Ep. 1 | What Is Appalachian Literature, Anyway?
In the debut episode of Read Appalachia, host Kendra Winchester discusses one of our most frequently asked questions. Joining her this week are special guests and Appalachian writers Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Melissa Helton.
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Things Mentioned
Books Mentioned
Guest Info
(c) Mallory Cash
Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, resides in Qualla, NC. She holds degrees from Yale University and the College of William and Mary. Her debut novel, Even As We Breathe (UPK 2020), was a finalist for the Weatherford Award, named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020, and received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award (2021). It also is the first novel published by a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. Clapsaddle’s work appears in Yes! Magazine, Lit Hub, Our State Magazine, and The Atlantic. She is a former secondary English and Cherokee Studies educator. Currently, Clapsaddle is an editor for the Appalachian Futures Series (UPK), serves on the Board of Directors for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and is the President of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network.
(c) Melissa Helton
Originally from the shores of Lake Erie, Melissa Helton has lived in southeast Kentucky for over a decade and serves as Director of Literary Arts for Hindman Settlement School. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in poetry from Bowling Green State University and Doctorate of Education from Eastern Kentucky University. She has done editing work for Mid-American Review, The Notebook, and various writers. Her poetry, essays, and book reviews have been published in Still: The Journal, Shenandoah, Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Norwegian Writers Climate Campaign, Community College Humanities Review, and more. She has won honors such as the George Scarborough Poetry Prize, Emma Bell Miles Essay Prize, Best of the Net nominations, and Kentucky Foundation for Women grants and residencies. Her poetry chapbooks include Inertia: A Study (2016) and Hewn (2021). She reads at least 100 books a year and doesn’t see that as excessive at all.