Salt stubbornly clung to the air, even through the flames. Its pungency folded into smoke, filling frayed edges of my memory. Amongst brackish clouds of rubble whipping around me, a metal tang lurked, ambushing my tongue. Sweat climbed my back warily, as if even it feared the ominous column of heat. The farm house GrandpopContinue reading “Lariat by Rohan Mahapatra | Honorable Mention 2025 Rural Teen Writing Contest”
Tag Archives: fiction
The Last Well-Reader by Lleyton Michael Kane | Runner-Up 2025 Rural Teen Writing Contest
By the second week without rain, the ground had begun to show its seams. Hairline cracks at first, then wider ones that caught the edges of boot soles and held them a moment too long. Livestock gathered at the troughs earlier each morning, standing with the uneasy patience of creatures that know more than theContinue reading “The Last Well-Reader by Lleyton Michael Kane | Runner-Up 2025 Rural Teen Writing Contest”
soul river, bone dry by Maxwell Harris | Winner 2025 Rural Teen Writing Contest
it isn’t supposed to be so hot this far into september, but still i stand outside the neighborhood grocery, my hands too full of swollen paper bags to wipe at the oil-sweat-dirt compound smeared across my forehead. instead my glands soak through my soles and into the asphalt underfoot, and i return a part ofContinue reading “soul river, bone dry by Maxwell Harris | Winner 2025 Rural Teen Writing Contest”
Rachel Bird by Becky Citra | Author Talk
Today’s episode is brought to you by…the snow day! It’s been another long while since I posted an episode of my podcast. Being back in the secondary classroom has left me still trying to find my groove. But! Today’s snow day seemed like the perfect opportunity to edit and post another episode. Thanks, Snow! ItContinue reading “Rachel Bird by Becky Citra | Author Talk”
Book Review: NO SON OF MINE by Jonathan Corcoran | Kathleen M. Jacobs
Thanks to Kathy Jacobs for bringing No Son of Mine by Jonathan Corcoran to my attention and for her review which highlights the struggle of rural folks who at once love their place while also seeing its flaws and sometimes being othered by it.
The Precipitation that Earned My Appreciation by Genevieve Frander | Honorable Mention 2024 Rural Teen Writing Contest
My eyes drifted open to see that the early morning’s light had already seeped through my flimsy, beige curtains. Sleep still smothering my senses like a thick cloud of fog, I reluctantly heaved my body out of bed. Suddenly, I stopped dead in my tracks, any remnants of sleep evaporating in an instant. I breathedContinue reading “The Precipitation that Earned My Appreciation by Genevieve Frander | Honorable Mention 2024 Rural Teen Writing Contest”
Announcing the 2024 Winners of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature
This is the fourth cycle of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature, and it has been an eventful one. The Award has recently moved to be housed by The Rural Assembly on English Language and Literacy Education (TRAELLE, pronounced “trail”). TRAELLE is an assembly of educators through the National CouncilContinue reading “Announcing the 2024 Winners of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature”
TRAELLE & WHIPPOORWILL TO JOIN FORCES
If you’ve been following along on this little journey of mine, you likely already know that I (with the help of Rebekah Buchanan and other amazing colleagues) started The Rural Assembly of English Language and Literacy Education through the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) as a home for rural ELA teachers and teacherContinue reading “TRAELLE & WHIPPOORWILL TO JOIN FORCES”
Read Appalachia Collaboration | June 2024 Book Recommendations
Happy summer and happy Pride Month! Love is love is love is love. No matter who you love and no matter where you love. This month, in honor of love in all its beautiful forms, I’m recommending books for young people that depict and honor the identities of queer rural/Appalachians. I’m really passionate about thisContinue reading “Read Appalachia Collaboration | June 2024 Book Recommendations”
Dr. Parton's Literacy In Place 