The 1998 Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Awards

The 1998 Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Awards This is the third year that I have chaired the committee selecting the Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage award winners, and each year I have become more aware of the excellence of the writing about Appalachia that is published in this magazine and the importance ofAppalachian Heritage to the region. Richard B. Drake assesses the impact ofAppalachian Heritage on the region in an essay in this current volume: "Unlike other Appalachian journals, Berea's Appalachian Heritage has solicited reviews and articles that have often gone contrary to the prevailing fads of scholarship that have dominated historical and social science over the past several decades. During her editorship, Sidney Farr has guided Appalachian Heritage to a unique and wide-ranging regional role." The Denny C. Plattner Awards were established in 1993 by Kenneth and Elissa May Plattner in honor of their deceased son, who had a deep appreciation (as do his parents) of writers and writing. The Plattners are grateful to be associated with the best and brightest new-and established-writers of the Appalachian region. The judges for the contest this year were: Sandra Ballard, Bruce Lawson, Danny Miller, Steve Mooney, and Dorothy Schnare. Ours was a difficult but rewarding job. In the memory of Denny C. Plattner, we congratulate the winners of these awards for their excellence in writing. We would also like to acknowledge the beautiful photography in all the issues (including the photo story by Randy Ball "Looking for Signs"). -Danny Miller, Committee Chairperson Articles/Essays Michael McFee: "Back Home"-Spring Richard B. Drake: "Berea's Appalachian Commitment"-Summer Bill Best: "Heirloom Tomatoes"-Fall Fiction Karin Vingle: "Missing Millie"-Spring Silas Dwane House: "An Unsent Letter"-Winter Richard Sears: "A Quarter's Worth of Dusf'-Winter Poetry Mary Jo Thomas: "Partial Paralysis"-Summer Rebecca Bailey: "How I Find the Sun"-Winter Walter Lane: "Attitude Adjustment"-Fall ...