I’m a bad Buddhist. I lead with that statement when describing my spiritual practice because claiming Buddhism as one’s spiritual path often leads to the inevitable questions (or jokes) about enlightenment or the assumption that I have an outsized well of patience and wisdom. Neither of these things are trueContinue Reading
My first “spiritual” teacher arrived simultaneous to the literary discoveries. Anything but spiritual and much older, he drew me at nineteen into a long and difficult entanglement, a liaison lasting years that would, these days, set off all the #MeToo sirens. The sum of it was traumatizing, but there wereContinue Reading
Writing about fifteen years of practicing Universal Sufism gives me pause. For one, keeping personal matters personal–a tacit cultural feature of this region–seems polite and practical. Especially with spiritual matters, staying mum averts misunderstandings. Another reason I hesitate is that the essence of Sufism, an ancient form of mysticism, isContinue Reading
Sara filled the air with a pitiful cry, from somewhere deep inside her chest, that even made her daddy misty-eyed. She clutched her yellow dog, Milly, around the neck, refusing to let go, and, when Daddy put his hands on her shoulder, she tightened her embrace. Milly’s body was cold,Continue Reading
While sifting through his library the other day, our own Edward Francisco found this gifted poem (below) written by George Scarbrough entitled “The Kitchen.” The Kitchen Broad planks laid on the raw clay Composed the floor. Some had cupped At edges, others at ends, so one made A higgledy-piggledyContinue Reading
All of us at Appalachia Bare would like to wish our readers a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season. We’re so grateful for your continuing interest and support. We’ll be taking a short break for the holiday season and will return with new content on January 14, 2021. During thisContinue Reading
Appalachia Bare is proud to announce the winners of our George Washington Harris Short Story Contest. We want to thank all those who entered the contest. We found it a joy to read everyone’s work. Each exceptional story is woven so admirably and our decisions were reached with painstaking considerations.Continue Reading
He was pale. Wrapped in a stark white blanket, cold and blind. The mother lay, one leg uncovered on top of the sheet, sweat dried along her forehead, resting from some sixteen hours. The child un-held. There was a father, outside in the desert cold, smoking. A witness to whatContinue Reading
Appalachia Bare would like to take this opportunity to thank our readers, subscribers, and followers. We’re so grateful for your interest and support. We strive to offer you the best content unique to and from Appalachia. We have exciting plans for future Appalachian topics and more submissions to come fromContinue Reading
The following tale, “Legend of Rockface,” can be found in Ivy Love Brown’s short story anthology, Mr. Lotman. “WHAT I’M ABOUT TO TELL YOU AIN’T NO TALL TALE. It’s true. Every line. I’ve fished this here water my whole life. I’ve seen every bit of ribbon that is theContinue Reading