Chrissie’s Blog
Surfside Beach
This year’s girls’ trip to Surfside Beach was more relaxed than some years have been. This was the fourth year that Becky Rangel and I have been and the third year that Kandy has been able to join us. We left on Sunday, July 28 (I’d been home from Hindman one day),...
Hindman 2024
This year’s Appalachian Writers Workshop was different for me, and somewhat difficult on some levels. I left on Friday, July 19, because I was also accepted into Marianne Worthington’s pre-workshop Poetry Workshop, which took place on Saturday, July 20 and Sunday,...
Michigan – Chicago Trip
On June 24, Russ and I set out for our second-annual Michigan-Chicago trip. The trip up vexed me – at the last minute, Russ decided to go up through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, instead of my family’s traditional trip up the West Virginia Turnpike. I’ve never traveled...
Anniversary
June 19 marked the one-year anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery. It’s hard to believe it has been a year. It all just seems like a natural part of my life now. Well, for the most part. I do miss a few things – fried chicken, carbonated drinks, an occasional...
Highlands Summer Conference
Imagine a week of hanging out at a nature conservancy with about a dozen other people, deeply immersed in daily lectures, lessons, and writings about all things Appalachia. Your evenings are filled with readings and old-time music. You share an indoor, air-conditioned...
Mountain Heritage Lit Festival
The 18th annual Mountain Heritage Lit Festival took place at Lincoln Memorial University Friday, June 21-Saturday, June 22. Numerous sessions were offered by a talented staff of writers this year, covering general fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as...