"Now, Appalachia"

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot profiles publisher Loblolly Press with poet and founder Andrew Mack. Loblolly Press champions underrepresented Appalachian and Southern stories by empower emerging writers. Andrew is also the author of the poetry chapbook BEASTS OF CHASE which is a haunting chapbook that explores the intersection between nature and humanity, survival and violence. He...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Kelly Mustian about her new novel THE RIVER KNOWS YOUR NAME. Kelly Mustian is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girls in the Stilt House and The River Knows Your Name. She is the recipient of the Mississippi Library Association's 2023 Author Award for Fiction, and The Girls in the Stilt House was shortlisted for the 2022 C...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Michael Cody about his new thriller STREETS OF NASHVILLE. Michael Cody was born in the South Carolina Lowcountry and raised in the North Carolina highlands. He spent his twenties writing songs in Nashville and his thirties in school. He's the author of the novel Gabriel's Songbook (Pisgah Press) and short fiction that has ap...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Wes Browne about his new novel THEY ALL FALL THE SAME. Wes has lived and practiced law as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, and public defender in Appalachian Kentucky for over twenty-four years. He also helps run his family’s pizza shops.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Allison Gunn about her new gothic thriller NOWHERE. Allison Gunn is a professional researcher, writer, and podcaster with a penchant for all things whimsical and strange. An alum of the University of Maryland, she has extensively studied marginalized communities as well as Appalachian folklore and the occult. She currently resides i...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Karen McElmurray about her new essay collection I COULD NAME GOD IN TWELVE WAYS. is the author of  Wanting Radiance: A Novel . Her memoir  Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey  is a National Book Critics Circle Notable Book and winner of the AWP Award Series for Creative Nonfiction. She has received numerous awards, inclu...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Jackie Flaum about her new novel THE PRICE OF A FUTURE. Avid water aerobics swimmer, amateur jewelry-maker, and mystery writer Jackie Ross Flaum began as a reporter for The Hartford Courant in Hartford, Conn. After moving to Memphis and abandoning reality for fiction, she won first place for romantic suspense in the 21st annual Duel...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews historian Nigel Hamilton about his latest book: LINCOLN VS. DAVIS: THE WAR OF THE PRESIDENTS. Historian Nigel Hamilton is a  New York Times  best-selling biographer of General Bernard “Monty” Montgomery, President John F. Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, among other subjects. He has won multiple awa...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Jessica Strawser about her latest thriller CATCH YOU LATER. Jessica Strawser is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker, The Next Thing You Know, A Million Reasons Why, Forget You Know Me, Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month selection), and Almost Missed You. She was editorial director at Writer’s Digest for ne...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Sharon Short about her latest thriller TROUBLE ISLAND. Sharon Short is the author of sixteen published books. Her newest, Trouble Island, is historical suspense and will be published by Minotaur Books on December 3, 2024. As Jess Montgomery, she writes the historical Kinship Mysteries set in the 1920s and inspired by Ohio’s true fir...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Susan Williams about her new book "Unresolved Lives: Seven Stories of Mayhem Including the Mad Butcher, Sodder Children, and Cabin 13." Susan is a native of Fayette County West Virginia and a former police and courts reporter for The Charleston Gazette.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews authors Wendy Atkins-Sayre and Ashli Quesinberry Stokes about their new book HUNGRY ROOTS: HOW FOOD COMMUNICATES APPALACHIA'S SEARCH FOR RESILIENCE. Ashli Quesinberry Stokes is professor of communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Wendy Atkins-Sayre is professor and chair of the Department of Communication &a...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Laura Leigh Morris about her new novel THE STONE CATCHERS. Laura is the author of Jaws of Life: Stories and has previously been published in the Notre Dame Review, the Louisville Review, Pithead Chapel, Laurel Review, and other literary journals. She teaches creative writing and literature at Furman University and lives in Greenvill...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Rick Childers about his debut novel TURKEYFOOT. Rick is a writer from Estill County, Kentucky. He also serves as Berea College's Appalachian Male Advocate and Mentor.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Wes Blake about his new book PINEVILLE TRACE. Wes Blake’s novella-in-flash, Pineville Trace, won the Etchings Press Book Prize and will be published in September 2024 by Etchings Press (at the University of Indianapolis). Lee Martin, author of Pulitzer Prize Finalist The Bright Forever, described him as "a writer to watch". His fict...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Andrew K. Clark about his new novel WHERE DARK THINGS GROW. Andrew K. Clark is a writer from Western North Carolina where his people settled before the Revolutionary War. His poetry collection, Jesus in the Trailer was published by Main Street Rag Press and shortlisted for the Able Muse Book Award. His debut novel, Where Dark Things...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews historian and author Frank Garmon, Jr. about his latest book A WONDERFUL CAREER IN CRIME: CHARLES COWLAM'S MASQUERADES IN THE CIVIL WAR ERA & GILDED AGE. Frank is an assistant professor of American studies at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Nick Gardner about his new collection of linked stories titled DELINQUENTS. Nick Gardner is a writer, teacher, and recovering addict. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University in 2017 and an MFA in fiction writing from Bowling Green State University in 2021. His poetry and fiction has appeared or is f...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Heather Day Gilbert about her new psychological mystery QUEEN OF HEARTS. Heather Day Gilbert, an RWA Daphne du Maurier Award winner and 2-time ECPA Christy Award finalist, enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with unpredictable twists, much like the Agatha Christie books she read growing up. She also writes Viking historicals. Her...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author and educator Josh Eyler about his new book FAILING OUR FUTURE: HOW GRADES HARM STUDENTS, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. Josh is the director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and a clinical assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Mississippi. He is the author of How Humans Learn: The Science a...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Henry Wise about his debut crime noir thriller HOLY CITY. Henry is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Mississippi MFA Program. His work has appeared in  Shenandoah, Nixes Mate, Radar Poetry, Clackamas , and elsewhere. He lives in western Virginia.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author and journalist Dan Klefstad about his latest book DIY BOOK PROMO: HOW TO FIND READERS WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY. Dan is a longtime radio host and newscaster. His latest book helps his fellow authors find readers without spending money. It’s based on lessons from the campaign for his novel, Fiona’s Guardians, plus his broadcasting caree...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Jake Maynard about his debut novel SLIME LINE. Jake Maynard is a writer from rural Pennsylvania whose stories and essays appear in  Guernica ,  Southern Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Electric Lit, The New Republic, The New York Times , and others. His experiences working in the commercial fishing industry inspired his debut novel...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Bobi Conn about her new novel SOMEPLACE LIKE HOME. Bobi Conn is the author of  A Woman in Time  and the memoir  In the Shadow of the Valley . Born in Morehead, Kentucky, and raised in a nearby holler, Bobi developed a deep connection with the land and her Appalachian roots. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at Berea College, the fi...

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Russell W. Johnson about his latest novel THE MOUNTAIN MYSTIC. Russell is a fiction writer and North Carolina attorney. His debut story, "Chung Ling Soo's Greatest Trick," was published by ​Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in January 2015 and won the Edgar Award's Robert L. Fish Memorial prize for best short story by...