Blog – Appalachian Review

Two Essays on Best American Essays 2022 Notables List

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Best American Essays

Congratulations to Martha Grace Duncan and Jake Maynard, whose essays “Cattle Upon a Thousand Hills” and “This American Fife” were named as Notable in Best American Essays 2022. The essays were selected by series editor Alexander Chee and series editor Robert Atwan. We’re also thrilled that essays by Appalachian Review contributors Silas House,…

2021 Denny C. Plattner Awards

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

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Plattner Awards

We are proud to announce the winners of the annual Denny C. Plattner Awards, which were established in 1995 by Kenneth and Elissa Plattner to honor their late son and his love of writing. The awards are given to the finest pieces of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that appeared…

In Conversation: Gavin Colton Discusses “Little Piles of Change”

Skylar Bensheimer ♦

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Interview

Gavin Colton is a fiction writer from Ireland currently living in Lexington, Kentucky where he teaches creative writing workshops at the Carnegie Center. He also coaches academy soccer. His short story, “Little Piles of Changes,” appeared in Appalachian Review’s Winter 2022 issue and follows the working-class family of Colly, Nicole,…

2020 Denny C. Plattner Awards

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

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Plattner Awards

In Conversation: Karen Salyer McElmurray & Elaine Neil Orr

Elaine Neil Orr ♦

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Interview

Karen Salyer McElmurray grew up in both Eastern and Central Kentucky and her work in fiction and nonfiction is haunted by that between world of mountains and flatlands. Wanting Radiance, McElmurray’s third novel, addresses this space between as its protagonist seeks history and love and an authentic self. McElmurray’s debut novel, Strange Birds in…

A Statement About Our Name

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

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When Appalachian Heritage was founded in 1973 by the poet Albert Stewart, it offered a haven for regional writers whose work had often been overlooked and dismissed by literary gatekeepers. Twelve years later, the publication found a permanent home at Berea College in a partnership that fused Stewart’s welcoming vision with…

Appalachian Heritage Essay Named Notable in Best American Essays

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

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Best American Essays

Congratulations to Appalachian Heritage contributor Monic Ductan, whose essay “Fantasy Worlds” was named as Notable in Best American Essays 2019, edited by Rebecca Solnit (and series editor Robert Atwan). We also extend congratulations to Appalachian Heritage contributor Fenton Johnson, whose essay “The Future of Queer,” published in Harper’s Magazine, received…

2018 Denny C. Plattner Awards

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

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Plattner Awards

2017 Denny C. Plattner Awards

Jason Kyle Howard ♦

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Plattner Awards

We Got Lucky: My Life with Tom Petty

Silas House ♦

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Creative Nonfiction, Special Feature

I was seventeen when I first loved him. Seventeen and a complete mess. I had recently “gone wild.” That’s what people in my church said. All my life I had been the perfect little Holiness boy, and I had only recently started to drink: Natural Light or Jim Beam. And…