Appalachia: Fact vs. myth
Author Leslie Worthington leads Houston Museum discussion on Saturday
We live on the edge of Appalachia, yet how much do we really know about that region’s people and culture?
On Saturday, Sept. 9, hear author Leslie Harper Worthington distinguish between fact and what is stereotypical depiction of Appalachia. She will give a free talk at the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St., from 1 to 4 p.m referencing her new book, “Seeking Home.”
In “Seeking Home,” editors Worthington and Jürgen E. Grandt turn stereotype upside down by showcasing Appalachia’s ethnic diversity through a lively collection of essays, poetry, letters and songs.
“Appalachian people are frequently depicted as poorly educated whites who isolate themselves in mountain hollows,” said Worthington, whose family is Appalachian but left the region before she was born. “So I have felt some displacement. That’s what my essay in the collection ‘Seeking Home’ is about. I studied the literature of the area for my Ph.D.”
Worthington is Dean of Academic Programs and Services at Gadsden State Community College in Alabama. Grandt is an associate professor of English at the University of North Georgia.
“‘Seeking Home’ confirms that just as there are many Souths, there are also many Appalachias. The region is multifaceted, multicultural and all we have to do is be willing to examine the variety,” says Worthington.
She is the author of “Cormac McCarthy and the Ghost of Huck Finn,” “Shaping Words to Fit the Soul: The Southern Ritual Grounds of Afro-Modernism” and “Kinds of Blue: The Jazz Aesthetic in African American Narrative.”
Houston Museum will close to the public during her presentation. To reserve a seat: 423267-7176.