Best known as the author of the acclaimed novel River of Earth (1940), Alabama
native and adopted Kentuckian James Still remains one of the most critically
important writers of Appalachian literature. The University Press of Kentucky
has long been the publisher of his work, beginning in 1980 with the reissue of
River of Earth and the publication of his final story collection, The Run for the
Elbertas. The Press also played a key role in the final flourishing of Still's career
in the 1980s and 90s, when he published several works, ranging from children's
books to a collection of folktales, and became the acknowledged "Dean of
Appalachian Literature." In 2001, just after Still's death, the Press issued From the
Mountain, From the Valley: New and Collected Poems, edited by Ted Olson, which
was met with critical acclaim and strong sales.
Now, Ted Olson proposes to collect Still's short stories, including those from the
three major collections, On Troublesome Creek (1941), Pattern of a Man and Other
Stories (1976), and The Run for the Elbertas (1980), as well as uncollected and littleknown
works. Although Still was recognized as an important short story writer
in his day-many stories initially appeared in such publications as The Atlantic
and The Saturday Evening Post and were included in Best American Short Stories
and O Henry Prize collections-the stories have been overshadowed by Still's
better-known work. Olson's proposed introduction will offer a complete
reassessment of the stories, placing them in the context of Appalachian literature,
Still's own body of work, and the work of other notable short stories writers of
the period.
The Collected Stories of James Still is an essential addition to UPK's list in
Appalachian studies and regional literature and will spark renewed interest in
the fiction of this beloved Kentucky writer.
Ted Olson is associate professor of Appalachian Studies and English at East
Tennessee Sate University. He is the editor of From the Mountain, From the Valley:
New and Collected Poems of James Still (UPK), and coeditor of James Still: Critical
Essays on the Dean of Appalachian Literature (McFarland) and The Bristol Sessions:
Writings about the Big Bang of Country Music (McFarland).
