This Issue

This Issue George Brosi Our author feature centers on the career of a woman who has made a tremendous contribution to regional literature: Meredith Sue Willis. Dr. David Hardesty, a childhood friend who became a Rhodes Scholar and who is now President of West Virginia University, describes the childhood thatWillisexperienced, and KeithMaillard, the distinguished critic and novelist from West Virginia now teaching at the University of British Columbia, writes of one of her early novels. Meredith Sue Willis adds her perspective on her own development as a writer. And, what better choice for our lit-bio on Willis than Phyllis Wilson Moore, the creator of the Literary Map of West Virginia? With so much attention gathering on Mountain Top Removal coal mining these days, we are proud to present a memoir, "Strip Mining Comes to Big Creek," by Truman Fields, which provides a first-person historical perspective. Sidney Farr's regular feature of fascinating reminiscences and useful recipes rounds out this section. Our book reviews give readers a chance to learn Fred Chappell's reaction to the new book on Charles Wright's poetry and John Lang's response to the latest book of poetry by North Carolina Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer. Also Randall Wilhelm reviews Ron Rash's new novel, The World Made Straight, and Marianne Worthington considers Anne Shelby's two latest, Can a Democrat Get IntoHeaven andAppalachian Studies. These reviews are supplemented by dozens of new book writeups . This issue of Appalachian Heritage highlights the pencil, pen and watercolor work of Ohio Valley artist, Philip Van Voorst. His study of the forest floor perfectly complements Jane Sasser's poem, "Devil's Walking Cane," and "Spring Creek Elegy" by Melanie Jordan becomes even more powerful when linked with Van Voorst's visual rendering of a creekbank. The poetry also connects well with the prose here: the quandary which ends Charles Wright's poem, "Whether to take cover/or open our arms to the vast fields" permeates Neva Hamilton's short story, "Sawmill Boys." The theme of love that thrives beyond reality reverberates—though in very different ways—in both the story "Harmon Jackson" by Brittany Hampton and the poem "Her Secret Dream" by Rita Sims Quillen. The theme of unspoken—but everpresent —love can be found in both the poem "Inarticulate 1908" by Kathleen Ernst and the story "The Miner's Friend" by Jeff Kerr. Other poets for this issue are Charles Swanson, Tim Poland, Scott DuVaI, J. D. Schraffenberger and Loyal Jones. ...