The fortieth anniversary of Appalachian Heritage, a literary quarterly, will be celebrated on Friday, April 5, 2013. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin with a reception at 7:30 p.m., followed by a panel presentation at 8. Gurney Norman, Crystal Wilkinson, and Silas House will be the panelists. It will be held at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center Gallery, 205 North Main Street, in Berea, Kentucky.
Former Kentucky Poet Laureate, Gurney Norman, remembers when the first copy of Appalachian Heritage came out in 1973. The author of “Kinfolks,” “Divine Right’s Trip” and “Ancient Creek,” Norman will reflect on the role of the magazine in the renaissance of Appalachian literature. He teaches creative writing at the University of Kentucky.
Crystal Wilkinson was a featured author for Appalachian Heritage in 2006. She is the owner/manager of the Wild Fig Bookstore in Lexington, the director of the Bachelors of Creative Writing Program at Morehead State University, and the author of “Blackberries, Blackberries” and “Water Street.”
Silas House’s first published work appeared in Appalachian Heritage in 2004. Subsequently, he has published three novels and a youth novel and co-authored another youth novel and a non-fiction book, “Something’s Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal.”
All three of the panelists have work in the magazine’s 40th anniversary issue, which highlights some of the best work that has appeared in the magazine during its first 40 years. The issue includes 30 poems and 18 short stories and 25 art-prints and photos, all of which first appeared in previous issues of the magazine. Several of the artists and authors have indicated that they plan to attend the celebration.
Appalachian Heritage is a literary quarterly, published by Berea College, that highlights the art and literature of the Southern Appalachian Region. Author Lee Smith called it, “absolutely indispensable, the most trenchant, dependable, knowledgeable and innovative record of our region and our times.”