One of our newish neighbors (Barbara Kingsolver) has a brand new novel (Flight Behavior) coming out in November, and I just received an advance copy (Thanks, HarperCollins!).
This novel is a homecoming of sorts. Like her first book, The Bean Tree, it pays homage to Kingsolver's rural roots. She was raised in Carlisle, a small town in eastern Kentucky, but in the 1970s, she moved to Arizona, where she spent nearly two decades. The desert inspired many of her subsequent books, but in 2004 Kingsolver returned east, settling in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
Her Appalachian home was spotlighted three years later. The book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Lifeprovided a true account of her family's attempt to sustain themselves with food that was grown on their Southwest Virginia land or sourced locally. I've not read it, but it made Time's top ten list for the year. Rick Bass, a favorite writer of mine, said that "this text will fold quietly into the reader's consciousness, with affecting grace and dignity, because of its prose and sensibilities."
As I stare at the cover of Kingsolver's latest novel, I hope that her signature charm carries over to this book. Flight Behavior tackles the polarizing issue of climate change, but it does so from a fresh angle. The novelist illustrates how sudden upheaval in the natural world might impact ordinary, mountain people.
The book opens on Dellarobia Turnbow, a young mother with faded ambitions. She married at seventeen and has been raising babies and biting her tongue around her husband's antagonistic family ever since. Dellarobia is walking up a mountain side. She is beset by doubt and consternation, but nonetheless, she is headed toward an old turkey blind, the only place private enough to meet a younger man.
This is the first time Dellarobia has stepped out of her motherly role, the first self indulgent thing she's done in years. As she dodges briars, she considers the consequences of an affair. Her town will judge her. Her children will be branded. Still, she is marching forward when she comes upon a scene she cannot explain.
On the trees right around her, she see's brownish clumps. She wonders if they're a spreading fungus and, preoccupied, keeps walking. When she reaches an overlook, her view expands and Dellarobia sees that every single trunk and twig is covered. The color is not brown so much as red. She faces an entire valley blanketed with some strange smokeless fire. It moves in waves, releasing bits like sparks from a burning pine log, but it does not crackle. This is a silent miracle, and Dellarobia knows what it means. She must go back to her family, to her cluttered yard, and to an uncertain future.
I've skimmed this part, the beginning of the book, and after such a bold opening, I'm excited to read the rest. Watch for my review sometime between now and the book's release in November. In the meantime, folks who have read the book are leaving spirited comments all around the web. These come from the literary site Goodreads:

"As Kingsolver puts it, poor, rural, Southerners are the people in the United States most likely to be effected by climate change. Unfortunately, they are also the demographic least likely to have any accurate information about what it is, and what that means for them, and the world." Sara Beigle
If you've put your hands on a copy of Flight Behavior, please let us know what you think. If you'd like to reserve a copy, you can do so on Amazon and they will ship it to you after November 6, the day the book comes out.

 

I haven't published much poetry on The Revivalist, and there's no excuse for that. I'm a sucker for rhythm and imagery. In fact, I like poems a lot. When I see a good one, though, it has usually been published elsewhere, and it's some work to hunt down a poet and request reprint rights. We're talking pure laziness on my part, I know.

Lucky for me, Sarah Loudin Thomas made things easy. She ran the poem "Mountain Mama" on her own website where an email address was just a few pixels away. Even I could manage to copy, paste, and send a message, asking to share this piece with y'all.

I was thrilled when Sarah said, "Yes," because this poem is about as Appalachian as they come. It's all about fragile beauty and precarious lives. It's about grim reality getting entangled with false hope. It's about the unique losses that mountain people face every single day.

After reading it, please leave a comment telling Sarah what you think.

***

Mountain Mama

There is truth in the trailer park

and honesty in the car on blocks.

Starvin’ Marvin and “as seen on TV”

live cheek by jowl with the likes

of handmade quilts and apple butter;

old-time music and the oral tradition.

Some folks say it isn’t True,

isn’t the way things used to be.

But lose a grandfather to the mines,

an uncle to the war, your mother

to a cancer that gnaws at her soul—

lose a child for no reason you can see.

Then you’ll find the fragile beauty

in the never-ending yard sale.

You’ll learn to love the tourists

who buy corncob pipes, coonskin caps,

and lumps of coal carved like bears.

When the giant timber companies

run the local sawmill out of money

and Aunt Eunice can’t remember your name—

when your best friend moves to California

and minimum wage is doing alright, man.

Then you’ll find the potent wisdom

in workers’ compensation, food stamps

and tonight’s lotto number—

dear God let me win.

A one in a billion chance is better

than watching the land your ancestors

cleared wash away . .  . no wish away

on the promises of strip mines

and a future you can’t afford to wait.

At night, the lights from Wal-Mart glow

like the promise of a better tomorrow.

In addition to poems, Sarah Loudin Thomas writes books. In fact, she is seeking publication of her first novel. Originally from West Virginia, she writes pieces that reflect her love for Christ first and her Appalachian heritage second. She has previously published poetry and articles in magazines including Appalachian Heritage, The Pisgah Review and Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine. You can learn more about Sarah on her website Sarah Anne Loudin Thomas: Everyday miracles happen every day.

If your pop is like mine, you can stop reading this now. It's easy to buy him a Father's Day gift. Any coffee mug or key chain with the Harley Davidson logo will do. Or one of those funny T-shirts for men will also be perfect.
I'm not kidding. For three decades, my Dad has gotten Harley gear. We give it him for every birthday, Christmas, and anniversary too.
I'd say that Harley has become a crutch for us gift-givers if Dad didn't seem to enjoy it so much. After receiving dozens of Harley hats, Harley books, Harley beer cozies, and at least one Harley stained glass window (which I am proud to have found), he still smiles like he's won the lottery and exclaims a big, "HOT DAMN," every time he opens a box and sees those iconic eagle wings.
For him, Harley stuff is like cupcakes or firewood. He really can't have too much.
For your dad, though, Harley might not be the way to go. If your father would rather hike the AT than roar down the road on a hog, then check out this list. These are the best Father's Day gifts that the Appalachian South has to offer.

*

Bamboo Fly Rod: Give your dad a gift that will last a lifetime. These exceptional rods are made by William S. Oyster and his team of craftsmen in Blue Ridge, Georgia. On his website, Oyster explains, "'We' are not a 'cyber-business'...I am a man in a workshop who splits cane, sands, planes, varnishes, sweats, bleeds, sweeps up and checks e-mails." He follows a rod design that originated in the 1800s, building each rod from a single culm of bamboo and finishing it with nickel, silk thread, and premium Portuguese cork. These distinctive rods are owned by luminaries, including President Jimmy Carter and perhaps soon your dad.

[caption id="attachment_5832" align="alignright" width="200"] Wood paddle from Fritz Orr Canoe[/caption]
Blood Feud, The Hatfields & The McCoys: The Epic Story of Murder & Vengeance: Following the hit Hatfields & McCoys mini-series on The History Channel, this historic account of the legendary feud has shot to the top of the charts. It is Amazon's #1 best seller in the category State and Local U.S. History; it's #10 in General History; and it's a thrilling #63 in all books on Amazon. Written by Appalachian native Lisa Alther, Blood Feud takes a deeper look at the violence, romance, and politics that linked these two famous families.
Uncle Buck's Gift Crate: If your dad is king of outdoor cooking, then he'll dig this trio of West Virginia-made condiments and sides. Mustard Relish, Rustic Pepper Sauce, and 14 Day Sweet Pickles are offered in both regular and hot varieties. They come packed in a manly wooden crate, ready to serve at your father's next grillside guyfest.
Wooden Whitewater Canoe Paddle:Expedited shipping isn't available so this one might arrive late. I can't image Dad will mind much when he opens his gift and finds a beautiful piece of functional art. Made of ash, aspen, black walnut, and cedar with a clear epoxy composite laminate finish, these paddles are sure to please any canoe enthusiast. Each is dated, numbered and signed by the craftsmen at Fritz Orr Canoe.
[caption id="attachment_5837" align="alignleft" width="139"] Rail spike knife from Tamarack[/caption]
Crooked Road CD Sampler: With this gift, your father can tour Virginia's legendary bluegrass heritage trail--The Crooked Road--from the comfort of his easy chair. This sampler is a a virtual "Who's Who" of the Blue Ridge. It features bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, guitarist Wayne Henderson, gospel singers The Good Shepherd Quartet, and the popular band Lost & Found alongside many other mountain artists.
Rail Spike Knife: Hand-forged by craftsman Ronnie Hamrick, these knives start their lives as railroad spikes. With heat and pressure, each is transformed into something new but familiar, retaining the rough, dark look of the original spike with the addition of a gleaming blade. They make the perfect gift for a knife-collecting dad, an outdoorsman dad, or a railroad buff dad.

Now I wish I hadn't let go of cable TV. Last night Hatfields and McCoys premiered on The History Channel. This dramatic mini-series stars stars Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield, Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy, and Tom Berenger as the uncle of Devil Anse.
Nikki Bowman was lucky enough to attend the premiere. On WVLiving.com, she wrote...
"After I adjusted to the accents, rich in Shakespearean English, it immediately transported me to post-Civil War Appalachia, when the region was still trying to figure out its place in the country. The gothic scenery—unfortunately, it was filmed in Romania and not the Tug River Valley due to production costs—and the deftly portrayed characters capture an important time in West Virginian and American history by illustrating that the iconic feud was greater and much more involved than a simple dispute over a pig."
In addition to being a complex film that shows the depth of America's most famous feud, it also has interesting online extensions. You can find more videos, background on the two families' members, and a fun Hatfields and McCoys quiz on The History Channel website.
Unfortunately, the online features don't include the premiere episode, which aired last night. I've not been able to find it anywhere online, so for now, I'll have to rely on you for updates.
Part two airs tonight at 9/8c. If you watch it, please tell me what it's like!
[youtube]IYIWdXYm8bc[/youtube]

Y'all heard the news?
TV star and indie music darling Zooey Deschanel will be playing Loretta on Broadway. I got this story straight from the good folks at LorettaLynn.com.

*

Country Music Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn is taking her life story to Broadway, and she has tapped film and TV actress Zooey Deschanel to play her on stage.
Lynn, 80, unveiled plans for a musical adaptation of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” during a Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday night. Wearing one of her signature long sleeve, floor length dresses, the singer blew through four songs before bringing Deschanel onstage to sing the title tune.
The announcement mirrored the way Lynn invited actress Spacek on the Opry stage in 1979 to reveal that Spacek would play her in the upcoming film. Spacek later won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn.
“I have a friend here tonight. I don’t know if ya’ll remember when Sissy Spacek was with me. I brought her out here with me. She about fainted. We both fainted,” Lynn said with a laugh. “She went on to do the ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ and you know from there. Well, there’s a little girl back stage that’s going to do the play of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ on Broadway,” Lynn continued. “Zooey, where you at honey?”
Deschanel, 32, the star and a producer of the Fox comedy “New Girl,” then emerged in a short, vintage-inspired white dress. She grabbed Lynn’s hand and flashed a dazzling smile.
“Are you going to help me sing ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’?” asked Lynn. “I’m going to help you sing,” said Deschanel, who has been nominated for a Grammy Award. “This is a great honor for me. This is my hero.”
The two traded verses and they ended the song holding hands. “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was a No. 1 hit for Lynn in 1970 that she wrote about growing up as one of eight children in rural Kentucky. It became the title of her 1976 autobiography and the basis for the 1980 movie, starring Sissy Spacek, which traces Lynn’s rise from humble beginnings into one of country music’s most beloved singers.
In 1972, Lynn became the first woman to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. Among the songs performed in the film are “You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man,” “You’re Looking at Country,” “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl,” and the title song.
Plans for a stage adaptation are still in the beginning stages, with no creative team attached or workshop dates announced. The producers – Fox Theatricals and Scott Sanders Productions – have been behind such Broadway hits as “Legally Blonde,” `’The Color Purple,” `’Red” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”
Deschanel has starred in such films as “Elf,” “(500) Days of Summer” and “Your Highness.” Producers of the musical said their schedule would not conflict with the actress “New Girl” commitments. Deschanel also has a musical side. She has appeared on some of her movie soundtracks and in a jazz cabaret act called If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies. She has also released three albums with M. Ward as the folk-rock duo She & Him, and she performed three songs for the recent animated film “Winnie the Pooh.” One of those songs, “So Long,” was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Song Written For Visual Media.
During the surprise duet Thursday as part of the Grand Ole Opry Country Classics, Deschanel sang her parts strong, with a convincing lilt in her voice. As the music faded out, Lynn said to the crowd, “Don’t forget her name. Her name is Zooey.”
And with that, another coal miner’s daughter was born.
[youtube]Ik-SmxpQtWk[/youtube]

Over the weekend, CNN posted controversial photos from Appalachia. The collection opened with KKK members surrounding a burning cross. It went on to show snake handlers, religious fundamentalists, and shirtless men who looked strung out.
Those of us from Appalachia know that these images are the exception and sensational, but CNN sure didn't play them that way. The news channel said that the photographer was capturing "the everyday lives of the people of Appalachia."
Appalachian locals posted comments in the hundreds, most of them outraged:
"I am from the Appalachians and this is not everyday life. This is akin to racist stereotypes of African Americans before the civil rights movement. Repulsive."
"I've lived in the South for four decades and have seen exactly zero robed Klansmen and pretty much the same number of snake handlers."
"These pictures appear to be the result of an immature photographer from LA out to reinforce her smug stereotypes about the South. CNN why are you promoting this?"
Reading the comments and reviewing the photos, I also wondered what was this photographer thinking. Was she really trying to propagate stereotypes about mountain people? Didn't she know how damaging this kind of photography can be?
Rather than speculate, I decided to ask her for a telephone interview. Her name is Stacy Kranitz, and she promptly replied to my email. The first thing she told me was that she felt burned by CNN.
"I admit that my experience with CNN was very upsetting and I am weary of the media right now," she said, "Even though I have great respect for alternative media sources I'm not sure how confident I feel about a phone conversation. Maybe we can begin the conversation via email."
So I emailed Stacy a couple of questions at a time, and she replied, providing me with the full story behind her hotly disputed photos. I've boiled our emails into a simple interview that shows what this unconventional artist was really thinking. Stacy's excerpts are unaltered, but I did edit my questions to give you, the reader, better context.
Also, while we were exchanging emails, CNN updated the photos, adding additional shots in an attempt to better represent Appalachian culture. Stacy and I talked about this too.

*

TR: Stacy, CNN originally published a portion of your shots from the Appalachians. That subset of your work lit a fire among people from the region. What do you think about the outrage? 
SC: I think people are rightfully angry. I am disgusted to see the words "the everyday lives of appalachian people" next to images of the KKK. That is a real insult to the region as is the reductive edit of my work and I understand why people are so offended by it.

TR: What would you like people to take away from your Appalachian photos?

TR: CNN has added more photos that represent a wider range of Appalachian experiences, but they didn't remove the words "everyday lives." Are you satisfied?
SC: Whaen I contacted them, the photo editors at CNN showed genuine concern for my desire to have the project presented in a way that was true to my intentions. While so much of the damage has already been done with so many people seeing the original sequence of images I appreciated that the editors where immediately responsive to my desires to change the edit to be more accurate to the project.
They did not want to change the text "everyday lives of appalachian people" because they feel that in the context of the article they are not saying that my images reflect the everyday lives of appalachian people but that the images were taken of people in their everyday lives. In the end I agreed that the text was accurate to the interview I gave and with the new edit I feel that the project is shown in a much less antagonistic way. At the end of the day I took these pictures and I have to reconcile with the fact that not everyone is going to take the time to understand what I am doing. Some people are going to be angry that a picture of a Klan rally exists in the edit at all even if it is there to reference an obvious stereotype instead of perpetuate it. I am not making a travel brochure of the area.
While CNN has made the changes i requested I still think it is valuable to continue the discussion about appalachia, representations and stereotypes.

*

What do you think? Do you look at the photos differently after reading this? What do you think of Stacy's work and CNN's handling of the situation?

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="282"] Photo Provided by Bill Meador[/caption]
I'm not going to lie. I have mixed feelings about Smith Mountain Lake. It's a 20,600 acre, man-made creation that engulfed towns, farms, and forests when it rose from the banks of the Roanoke River in 1963. Since then, it's generated miles of McMansions and attracted an influx of Jersey transplants.
It's not exactly the land of local culture or ecological responsibility, but still, it can be awfully pretty. A summertime sunset behind green mountains shimmering on the lake's still surface--it's a scene that melts away the tension. Toss in a cold beer and some grilled meat and you can see why Yankee's have bought every square foot of shoreline.
It's this side of Smith Mountain Lake--the slow moving, hammock loving, lake life--that inspired Sarah Elizabeth Timmins to make her indie film. "It all began three years ago, she says, "When a personal soul-searching journey and a reflective walk along Smith Mountain Lake awakened my soul."
Timmins, a long time film producer, didn't conceive the film Lake Effect around a plot line or character. She was inspired by a place, by the lake itself. "With simply an idea and location, yet neither script nor money, I committed to starting my own film company and jumped into Lake Effects."
[caption id="attachment_5601" align="alignright" width="240"] Vivian Tisdale played by Jane Seymour[/caption]
She shopped the film to hundreds of funders and with writer Scott Winters began crafting a family story that was as moving as its location. In the film, Los Angeles attorney, Sarah Tisdale (played by Richmond native Scottie Thompson), is called home to Virginia when her father dies in a sudden accident. In the midst of grief, she and her sister come to understand why their father thought it was so important for them to be raised on the lake.
Their mother, who goes through her own journey of loss and reflection, is played by Jane Seymour. The most notable name in the cast, Seymour brings seasoned acting chops and star power to the film, but if you ask Timmins, the real stars are area locals.
"From day one, over two years ago, Smith Mountain Lake residents and businesses embraced the film," Timmins explains in her press kit, "Individuals offered us the use of their boats, cars, trucks, and even a helicopter. Amazingly, these donations were made with sincere generosity, without any expectations of remuneration."
To express her gratitude, Timmins is donating a portion of the films proceeds to cleanup efforts at the lake. Having already won recognition at the Omaha and Appalachian Film Festival, Lake Effects premieres tonight on Hallmark Movie Channelat  8:00 PM eastern/7:00 central.
If you watch the movie, tell us what you think. If you live at the lake, did you have any celeb sightings while Lake Effectswas being filmed or did you help out with the movie?
We'd love to hear your stories.

Some West Virginians are fed up. They're tired of seeing coal towns die when industry leaves; they're tired of being painted as bumpkins in pop media; and they're especially tired of feeling like they can't do a thing to change their lot.
Elaine McMillion is chief among them. A young filmmaker who now lives in Boston, she visited home last August and ended up in McDowell County, which has lost more of its population due to mine closures than any other county in the state. She says, "I walked around with my jaw almost hitting the ground; seeing the town with empty storefronts and boarded up doors is extremely saddening, and in some ways infuriating."
McDowell's population began declining about 60 years ago. Since then, the population has dropped by about 80,000 people, leaving behind miles of empty homes and businesses.
There's a hollowness to the place, and it was this absence that moved Elaine to do something. As a filmmaker, she knows how to shoot footage and edit it, so she decided to try to ignite interest in this struggling community through film.
As a West Virginia native, however, Elaine knew better than to do like other filmmakers might--swoop into McDowell County with a camera crew and a predetermined storyline about coal pulling out, towns dying, and all the locals getting hooked on OxyContin. That would have been too easy and inaccurate, and worst of all, it would have painted a hopeless picture for the county. Elaine says, "I have a lot of hope for McDowell."
[caption id="attachment_5529" align="alignleft" width="191"] Ed Shephard says that he lives in a "damned ghost town."[/caption]
Instead, she put the power of filmmaking directly in the hands of McDowell natives. Starting this summer, Hollow will be shot in large part by folks who live in McDowell. They will use the crews' cameras to share images from their own lives. What's more, Elaine and her team aren't going in with a pre-scripted scenario. They're asking residents, "What do you think can help McDowell," and leaving it to them to come up with answers.
In filmmaking, this is unusual and a little risky. Elaine took time last week to talk with me about giving up control along with the heartbreak and wonder she's found in West Virginia's southernmost county.
TR: Elaine, thank you so much for taking the time to talk. You've already shot some beautiful interviews with people in McDowell County. They seem just heartbroken about the slow death of their towns, and in the footage, the towns really do look deserted. What happened? Why did the coal company pull out?
EM: The towns are part of a “boom & bust” economy. By the mid-20^th century, McDowell was one of the richest counties in the United States and was known as “the nation’s coal bin.” Immigrants flooded in from overseas and African Americans came from the South. The county's population soared, but a combination of decreased demand for coal and mechanization of mining minimized the number of jobs.
In 1986, more than 1,200 jobs were lost with the closure of the US Steel mines in Gary. In the following year alone, personal income decreased dramatically by two-thirds. Due to a lack of diversity in the economy, miners were forced to abandon their homes in search of new beginnings in other regions of the state and country.
TR: This summer, you're headed to McDowell to do your main shoot. What kind of stories do you want to uncover?
EM: The goal of Hollow is to work with the community to uncover the stories that they feel have a direct impact on their daily lives and future. We hope to bring to light the stories and issues that are important to them. We are asking them questions like, “What are the challenges of living here?” and “What do you want to see change in five years?”
Although we do not have expectations of what people will want to talk about, we anticipate people addressing population loss, unemployment, education, drug abuse, poverty and the environment, because those are the narratives that make headlines. On the other end of the spectrum, we look forward to highlighting the culture, history and arts of the county. Events such as outdoor plays, concerts, church celebrations and county fairs demonstrate the bonds that a community still maintains.
TR: In addition to shooting professional footage, you're giving cameras to local folks and asking them to shoot some too. That's unique and a little risky. What if all of the footage is of their cats and kids making silly faces?
EM: We will hold workshops where we train residents to use the cameras. We will sit down with them and discuss the story that they want to tell. We don’t anticipate people just shooting silly footage of their cats, because the project’s goals are very transparent to the community. The people who have volunteered to shoot understand that we are trying to reflect on the past, capture the present and gaze toward the future.
TR: In one of your clips, you mentioned other places that have gone belly up—the boarded up factories in Michigan and struggling farms in Iowa. What’s different about this West Virginia county. Why did it capture your attention?
EM: The issues in McDowell County can be seen across towns in the United States. Whether timber, farming, coal or manufacturing--when industry leaves a community it has a huge effect. With that said, McDowell County is quite unique and different in many ways. What captured my attention were three things:
1) The People: What really struck me was how open people were to talking to me. Tom Acosta, who was painting a beautiful mural downtown, talked to us for hours and allowed us to interview him on-camera and shoot him painting the mural. Then he referred us to Ed Shepherd, a man in his late 80s who has lived in McDowell County all his life. Shepherd cares so deeply about his roots that he refuses to leave, even if that means using part of his Social Security check to keep his business open. Shepherd gave me cucumbers and grape tomatoes he was growing in his parking lot, yes his parking lot. This is the resilience and determination of Southern West Virginians. I realized that there were so many stories there that needed to be told.
2) The Urgency. The demographer at WVU we are working with has compiled a list of “possibly dying” and “revived” towns in West Virginia. McDowell County’s 10 incorporated towns are all on the dying list; meaning they all have a negative growth rate and are losing people faster than they are gaining.
[caption id="attachment_5527" align="alignright" width="263"] Tom Acosta, McDowell resident paints a mural, a sign of hope.[/caption]
3) The Stereotypes. Google McDowell County, WV and what do you get? Drugs, coal mining and poverty. For some people these stereotypes are very true and a part of their daily lives, but I do not believe that these should be the only images that represent the 22,000 people of McDowell. It is time we allow them to create their own images of “home” and empower them to take control of these perceptions.
TR: In the below clip, McDowell resident Ed Shepard says, "Our beautiful rich city has become a damned ghost town. I don't know of anything--unless the mines reopen--anything that would bring it back." Do you think anything could bring McDowell back?
I don’t know what can bring McDowell County back, but I believe the residents do. It’s a matter of developing this community forum through interactive storytelling to reveal what can bring their towns back. Some residents tell me that tourism and the Hatfield and McCoy ATV trail will be the savior; some believe there needs to be a highway.
TR: How can Hollow help bring the residents' visions for McDowell to life?
EM: This project’s success so far has been our transparency. This is not “our project”; it’s theirs. Hollow represents the community without labels, whether political, religious, or socio-economic. We believe that this will bring many ideas to the table that will then be taken to those in power. That’s the ultimate goal.
TR: I know this topic hits home for a lot of us. How can we watch your progress with the documentary and help out?
EM: We will be updating the Tumblr as well as the Facebook page and Twitter accounts. We need volunteers to help with workshops and advertising in the community to get people there. If people want to be put on the volunteer list, they can email me.
Also, our Kickstarter campaign needs some love. The money we raise there will pay for production fees and allow us to buy five cameras to give to the community. The cameras will be donated to the community after production to encourage them to continue storytelling.
http://vimeo.com/28285850

If you've heard songs from Old Crow Medicine Show, I'm sure you remember them. They play a mash-up of Appalachian old time, bluegrass, roots, country, and electrified folk that could inspire paralyzed toes to tap. Here's one now...
[youtube]HM2Ku0lmvWs[/youtube]
I've been to two of their shows. I left both hoarse and sweaty, thrilled to know that these boys have roots in my homeland. Founding band members Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua are from Harrisonburg, Virginia. According to Wikipedia, Secor and Fuqua met in the seventh grade and began playing music together. They performed for James Madison University students at the Little Grill Collective's open mic nights. "They knew that we had talent," Secor once told American Rhythm Music Magazine, "But it was raw. I mean, I was up there beating on a jaw harp when I was 13.'"
After a detour through the Appalachian North, where the boys picked up more band members, they landed in Boone, North Carolina. This is where things got magical. While busking outside Boone Drug, a local pharmacy, the daughter of music legend Doc Watson strolled by. She was so smitten with the band's sound, she told her famous daddy about them. Watson offered them a spot at his annual music festival MerleFest.
[caption id="attachment_5241" align="alignleft" width="143"] Old Crow Medicine Show. Photo courtesy of Vince Kmeron.[/caption]
Old Crow Medicine Show rolled up in their vintage rags with their tattered instruments, and they burned the house down. They were discovered, signed, and before long, they moved to Nashville. After that, they went on the road. They must have toured across Hell and half of Georgia...twice. For a while there, every time I looked up, they were coming back to DC. Their hit single "Wagon Wheel" went gold.
And then, last April, they got on an old train in California and headed east on an epic trip. They joined two other pseudo-folk bands for a concept tour that makes my mouth water. Loaded up in vintage railroad cars, they travelled across half the country, stopping to play outdoor shows in fields and rail yards, all kinds of quirky locations along the way.
Lucky for us, there were cameras on board. They captured what one band member called the "tour of dreams." That footage became a raucous, roots-tinged documentary, called Big Easy Express,which premieres today at South by Southwest, the Austin-based music, film and emerging technology festival.
The preview alone has me ready to ditch work and buy an airline ticket to Austin, but my more pragmatic better-half, Ryan, has shackled me to furniture to keep me in place. If anyone catches the premiere, for Heaven's sake, let us know if the full-length version looks half as good as this...
[youtube]WxDASw6Ry9c[/youtube]

On Tuesday, I left a voicemail for someone I don't know in West Virginia. Her outgoing message was like a spoken-word fortune cookie, a surprise bit of wisdom in the middle of my day. She said, "Forgiveness isn't an emotion. It's a decision."
I wasn't expecting counsel before the beep. It threw me. I stumbled through my message and hung up, thinking two things.
First, why on Earth did she say that?
This was her office number, a professional voicemail account. Had she forgiven someone for such a galling offense that it bled past the bounds of her personal life? Was the opposite perhaps true; did she herself need forgiveness for something big? Or was she just asking callers to forgive her if it took her a while to call back?
There was no way to know for sure. Rather than create elaborate stories about why she recorded this (which is exactly the kind of thing I'd do), I focused on the other question--was she right? Is forgiveness actually a decision--a conscious choice we make rather than an emotional point at which we arrive? Is it more like picking toast for breakfast than falling in love?
This has been bouncing around my head all week, bumping up against memories--times when I screwed up and points when I felt wronged. There are some glaring workplace faux pas (most resulting from lapses in my verbal filter); a few friend break-ups; and, of course, the long-lingering regret of romantic missteps.
With this jumble in mind, I ran across "Barbed Wire," a short story from Brian Hyer. Published in the current issue of Appalachian Heritage, it pivots around the question of forgiveness. It is about a wife's infidelity and the impassioned dilemma that her husband faces.
Take a read, and let us know what you think. Do you like the piece? How does forgiveness figure into it? When you've forgiven people, did it feel like an emotion or were you making a conscious choice?

*

BARBED WIRE
BY BRIAN HYER
A woman acts a certain way when she’s in love. I know, because I remember how Joan took to me before we married. Now I see it again, only this time it ain’t my doing, because in the morning when I go to kiss her and she pulls away from me, I know there’s something bad smothering us, bad like the morning fog that clouds a perfectly good view of Balsam Mountain.

Steve Alberts is a retiree, and he might be busier now than he was when he was working. He acts; he takes photos; he's working on a novel; and he writes charming blog posts at OnStevesMountain.com.
I was browsing Steve's site the other day, and one post caught my eye -- The Burro in the Barn Door. I'm a sucker for alliteration, so the title hooked me. It was the photo, though, that kept me glued to the post. It's deceptively simple. If you look at it fast, you might miss the long eared animal in the doorway, waiting, watching, like it knew you'd come back home.
Thanks to Steve for sharing it here.

*

One snowy morning in West Virginia I left our little garage apartment out in the country and drove the back roads for several hours just looking for that special photograph that might be hiding in the next hollow, on the next hillside, or around the next curve.
Yes, I took several pictures that morning and I thought a lot of them were good.
But, here is the best one and it was waiting right at the end of my driveway when I returned home that morning.
Life is often that way.
We go out into the world to find some special thing, later to discover that, often
the best is…
right at home…
just like the burro in the barn door…
[caption id="attachment_5034" align="alignnone" width="377"] Photo by Steve Alberts. Used with Permission.[/caption]
 

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After nearly 60,000 views on The Revivalist, Jason Headley's popular essay "Dear West Virginia" has been picked up by the Charleston Daily Mail. It ran today, along with comments from Jason and me on the heartwarming response to the piece.
Thanks to everyone who has read the essay and especially the 300 plus people who've commented. Every last one has appeared in my inbox for approval, and as I've read them, I've thought that they're like verses. Each is a little poem onto itself, and beside one another, they become a treasury of love notes.
A few of the comments were picked up by the paper. Give them a read and see what it means to fall hard for a place.