Bloodroot: Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers

by Joyce Dyer (Editor)

Winner of the 1997 Appalachian Studies Award Appalachian Writers Association 1999 Book of the Year Winner of the Susan Koppleman Award of the Popular Culture Association for Best Edited Collection in Women's Studies Joyce Dyer is director of writing and associate professor of English at Hiram College, Ohio."

Genres: Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Joyce Dyer is director of the Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, and John S. Kenyon Professor of English. Dyer is the author of three books, The Awakening: A Novel of Beginnings, In a Tangled Wood: An Alzheimer’s Journey, and Gum-Dipped: A Daughter Remembers Rubber Town, and the editor of Bloodroot: Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers. She has published essays in magazines such as North American Review, cream city review, and High Plains Literary Review. Dyer has won numerous awards for her writing, including the 1998 Appalachian Book of the Year Award and the 2009 David B. Saunders Award in Creative Nonfiction.

Reviews

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the delights of reading this collection of essays is the many wonderful descriptions of the lovely landscape of the Southern Highlands of Appalachia and how the connection to the land influenced a group of diverse women writers. The book was published in 1989, and it seems that most of the authors featured in the collection are older than perhaps the most famous current Appalachian author, Barbara Kingsolver, who is not mentioned in any of the essays. Among the more well known writers are Sharyn McCrumb, Lee Smith, Nikki Giovanni and Nikki Finney.

[Mary Braden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got it from the library, and before I was done I bought myself a copy to keep. Not only are the essays wonderful to read, the bibliography and introduction for each writer makes this work a tremendous resource for people (like me) who want to understand the experience of Appalachian women beyond the humiliating stereotypes imposed by the media.

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a collection of short stories with an Appalachian setting. My bad, I suppose - instead, it was a series of essays by writers with (sometimes tenuous) links to the Appalachian region. Kind of like a school essay contest on "What Appalachia Means to Me". If you have an interest in sociology, this might be a good pick, but it just wasn't for me.

[AR · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library and then purchased it for Kindle before I ever finished the library book. I found it to be truly inspirational and informative as I work on my thesis on my own family's rural Southern roots. I marked so many pages and quotes that spoke to me and that I'll refer to over and over again.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a journal of stories my grandmother shared with me on her upbringing in Kentucky so it was exciting to read more about the area and the people. I also discovered some great new authors that I'll be adding on my to-read list.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific resource and introduction to Appalachian women writers. All of the participants have great insight into the region and its literature.

[E. Gail Chandler]

This is my favorite collection of shorts by Appalachian writers, an elegant and touching treatment of place. Each of the thirty-five selections was created with care.

[Deb Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice anthology... I discovered three new authors and poets to add to my collection.

[Rita Quillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gotta proofread better--I thought I clicked 5 stars!! Much to love about this book--