The 1997 Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Awards

The 1997 Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Awards It is always extremely difficult, but rewarding, to judge the poetry, fiction, and articles/essays in Appalachian Heritage's Denny C. Plattner Awards competition. But reading each issue from cover to cover consistently reaffirms my belief that the best writing from and about Appalachia is published in Appalachian Heritage. Last spring previous winners ofthe Plattner Awards were honored at a reception and luncheon at Boone Tavern, and it was a privilege for me to meet so many of these talented writers. The Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Awards were established in 1993 by Kenneth and Elissa May Plattner in honor of their deceased son, who had a deep appreciation ofwriters and writing. The judges for the contest this year were: Sandra Ballard, Bruce Lawson, Danny Miller, and Dorothy Schnare. The committee chose, as was the case with memorial articles honoring John Stephenson in a previous issue, to omit from the judging all ofdie memorial articles honoring Jim Wayne Miller in Issue No. 4 (Fall). We congratulate the winners of these awards for their excellence in writing. —Danny Miller, Committee Chairperson Articles/Essays Richard Sears: "The Days of Darkness"-Spring Eileen McCullough Johnson: "More Than Blarney"-Winter Vivian Watts: "Not as Sweet as Apple Dumplings . . ."-Winter Fiction Sharyn McCrumb: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"-Fall Laura Weddle: "One Man's Treasure"-Winter Agnes Scott Stevens: "Bringing Eulene Home"-Winter Poetry James Still: "Mine Is a Wide Estate" and "Aunt Carrie"-Spring Jim Minick: "The Brier's Last Days (for Jim Wayne Miller)"-Spring Billy C. Clark: "Spiders' Way," "Run Me a River," "Elegy in a Mountain Graveyard," "Hound, Horn, and Popping Wood"-Fall ...