Silas House
New York Times bestselling writer and Berea College professor Silas House has been awarded a Duggins Prize for Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist, the largest prize given to an LGBTQ writer in the United States. The award is given annually by Lambda Literary to two novelists.
Continue reading Berea College Professor Silas House Awarded Duggins Prize, Largest Given to an LGBTQ Writer in the United States →
Can readers escape the end of the world? Join National Book Award–honored authors Julia Phillips (Disappearing Earth, 2019 Fiction finalist) and Jackie Wang (The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us from the Void, 2021 Poetry finalist) for readings and conversation on writing the environment of place and people in the 21st century.
The free event takes place on Tuesday, April 12, at 6 p.m. in the Berea College Alumni Building’s Baird Lounge. Refreshments will be available. Masks are required.
To bring cutting-edge authors to Appalachian Kentucky, the National Book Foundation’s public programming arm, NBF Presents, arranged these authors’ visits in partnership with Berea College and Appalshop (Letcher County).
The following article was originally posted on artscouncil.ky.gov.
Silas House is the recipient of the 2020 Artist Award from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear as part of the annual Governor’s Award in the Arts.
The Commonwealth’s most prestigious arts awards honor Kentucky individuals, businesses and organizations that make significant contributions to the arts in the state. Governor’s Awards in the Arts recipients exemplify a diversity of accomplishments in all areas of the arts as well as the irreplaceable value of those contributions to the state’s communities, educational environment and economy. The combined achievements and contributions of this year’s esteemed group of recipients demonstrate the many ways that citizens of Kentucky uphold the tradition of creating a rich cultural legacy.
The ceremony will be held on January 26 at 11 a.m. EST and is available to watch on YouTube.
Born in Corbin, Silas House, who was hailed by fellow Kentucky writer Barbara Kingsolver as one of her “favorite writers and human beings,” is a multiple award-winning, New York Times and nationally best-selling novelist.
Berea College’s Loyal Jones Appalachian Center has announced the winners of the “Appalachian Narratives for Our Time” award for essays about how Appalachians thrive in the places they call home.
The submitted essays focus on the authors’ compelling life stories and illustrate the challenges of coming of age, working and living in the realities of family and community.
“Appalachia has a rich and, at the same time, challenging history,” said Chris Green, director of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center. “All too often, however, national media portrays difficulties in the region as the fault of people who live here. We wanted to give the majority of Appalachians who grow up and make good lives a new opportunity to tell their stories.”
Continue reading Berea College Announces Winners of “Appalachian Narratives for Our Time” Awards →
During Berea College’s Homecoming three Bereans were recognized for their professional accomplishments, contributions to the community and commitments to the mission of Berea College. Larry Allen ’78 and Jack Roush ’64 received Distinguished Alumnus awards. Silas House, published author and member of the College teaching faculty, was presented an Honorary Alumnus Award. Recipients were honored at the Alumni Awards Presentation and Reception on Nov. 16 in the Boone Tavern Events Center. Continue reading Three Alumni Awards Presented at Berea College Homecoming →
Each year during Homecoming Bereans are recognized for their professional accomplishments, contributions to the community and commitments to the mission of Berea College. This year, Larry Allen ’78 and Jack Roush ’64 will receive Distinguished Alumnus awards. Silas House, published author and member of the College teaching faculty, will be presented an Honorary Alumnus Award. Recipients will be honored at the Alumni Awards Presentation and Reception at 6 p.m., Nov. 16 in the Boone Tavern Events Center. Continue reading Three Alumni Awards to be Presented at Berea College Homecoming →
hillbilly, a new documentary film that explores the historical basis of cultural stereotypes about people from Appalachia in film and television, is scheduled to make its worldwide debut at the Nashville Film Festival on May 19, 2018.
The film’s two directors, Ashley York and Sally Rubin, both with Appalachian roots, interviewed Berea faculty, including Chad Berry, bell hooks and Silas House. Other Bereans connected with the film are musician and alumnus Sam Gleaves, who was interviewed and contributed music, and Sam Cole, who is the associate producer. Several other alumni made appearances in the film as well. Continue reading hillbilly Documentary Film to Debut, Berea College Faculty Featured →
Silas House, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Chair of Appalachian Studies at Berea College, was recently inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers. The induction took place at a ceremony held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the SouthWord Festival—a biennial conference for the Southern Lit Alliance and the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Continue reading Silas House Inducted into Fellowship of Southern Writers →
Silas House, an award-winning writer and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College, will speak at the 2017 Literary Luncheon in Lexington, KY on June 10, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. The farm-to-table lunch, hosted by the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, will take place in downtown Lexington’s Gratz Park (the Carnegie Center’s backyard). House will conduct an intimate conversation and be available afterwards for a book signing. The Literary Luncheon is part of the Carnegie Center’s 2017 Books-in-Progress Conference, slated for June 8-10. Continue reading Best-selling Author Silas House Named Keynote Speaker at Carnegie Center Books-in-Progress Conference →
The largest gathering of Appalachian writers in history will happen at Berea College on September 9 and 10. The Appalachian Symposium will be two days of public conversations focusing on the current state of the region’s literature and will feature keynote addresses by famed feminist author and activist bell hooks as well as Pulitzer Prize finalist Maurice Manning. Continue reading Largest Gathering of Appalachian Writers in History to Assemble at Berea College in September →
Recently, Berea College was proud to host a convocation titled “Writing and Roots” featuring critically acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver and Berea’s own best-selling author Silas House.
Kingsolver, acclaimed by many as one of the most important writers of the 20th century, hails from Carlisle, KY and currently resides in southwestern Virginia with her husband and two daughters. Author of The Bean Trees, The Poisonwood Bible and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. In 2000, Kingsolver was the recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the highest honor for service through the arts offered within the United States. Continue reading Words of Wisdom from Barbara Kingsolver and Silas House →
Appalachia is a multifaceted host with as many different faces as hollows and hills. Some are beautiful, kind, and accepting. Some are filled with hate, and some are caught in between, unsure of where they stand until the line is drawn for them. Far too often, the unique rhythms of this place are lost in the stereotypes by which it is often characterized. “This is My Heart for You,” the latest work of acclaimed regional author Silas House, refuses this trap, embracing some of the most difficult and complex topics facing modern Appalachia. In the writer’s own words the play is “a prayer for things to get better, for us all to have more understanding and compassion.” Continue reading A Review of “This Is My Heart for You” →
“This Is My Heart For You,” a play by Kentucky author Silas House, examines the complexities of a small Appalachian town that must look at its own heart when a local incident exposing perceived inequality becomes national news. Loosely based on a true event, the avant-garde play is about two young men who are thrown out of a community-run swimming pool after accusations of “improper behavior.” The town is divided on whether the pool manager is a hero or a bigot. The play shines a light on the bigger issues of equality, hypocrisy and compassion in America today. Continue reading A play by best-selling author Silas House premieres at Berea College on February 22 →
Joined by Adanma Barton, Silas talks about his new play “This Is My Heart for You.”
The play opens February 22. Read more about the play.
Caroline Herring digs deep into the rich soil of American roots music for her sound, and deep into the recesses of her own consciousness for her themes. The musically understated, psychologically intense songs of this Atlanta-based Mississippi native ponder the eternal verities while probing the complex nature of contemporary existence; she delivers them in a fine-grained alto replete with the residue of hard-earned insight.
September 8, 2011: Paula Nelson, a singer, poet, writer, dancer and preservationist, will present “Origins: Exploring the Beginnings and Cosmology of the Cherokee People.” Her presentation will begin in the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center Gallery at 11:45 a.m. A light lunch will be provided. Continue reading “Dinner On the Grounds” Features Cherokee Artist, Paula Nelson →
Acclaimed Appalachian author, Silas House, has been appointed interim director of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College and associate professor of Appalachian studies. He replaces Dr. Chad Berry, who recently was appointed the college’s academic vice president and dean of the faculty. Continue reading Berea College appoints Silas House interim director of Appalachian Center →
