Ep. 4 | Hillbilly Elegy and the Future of Appalachian Memoir
In the fourth episode of Read Appalachia, host Kendra Winchester examines the question, what is the future of Appalachian memoir in a post-Hillbilly Elegy world? Special guests Neema Avashia and Shawna Kay Rodenberg discuss their memoirs and the importance of pushing back against JD Vance’s problematic narrative.
Things Mentioned
“Hillbillies Need No Elegy” by Meredith McCarroll (Bitter Southerner)
“Ep. 6 Hillbillies Need No Elegy” (The Bitter Southerner Podcast)
Books Mentioned
Guest Info
(c) Neema Avashia
Neema Avashia is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and was born and raised in southern West Virginia. She has been an educator and activist in the Boston Public Schools since 2003, and was named a City of Boston Educator of the Year in 2013. Her first book, Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place, was published by West Virginia University Press in March. It has been called “A timely collection that begins to fill the gap in literature focused mainly on the white male experience” by Ms. Magazine, and “A graceful exploration of identity, community, and contradictions,” by Scalawag. The book was named Best LGBTQ Memoir of 2022 by BookRiot, and was one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022. She lives in Boston with her partner, Laura, and her daughter, Kahani.
(c) Shawna Kay Rodenberg
Shawna Kay Rodenberg is the author of Kin, a debut memoir deemed “essential reading” by the Washington Post and “gorgeously gritty” by Oprah Daily. Her essays have appeared in Salon, the Village Voice, and Elle. In 2016, Shawna was awarded the Jean Ritchie Fellowship, and in 2017 she was the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award. A registered nurse for retired nuns, mother of five, and grandmother of two, she lives on a hobby goat farm in southern Indiana.
