In a special episode of Read Appalachia, Amy Le Ann Richardson and Andrew Preston give listeners a preview of the Appalachian Literary Arts Festival. A special thank you to Gwenda Bond, Bernard Clay, Mandi Fugate Sheffel, and Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr for their selective readings. Another thank you to Doug Van Gundy for our theme music for this episode. Things Mentioned Appalachian Literary Arts FestivalBooks Mentioned The Stone Catchers by Laura Leigh MorrisA Middle-Aged Woman Rages by Melissa Jørgenrud HeltonAn Octopus Named Houdini by Zana Fraillon, Illustrated by Corinna LuykenGuest Info Amy Le Ann Richardson earned a Bachelor’s in English from Morehead State University (‘07) and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University (‘09). She is the author of two poetry chapbooks: Make Believe Worlds We Built Together (Bottlecap Press, 2023) and Who You Grow Into (Finishing Line Press, 2024), as well as a full collection, Out of Places (Pine Row Press, 2025). Her work has been featured in journals such as Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Untelling, Kentucky Monthly, and Still: the Journal. She currently lives and works on her family farm in Carter County, Kentucky, where she writes, grows food, and engages with the community through both art and environmental advocacy. Website | Facebook | Instagram A.p. Harbor is the pen name / band name of Andrew Preston, writer and producer from Van Lear, Kentucky. He is the author of The Hum of a Dreaming Moon, a full-length, illustrated collection of lyrics and poetry. Preston has been a featured songwriter by the International Bluegrass Music Association, lecture faculty at the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, and nominee for the 2020 Audioverse Awards. His lyrics and poetry have been published in Untelling Magazine and Discarded, a rural anthology. With works spanning eight albums and hundreds of performances across North America, Asia, and Europe, Preston and his bandmates have become mainstays of Appalachia’s burgeoning indie scene. In his other life, he sells books and coffee at The Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop and CoffeeTree Books in Morehead, Kentucky, where he lives with his husband and two cats. Website | Instagram Theme Music: “Quincy Dillon’s High ‘D’ Tune,” trad. Performed by Doug Van Gundy. 2026” Show Your Love for Read Appalachia! You can support Read Appalachia by heading over to our merch store, tipping us over on Ko-fi, or by sharing the podcast with a friend! For more ways to support the show, head over to our Support page. Follow Read Appalachia Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok Contact For feedback or to just say “hi,” you can reach us at readappalachia[at]gmail.com Music by Olexy from Pixabay
