F*ckface: And Other Stories by Leah Hampton

What’s the last short story collection that you read?

Recently on Reading Women, I talked to Leah Hampton, the author of F*ckface: And Other Stories. As an Appalachian, I rarely see my region represented in literature, so I LOVED reading these stories that feature characters and communities I recognized. It felt like reading about home.

When I asked Hampton about how America as a whole views Appalachia, she said:

“If you're not from a region like this, you only know the stereotype. And that's been reinforced so heavily for so long. And that's part of the. . . . And I want people to know that they shouldn't feel necessarily bad about that because that's a very intentional process from the media and from very large corporations, particularly energy corporations that have been in the region and from both sides of the political spectrum.

“They have used Appalachia. Appalachia is a meme. And it's how we talk about poverty in this country. It's how we talk about the environment in this country. It's how we make ourselves feel better about the bad things we do in this country. Is by saying. . . . You know, I think the way that energy companies and political movements or, you know, J.D. Freakin' Vance or people we don't want to talk about. . . . Like, how those people have made their money and how they have made this country and the world feel okay about the shady ways that they've made their money or made their political careers is by saying, ‘This place isn't quite as good as everywhere else. And these people are simpler.’”