Jan 16
For five months, at the request of and via the introduction of Frank X Walker, editor of PLUCK! The Journal of Affrilachian Arts and Culture, four writers shared stories of food, land, home, race, sexuality and writing. In doing so, they illuminated the experience of being Latino in the United States and in Appalachia specifically. Read more
The following photos were taken by Alan Sims, but you may know him better by his online handle, “Knoxville Urban Guy.” He chronicles life in downtown Knoxville, everything from businesses, local characters known and unknown, pets, music and events at his blog and Facebook page. The HillVille caught up with him recently to find out what inspires him to share the city with others.
Marianne Worthington is co-founder and poetry editor of Still: The Journal, an online literary journal publishing contemporary literature of Central Appalachia and the Mountain South. She grew up in Knoxville, Tn., and now lives, teaches, and writes in Williamsburg, Ky.
By Niki King
Throughout my growing up years in Kingsport, Tenn., we made it to Knoxville pretty frequently. It was close, only an hour and a half west, and it had a bigger mall, better concerts and the state’s great fixation – University of Tennessee football. (I expect many Knoxvillians probably run the road in the opposite direction to get to the Bristol Motor Speedway; NASCAR being the region’s other great sporting obsession).
By Marianne Worthington
The Henley Street Bridge in Knoxville, Tenn.—a stunning arched connector that spans the Tennessee River and joins the downtown area with south Knoxville— is being dismantled and rebuilt. Read more
By Jason Howard
This is the third installment of our tribute to the life and work of community activist and outspoken mountain mama, Judy Bonds, who passed away a year ago this week. Here, friend and brother in the fight to end the Mountaintop Removal form of strip mining, Jason Howard, shares his memories and his thoughts on Judy’s legacy.
by David Flores
“Meeting someone like Judy is a motivating thing in life that makes you refocus your work, and I hoped, after spending the day with her, that my work would become more focused and I feel like it has,” says David Flores, a native of Louisville, Ky., and resident of New York City since 2005, who traveled on assignment as a photographer to profile activist Judy Bonds over Labor Day weekend of 2004 in her hometown of Whitesville, W.Va., and the surrounding region.
By Tonia Moxley
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – Surely two 40-plus women enjoying a glass of red wine and some Trader Joe’s cocoa truffles late on a Saturday should not giggle so loudly. But the tinkling sound of two dozen canning jars full of hot, honey-yellow lard sealing themselves sent us into paroxysms.
“Oh, there went another one. And another one! He He!”
By Niki King
The holidays can be stressful, especially if you’re having to travel far to get back home. Fortunately, there are some prime places tucked away in the mountains where the wearied traveler might find some serious respite. If you can squeeze an extra day or two into your holiday schedule, treat yourself. Stop off at one of these fine establishments for rest, good eats, drinks and merriment. You’ll feel refreshed when you show up at your families and you can go back to work after the holidays feeling like you actually had a little vacation.
by Beth Newberry
Crystal Good’s poetry readings aren’t for a lazy listener. They are a patchwork of history lessons, current-events coverage and literary word play all sewn-up with an electric and provocative performance. If you’re asleep, she’ll wake you up. If you’re sitting down, she’ll get you on your feet. If you are already standing, she’ll get your hand in the air while you’re yelling, “Amen.”
The HillVille 