Table of Contents

Bo Ball is a retired professor of Shakespeare and creative writing at Agnes Scott College. He lives in Decatur, Georgia. His stories, which have garnered two Pushcart Prizes, have appeared in numerous magazines, six anthologies and his own collection, Appalachian Patterns. He is at work on a novel about the coming of macadam and electricity to his hometown, Council, Virginia.

Bill Brown is now retired from a career in high school teaching and serving as a part-time lecturer at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. The author of four collections of poetry, he lives with his wife, Suzanne, in the hills of Robertson County, Tennessee.

Steven R. Cope was born in Menifee County, Kentucky, and currently resides in Winchester. Both author and musician, his works include two collections of poetry, a novel, a collection of fables, and various CDs.
Crow!, a collection of children's verse, is forthcoming from Wind Publications, and The Furrbawl Poems from Broadstone Media.

Patty Crow was raised in Ohio and became a telephone installer as part of a quota for women in non-traditional jobs. In this capacity she worked out of Wartburg, Tennessee, for a year. The story in this issue is based on a personal experience that occurred in the woods near there. She currently is retired and living in Libby, Montana.

Sidney Saylor Farr, a native of Bell County, Kentucky, is the author of seven books. She served as editor of Appalachian Heritage from 1985 until 1999 and is now retired and living in Berea, Kentucky.

Bonnie West Hall is a special education teacher who is now residing in Pike County, KY where she grew up. She fell in love with poetry when the late Lillie D. Chaffin was her second grade teacher.

Marc Harshman is the author of ten children's books which have won numerous awards including the Smithsonian Notable Book Award. His third chapbook of poems, Local Journeys, was just published by the Finishing Line Press, Georgetown, Kentucky. He has lived most of his adult life in West Virginia where he was a grade school teacher until 1997.

Cathryn Hankla is a professor of English and Creative Writing at Hollins University. She is the author of ten books in a variety of genres, the latest of which is the poetry collection, Last Exposures. A native of Richlands, Virginia, in the coalfields, she now lives in Roanoke and serves as poetry editor for The Hollins Critic.

Jane Hicks is a teacher of talented and gifted elementary students in Upper East Tennessee and the creator of fiber artwork which has gone on book tours with Jo Carson, Sharyn McCrumb, and Silas House. Her first book of poetry is forthcoming later this year, and is titled Blood & Bone Remember, which is the first line of her poem, "Ancestral Home" which first appeared in the Spring 2004 issue of Appalachian Heritage.

Ron Houchin, a retired high school teacher, is currently living in South Point, Ohio, but was raised in Huntington, West Virginia. His third poetry book from Salmon Publishing in Ireland is due to appear in the spring of 2005, and his first American printed book of poetry, Among Wordless Things, was just printed by Wind Publications.

David Huddle's fifth book of poems, Grayscale, was published this year by LSU Press, bringing his book total to fifteen including a novella, two novels, five collections of stories, one collection of essays and A David Huddle Reader. Originally from Ivanhoe, Virginia, he teaches at the University of Vermont and the Bread Loaf School of English.

Susan M. Lefler works as a writer and editor for Smokey Mountain Living. Her poetry has appeared in Asheville Poetry Review, Lonzie’s Fried Chicken, The Lyricist, and Icarus. Raised in Chapel Hill, she now lives in Brevard, North Carolina.

Lee Maynard has been published in many magazines, including Reader’s Digest, Columbia Review of Literature, and the Washington Post Magazine. Raised in Wayne County, West Virginia, he is now living near Sante Fe, where he is a management consultant for nonprofit organizations. He is the author of the novels Crum and Screaming with the Cannibals.

Sharyn McCrumb is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, the most recent of which is Ghost Riders (2003); her works also include New York Time’s Best Sellers She Walks These Hills, The Rosewood Casket, and The Ballad of Frankie Silver. Her books have been translated into more than ten languages. She currently lives and writes in the Virginia Blue Ridge.

Irene McKinney lives in rural Barbour County, West Virginia, near where she was born and raised. She is the current Poet Laureate of West Virginia and is the author of five books. She has had published work in the Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Poetry, and the Appalachian Journal.

Ken Murray is a Kingsport, Tennessee, photographer whose work is the focus for six books and numerous calendars. His photos have also appeared in many important national publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Time and Newsweek.

Marshall Myers teaches English at Eastern Kentucky University. He is the author of a short story collection, a poetry collection and a poetry chapbook as well as a civil war booklet.

Charlotte Ross is a former Chair of the Appalachian Studies Conference. Her publication credits range from the first comprehensive bibliography of Appalachian books and articles to a cassette tape entitled, Charlotte Ross: The Legend Lady to a play she performs herself entitled: “From My Grandmother’s Grandmother Unto Me.” She lives in Boone, North Carolina.

Philip St. Clair is Professor of Humanities at Ashland Community and Technical College in Ashland, Kentucky. His most recent books of poetry include Acid Creek and Little-Dog-Of-Iron. He currently lives in Carter County, Kentucky.

Robert M. West, a native of Western North Carolina, now teaches English at Mississippi State University. His poems, critical articles and book reviews have appeared in venues including Poetry, The Carolina Quarterly and the Southern Poetry Review. He is currently guest-editing a special issue on Southern poetry for the Mississippi Quarterly.