Patricia T.

I am a poet and writer living in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in Northern Appalachia. My poetry can be considered part of the canon of Northern Appalachian literature. I also serve on the board of an inclusive literary magazine, The Watershed Journal, which features the storytelling of our region. 

“Appalachia” is a broad, diverse region that cannot be capture in simple terms. Southern, Central, and Northern Appalachia are as different from each other as they are from other regions of the country. I try to avoid making any sweeping generalizations about the region other than to say that the mountains are always beautiful. There are three “Appalachias…” Southern, Central and Northern.  Each has, in my opinion, distinct differences. Northern Appalachia has the largest number of universities, has the “Paris of Appalachia” in its region, and although there are struggles with poverty, the impact of an extraction economy, and cultural division, I don’t think Northern Appalachia has the same challenges as the segments to the south.  In addition, I believe the connection with “Appalachia” is weaker in the north.  R. is from outside of Western PA and he never thought of the region as “Appalachia.” In my view, the two southern subsegments suffer from a prejudice with roots in the “War on Poverty—“ with stereotyping and exclusion.

 In Northern Appalachia, most people do not identify themselves as “Appalachian”— perceptions and identity tend to be aligned based on other characteristics such geography (state, rural versus urban, etc), politics, economics, race and religion.  

Because I am not convinced there is one culture in Appalachia I struggle to answer the other questions. But certainly, as we’ve seen with the furor over “Hillbilly Elegy,” outside the region there is a stereotypical view of Appalachia:” white, poor, uneducated, trapped. 

Efforts such as The Watershed Journal, Writers of Northern Appalachia (WANA), and many other initiatives I can’t possibly list here, help to challenge these perceptions. I believe in the power of the written word and its performance to combat these stereotypes.  Podcasts, readings, publications, artwork—> effectively marketed and broadly supported.

As I am primarily a nature poet, I am continually inspired by the sheer beauty of Northern Appalachia: its forests, rivers, wildlife and the people who love its wildness.