A reading from Waters Run Wild: a novel of the WV Coal Mine Wars by the author

As the child, grandchild, and niece of coal miners, with uncles involved in national leadership with the UMWA, and having been raised in the home of the coal mine wars, I believe my perspective and reading from my published historical fiction novel about coal-mine-war era culture, Waters Run Wild: a novel of the WV Coal Mine Wars, (Sweetgum Press 2010, 2nd Edition with New Materials 2018) offers an experiential and researched expertise and authenticity to the creative expression of Appalachian identity and history in the coalfields. Ann Pancake, author of Strange as this Weather Has Been, blurbed the book, saying I have, “one of the sharpest ears and deftest hands at re-creating Appalachian dialect I’ve ever seen.” As someone who actively uses the dialect about which I write creatively, (although curtailed in formal presentations for purposes of clarity) I believe my reading would spark an important conversation at the ASA conference about self-definition and regional dialect, offering a unique and necessary perspective on history from within the coalfield working class itself rather than from outside. My reading would contribute to attendees’ appreciation and exploration of working-class culture, language, and history in Appalachia, which most Appalachian literature describes. It’s democratic for those of working-class background turned scholar to represent themselves. My reading as an author from that culture and history celebrates and fulfills the scholarly mission the ASA describes. The novel is innovative as it may be one of the first professionally published books about the battle of Blair Mountain written by an actual Logan County, West Virginia (Buffalo Creek) native