Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia

by Laura Long (Editor), Doug Van Gundy (Editor)

The sixty-three fiction writers and poets within this anthology delve deep into the many senses of place that modern West Virginia, the core of Appalachia, inspires.
Throughout this collection, we see profound wonder, questioning, and conflicts involving family, sexual identity, class, discrimination, environmental beauty, and peril, and all the sorts of rebellion, error, contemplation, and contentment that an intrepid soul can devise. These stories and poems, all published within the last fifteen years, are grounded in what it means to live in and identify with a complex place.
With a mix of established writers like Jayne Anne Phillips, Norman Jordan, Ann Pancake, Maggie Anderson, and Denise Giardina and fresh voices like Matthew Neill Null, Ida Stewart, Rajia Hassib, and Scott McClanahan, this collection breaks open new visions of all-American landscapes of the heart. By turns rowdy and contemplative, hilarious and bleak, and lyrical and gritty, it is a collage of extraordinary literary visions.
 

Genres: Short Stories, Poetry, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2017

About the author

Laura Long edited 'Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia. Her other books are a novel 'Out of Peel Tree,' , & two poetry collections, 'Imagine a Door,' & 'The Eye of Caroline Herschel.' She was born & raised in West Virginia, lived in Austin, Houston, & Marfa, Texas, and now near Charlottesville, Virginia. She teaches at Lynchburg College.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A month or two ago I was at the library. I turned the corner to a new stretch of shelves and saw this book waiting for me at the end of a shelf: not a book I was familiar with, but one of those serendipitous finds. The book itself is exactly what it claims - short stories and poems by West Virginian writers.

The effect is a delightful kaleidoscope. It joins the voices of women and men, natives of the state and transplants, young and old - all to tell the story of this one place they have in common. I haven't spent much time at all in West Virginia, maybe a backpacking trip or two, but I have a better sense now of its spirit. I also heard echoes from my own childhood in rural Wisconsin and from the state I now call home.

Like any anthology, I didn't love every piece, but - there was also something about this book that I can't quite put my finger on, something that is just so strikingly lovely and hopeful. The best writing invites you into another life, I think; it asks you to walk alongside it for a time and let it speak without interrupting. This collection does that so well.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology made me homesick in the best way possible. I've been picking at it off and on since February, but this last week I blazed through the majority without being able to stop. Seems fitting that I finished on the anniversary of West Virginia's birth.

Not every piece in here is great, but most are. And some are truly, really brilliant.

PS: I know a good number of the folks whose work appears. What a lovely reunion.

[Libby Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not you, it's me. Maaaan I hate to give it such a mid review, feels like a betrayal to my home, but this just ain't it for me. I know short stories are not my jam. Most of them don't have a point? Don't get me wrong, most of the writing was superb, top tier, *chef's kiss,* but there are just.so.many.words.crammed.in.this.book. With highly literary short stories each word is carefully selected, each story so delicately crafted, it feels SO heavy and serious. Reading it weighs you down. By the end I was dreading opening the book. Probably would have enjoyed it more if I could have slowed down to read it, but I was on a time crunch to finish for book club. The stories by themselves are great, but one after the other 305 pages? Too much. And the poetry. Oy vey. What are you even saying, bro.

That said, my favorites were:
-August, WV
-A jar of rain
-The pale light of sunset
-Blackberries
-Mercy
-Bear country blues

So really, it's me, not the book. It's really good if you like short stories and poetry.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The structure of this book flowed well and most of its short stories I found great. I couldn't find myself that interested in any of the poetry selections, though. I think the stories related here really broadcasted the soul of most West Virginians, and brought to light its almost secluded-like nature from the rest of the U.S. It felt honest. It represented a good number of marginalized authors (LGBT, POC, disability) and thought this exceptionally important to show readers that West Virginia is more complex than some "rednecks" and conservatism.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poignant, thought provoking, serious, awe inspiring. All word that can describe this collection. Filled with great pieces that paint a beautiful picture of West Virginian life. My only issue is what I have with all collections: I personally get overwhelmed reading them with all the different styles and themes. If you want to know West Virginia this is a good place to start.

[Melissa Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection. The pieces are unapologetic in their embrace of the culture and region and that gives a strong sense that these weren't written for outsider, not written to congeal a sense of insiders, but just written as good stories and poems that are using the raw materials of the region. The writing comes out of the region, and are not written to try to summarize or represent it.

[Alyssa Rainville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this collection makes me feel like I'm back where I grew up, in the best way. All at once capturing the sweetness and the agony of nostalgia.

[Trevor · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who has spent their entire life in West Virginia, I found the bulk of the entries to be unrelatable. The poetry was better than the stories.