Learned that my Appalachian short story "Bringing Home the Bacon" was taught this semester at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Not a literature class, mind you -- a computer science course to teach students how to develop video games!
I don't know about you, but the wild and varied components of this situation delight and entice me. Picture some brilliant free-thinking young person who wants to develop video games. This individual is a computer science major at the state's premiere university.
Interject my little tale about a middle-aged mountain woman who likely does not read or write, who instructs a young person on the finer points of hog butchering.
Now, blend those two things together. Modern technology meets ancient tradition. Science fiction meets mountain culture. Who woulda thunk, I ask ya?
This little story was selected and honored by the West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University for preserving traditional folklore. And in almost the same breath, was chosen to help video gaming programmers. Now THAT is a versatile tale!
When our stories were first accepted for publication in "Fed From the Blade," I whined to my dear friend Marion Kee "Your poem about Bill Withers will be taught and beloved in classrooms for generations to come, while my story will be read, grimaced over, shuddered about, then set aside and ne'er thought of again. You will go down in history!"
I may not go down in history, but hey, my story was taught in one classroom! And who knows, maybe it will inspire some bizarre video game -- although we both know that isn't going to happen.
The Universe is so clever!
I love the Universe. ~~GH
Unexpected news today! Woodland Press released the above image of its latest forthcoming publication, "Fed From the Blade," due to be released in a couple of weeks (I'm guessing). This book is special to me for several reasons.
"Fed From the Blade" contains my short story "Bringing Home the Bacon." The unnamed narrator is a crone instructing a young person on the finer aspects of, well, bringing home the bacon (in the realest sense of that phrase's meaning). I wanted to preserve a traditional procedure, and I experimented with how best to disturb the reader without being at all graphic.
I believe I succeeded wildly, in both regards.
My mentor Cat Pleska edited the book. She also designed the composition of the cover, arranged the apples, chose a special knife from her daddy's collection, and created the photograph for "Fed From the Blade."
Co-editor Michael Knost sat across a table from me not two months ago over Mexican food in the Barboursville Mall and issued a challenge for me to begin writing again. He urged me not to let the chaos in my private life rob the world of my gifts and talents. He demanded that I attend my readers.
Cat has supported me in so many ways over the past couple of years that words are inadequate. Suffice it to say that there are portions of my walk down Life's Beach where the single set of footprints belong to her and not me and I mean that in the most respectful way. I am eternally grateful, Cat.
Close to a dozen of my colleagues and friends are also involved in this wonderful anthology. My friend since first grade, Marion Kee, has her poem "On Hearing Bill Withers in the Ninth Grade" in "Fed From the Blade." I am tickled that fifty years after we first met, two of our word babies have likewise met on the pages of this book and will march hand-in-hand together throughout Time for future readers to enjoy. And if that sounds corny, well, that's how I roll tonight.
Thank you for your loyalty and love, from the bottom of my heart, and from the little girl version of me -- the one who inspires and encourages me to be who I am and to have the courage to share it with you.~~GHC
