Smurl family didn’t have an easy go at life. They were Pennsylvanians and devout Roman Catholics who were heavily involved in church activities. The family included Navy veteran Jack Smurl,1)Jack Smurl was on a ship at sea during the CubanContinue Reading
Something deplorable is occurring in the hollows of Appalachia. A person might trek through the woods or walk along a dirt road and see deer carcasses lying here and there. They are not dying for natural reasons. They are not succumbing to disease. Instead, they are victims of people whoContinue Reading
In my 2016 stage play Which Side Are You On: The Florence Reece Story, I envision a scene at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee, wherein union activist and songwriter Florence Reece and Civil Rights reformer Martin Luther King, Jr. are discussing ways for opposing violence. The exchange follows:Continue Reading
A few years ago, I put together a four-part series about Appalachians in the silent film era entitled, “Appalachians in Moving Pictures.” Every actor’s story provides an interesting insight into the dawn of motion pictures and a place called Hollywoodland. Enjoy the following story about silent film actress Ethlyne Clair.Continue Reading
An Appalachian Awakening is happening all around us. We peer through our emblematic windows – clear or murky – and see a new dawn’s vivid light peeking above the grey clouds that, to a great degree, were thrust upon us. Our eyes gaze upon lands and mountains where the footstepsContinue Reading
As a poet I have learned to approach syrupy topics, (tears, grandmothers and any thing that dances), with caution. But I am old enough to be a grandmother, and it just so happens both of mine could dance like hell and drive grown men to tears. One danced from DonegalContinue Reading