five more voices
~ five writers, each issue ~
generations of West Virginia creative writing
You're invited
to feel proud!
For an
intro,
click the "About"
tab
A sister site to Voices of West Virginia : Issue # 2
West Virginia is packed with wonderful storytellers and poets. It's part of who we are.
This site aims to make it easy for you to connect with a variety of West Virginians
(of all ages) who turn out high quality creative writing. Some you know, some you don't.
Each issue spotlights five more writers.
The first three issues are a trial run. If you want this to continue, get on our email list.
It's free! No spam!
The five writers in this issue
Tom Kromer
Depression-era
classic
Reece Null
young and
talented
Nora Shalaway
Carpenter
young adult lit star
Steven Dunn
powerful, shocking
... and funny
Kirk Judd
Making the case for spoken-word poetry
Click on the writer's picture to go to that writer page.
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If you enjoy this site, check out Voices of West Virginia . That site spotlights FOURTEEN of West Virginia's most celebrated WV writers. After it went online, people asked for more writers. Five More Voices was created to give you more.
Cynthia Rylant grew up in Beaver, Raleigh County, the child of a single working mother. She is one of the most beloved children's writers in the world. Many of her books, such as When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came are set in West Virginia! See Cynthia and 13 other great WV writers on Voices of West Virginia.
No matter what your age, you'll love the hour-long audio visit with Cynthia at www.voicesofwv.org. She and 13 other wonderful writers will make you feel good about being a West Virginian.
At voicesofwv.org, enjoy hour-long audio visits with 14 wonderful writers who will inspire you and make you proud! Check it out! www.voicesofwv.org.
After Tom Kromer lost his job to the Depression, he hopped a freight train to
the midwest, hoping to find work in Kansas. No jobs. He spent five desperate, hungry years living on the road, riding the rails, sleeping in doorways, doing whatever work he could find.
In stark, unsettling detail, Kromer described life on the road. The result was his acclaimed Waiting for Nothing, considered a classic account of the Depression.
West Virginia writer Breece Pancake was greatly influenced by Kromer's spare, descriptive writing style. Click on Tom's picture to go to his story and an unforgettable excerpt from Waiting for Nothing.
Charlie Bowen teaches journalism at Marshall when he isn't playing music.
Steven Dunn's resiliance, humor and creativity carried him through a chaotic upbringing in Kimball, McDowell County, where he contended with poverty, abuse, alcoholism, rascism and rats, among other things. His novel, Potted Meat, draws from that time. His second novel, Water & Power, draws from his 10 years in the Navy. A highly original combo of words, photos and drawings, Water & Power, plus Potted Meat, earned Steven the coveted Whiting Award for outstanding emerging writers nationwide.
Fayette County
native Kate Long edits five more
voices.
Nora Shalaway Carpenter grew up in rural Marshall County. She grew up to be a national award-winning writer for young adults. Focused on the problems young readers face, her novels and anthologies help readers relate to mental health and environmental issues, along with stereotypes young Appalachian teens face. Her latest novel, Fault Lines, takes place in a rural West Virginia community divided by a large fracking job.
Veteran journalist Mary Wade Burnside
Reece Null, a Senior at Huntington High School, has been writing stories since he was a small boy. His teachers praise his skill, dedication and love of writing. He has the writing chops of a much older person. We are so impressed, we have included an entire short story on his page.
Reece is the latest young West Virginia writer to be featured in five more voices. We want to feature at least one per issue. If you know a young West Virginian who writes great stuff and is passionate about writing, let us know at voicesofwestvirginia@gmail.com.
Kirk Judd has traveled all over the Appalachian area, delivering his powerful poems in spoken-word style. In this story, he explores his belief that poems are not completely poems until they are spoken out loud, from the heart, and heard by an audience of one or thousands. His thought-provoking comments will cause you to look at poetry in a new light.
Kirk and his wife Janet currently live in Morgantown. He is a co-founder of West Virginia Writers Inc. and Allegheny Echoes.
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Coming in Issue 3: Five more writers!
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