An American Vein — 2005 ·

Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature

Edited by Danny L. Miller, Sharon Hatfield, and Gurney Norman

“From Cratis Williams’ classic study The Southern Mountaineer in Fact and Fiction to contemporary scholarship on ecocriticism, this impressive collection of essays provides an important, though too long neglected, part of American literary history. This book effectively gives Appalachian literature the serious attention it deserves.”

Sandra L. Ballard — editor of Appalachian Journal and Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia.

“It‘s not often that a collection of literary criticism this solid, comprehensive, and comprehensible appears.”

Journal of Appalachian Studies

“The overall thrust of the anthology is to present Appalachian literature afresh, and to point out its centrality to American literature as a whole while establishing it as a legitimate regional literature. The editors acknowledge that no single work can accomplish all this, but An American Vein is a strong beginning and an excellent introduction to an underappreciated vein of literature.”

Rocky Mountain Review

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The blossoming of Appalachian studies began some thirty years ago. Thousands of young people from the hills have since been made aware of their region's rich literary tradition through high school and college courses. An entire generation has discovered that their own landscapes, families, and communities had been truthfully portrayed by writers whose background was similar to their own.

An American Vein: Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature is an anthology of literary criticism of Appalachian novelists, poets, and playwrights. The book reprises critical writing of influential authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Cratis Williams, and Jim Wayne Miller. It introduces new writing by Rodger Cunningham, Elizabeth Engelhardt, and others.

Many writers from the mountains have found success and acclaim outside the region, but the region itself as a thriving center of literary creativity has not been widely appreciated. The editors of An American Vein have remedied this, producing the first general collection of Appalachian literary criticism. This book is a resource for those who teach and read Appalachian literature. What's more, it holds the promise of introducing new readers, nationally and internationally, to Appalachian literature and its relevance to our times.

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Danny L. Miller is the chair of the Department of Literature and Language at Northern Kentucky University. He is the author of Wingless Flights: Appalachian Women in Fiction.

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Sharon Hatfield is an independent writer and editor whose interests include Appalachian history, literature, and media. Her book, Never Seen the Moon: The Trials of Edith Maxwell, is forthcoming from University of Illinois Press.

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Guerney Norman is a novelist and short story writer. He is the director of the creative writing program at the University of Kentucky. His books include the short-story collection Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories. He coedited Backtalk: Stories from an American Region.