Product Review

The stories, poems, and essays gathered in Cornbread Nation 3: Foods of the Mountain South were born along the winding roads of Appalachia, in the vales of the Ozarks, and in the flatlands beyond, where mountain people traveled in the hillbilly diaspora. Here, wisdom is gleaned in coal-mining camps, at roadside vegetable stands, at dinners on church grounds, and on shady front porches. In these tantalizing pieces, leather britches are set to dry in a classic rite, the sweetness of corn approaches the divine, a bean without strings brooks no flavor, and the arrival of autumn brings the heady scent of the ripe and secretive pawpaw. The volume's contributors include trailblazing writers from the past and present--Tony Earley, Michael McFee, Marilou Awiakta, Frank X Walker, and Harriette Arnow--who demonstrate the power of connectedness among families and neighbors and remind us that earth's greatest treasures grow from well-tended seeds. As a special bonus, this edition of the Southern Foodways Alliance annual anthology contains lyrics to the Cornbread Nation anthem by acclaimed West Virginia singer/songwriter Tim O'Brien.