Appalachia
Related: About this forumPhotos of Appalachia, Photographer Explores Appalachian Folk Tales Through Vividly Poetic Images
- 'This photographer explores Appalachian folk tales through vividly poetic images.' From * "Yonder Wooded Hill," published by Fall Line Press, Riley Goodman. Perspective by Kenneth Dickerman, Washington Post, Dec. 21, 2022.
Theres just something about Appalachia that draws photographers and writers to it. And, to be honest, much of the work that is produced about it treats the area as some kind of zoo to be visited to gawk at its inhabitants. Poverty, snake handlers, coal miners, meth-addled trailer parks these are the revolving tropes weve been handed over the years. And the people of Appalachia have rightly felt maligned. Who would like to be treated like a freak show attraction? This is why its always a refreshing and welcomed thing to have people who are from there, raised there, give us their perspective.
In truth, this is a welcome approach from anywhere, having the people who are from there share the voices of their neighbors, co-workers and families. Photography can never provide a completely accurate representation of a place and people. But having the story or the project come from one of them adds much-needed nuance to the stories weve already been told and expands and enriches our understanding. Riley Goodmans book From Yonder Wooded Hill (Fall Line Press, 2022) falls squarely in that category.
And instead of taking us on a tour of coal miners black-smudged faces and dilapidated trailer parks, Goodmans book investigates the regions folk tales.
As he says in an afterword to the book: From my ancestral West Virginia and North Carolina to the Patapsco River Valley of Maryland where I was raised, my family conjured superstitions and stories to make sense of their world. Walking on opposite sides of a pole splits two peoples souls; its customary to pray over floodwaters, and proper etiquette in the presence of a ghost involves asking, What in the name of God do you want? Growing up, I accepted this folklore as commonplace but came to understand with age that these stories were unique to a working-class, Appalachian culture.
From Yonder Wooded Hill is quite different from a lot of the work coming out of Appalachia that Ive seen.
This is a very personal exploration of life there, intertwined with intimate knowledge of the stories its people have told themselves to help make sense of life. Its something that we all do, no matter where we are from. Weve all inherited stories and superstitions that have encircled whatever socioeconomic background we are from that have helped us plumb the depths of life. I very much appreciate Goodmans perspective and approach in this book. He gathers, and presents, archival images alongside collected ephemera and artifacts to form, as the publishers description of the book says, a narrative that rather than noting a specific period, creates an ever-occurring amalgamation of time. By establishing this crafted world, Goodman invites the viewer to question the tenets of authenticity, leaving the idea of historical truth in an undisclosed middle ground....
Fall Line Press, "From Yonder Wooded Hill," An exploration of folklore, family, and place
https://www.falllinepress.com/from-yonder-wooded-hill
- Read More, https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2022/12/21/this-photographer-explores-appalachian-folk-tales-through-vividly-poetic-images/
SheltieLover
(59,610 posts)appalachiablue
(42,908 posts)SheltieLover
(59,610 posts)😏
appalachiablue
(42,908 posts)in libraries is a bummer, maybe because it's new. Thanks for the posts!
SheltieLover
(59,610 posts)Oh, it is worth the price, I'm sure!
I did in-home mental health work in Appalacia & loved the "mountain people."
Thx for sharing!
brer cat
(26,275 posts)It's a bit out of my budget, but used ones should be available soon.
Bayard
(24,145 posts)I like that.
Looks like a good one. As it says, showing Appalachia is something besides coal smudged faces.