by Ron Rash
First published 2016
Ron Rash turns his lens on the men and women of Appalachia, chronicling their daily struggles in cotton mills and tobacco fields, on farmlands carved from ancient forests. These people know misfortune intimately. Hard times shape their days. Yet they persist with remarkable fortitude and resilience. Their communities bind them together through shared rituals and traditions that stretch back generations. Rash writes in precise language that moves from stark reality to moments of unexpected beauty. He describes the natural landscape that sustains these lives while rendering the individuals who depend on its bounty. The memories and histories of Appalachian people animate this land. Their sorrows and celebrations emerge through crystalline verse that captures surprising details. Rash knows this world intimately, having spent years observing its rhythms. His poems illuminate a region often misunderstood, revealing both the splendor of the mountains and the fierce sense of community that defines its inhabitants.
Genres: 20th-century, american, poetry, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical
Tropes: slice-of-life
Setting: Appalachia
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
197 pages · Kindle Edition · Ecco