Literary

SERVING AS THE SEEDBED FOR THE APPALACHIAN LITERARY TRADITION FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.

The annual Appalachian Writers’ Workshop, along with the The Makery Online Writing Studio, our Fireside Industries imprint, and other initiatives, provide support, time, and mentoring to emerging and established writers as they seek to hone their skills and understand the connections between self and place.

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PROGRAM OFFERINGS

The annual Appalachian Writers’ Workshop is a week-long residency offering aspiring and published writers the opportunity to learn alongside one another in a supportive environment guided by the region’s unique tradition. Learn more and apply today!

In partnership with the University Press of Kentucky, Fireside Industries is a literary imprint devoted to telling authentic Appalachian stories from those who live here. The press desire to bring new attention to Appalachian classics and lift up new, diverse voices.

Troublesome Creek Writers Retreats offer a time each fall and spring  for folks to gather in community with each other, work with a respected and published facilitator, and work independently on their writing projects. Learn more and register today!

The Makery is an immersive online studio for Appalachian creatives designed to nurture your imagination in a neighborly, supportive community, offering three-week intensive courses in writing from noted Appalachian authors. Learn more and enroll today!

Ironwood Writers Studio at Hindman Settlement School is a week-long gathering of high school writers in the mountains of southeast Kentucky to explore various genres, grow their love of writing, and build a creative community of their peers. Learn more and register today!

Winter Burrow is a gathering of creative writers, artists,  musicians, community organizers, teachers, and scholars designed for the sharing of expertise and ideas across discipline and genre and to see how all our interests weave together and overlap. Learn more and register today!

Oak Ledge is a mecca for Appalachian writers looking for a retreat to pursue their craft in the footsteps of Appalachian literary giants. Learn more and book today!

Untelling, launching June 2024, is a new print publication to showcase Appalachian literature and art. Learn more and subscribe!

SUPPORT APPALACHIAN VOICES

Gifts to the Writers Scholarship Fund provides assistance to writers needing financial support who demonstrate great promise in telling diverse stories from our region. Your donation directly impacts the next generation of Appalachian authors!

ANNIE WOODFORD - ROANOKE, VA

Instilling pride and helping aspiring and established authors hone their voice is paramount to the Settlement's mission.

Where I live, my accent has always been a negative signifier of class and intelligence. I have hesitated to speak for years because I was ashamed of how I talked. The first time I came to Kentucky for a reading at Hazard Community College, I fell in love with the sound of all of those Kentucky voices and because they were not only musical, but kind, I followed through with the advice I apply to the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop. 

Hindman has given me not only practical instruction for my writing, but it has opened up within me a belief in my own cultural identity as a working class native of Southside Virginia.

Barbara Kingsolver said at Hindman that if you let the outside world take your accent, they have taken your greatest gift as a writer. Over the years, I have almost let that happen many times. The Settlement’s generosity to me will mean that I am now assured in my belief that my identity matters, it is not something to be ashamed of or, as Amy Greene so eloquently put it, “rubbed” away.