Affrilachian author Crystal Wilkinson embraces Appalachian roots

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http://www.blufftonicon.com/news/2014/04/04/author-embraces-appalachian-roots
Author embraces Appalachian roots
Posted by Paula Scott on April 4, 2014 - 8:43am

Speaking to a Bluffton University audience on April 1, self-described “Affrilachian” writer Crystal Wilkinson shared her experiences of growing up black in rural Kentucky and learning to embrace her heritage.

Wilkinson came to Bluffton as guest author for the university’s 30th annual English Festival, an event that gives high school students the opportunity to read and write with working authors. Among Wilkinson’s work is “Blackberries, Blackberries,” which won the 2002 Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature.

Appalachia isn’t just Kentucky, she noted. The region is home to approximately 25 million people and consists of all or part of several states, including southeastern Ohio.

Much of the region’s black population can be traced to slavery, she said. Those who settled in the area after the Civil War and began to cultivate their own farms are the ones she considers her people. “Every black person I knew was a relative,” she said.... MORE