It used to be that learning cursive was a right of passage for third graders. The forming of script letters was taken very seriously. As...

I recently drove by a small town courthouse located by the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Two opposing groups were protesting. No one had...

Professional gunfighter Paladin was a West Point graduate who, after the Civil War, settled into San Francisco's Hotel Carlton, where he...

Conflict is inevitable. It is simply part of life. The question is not whether conflict will happen, but how do we handle conflict when...

I recently attended a ladies’ event. The speaker talked about the importance of seeking things of eternal value. She specifically...

I recently attended a ladies’ event. The speaker talked about the importance of seeking things of eternal value. She specifically...

Pictured above: My mom, Ginny Carter, when she visited me in South Africa. First appearing in the U.S. in the 1700s and known as “slops,”...

The term “big boy” can mean a lot of different things. The big boy was covered in Big Boy sunscreen while riding his Big Boy enjoying a...

I have been making Vodka in my potato bin. I did not set out to be a moonshiner, it just happened. Maybe it is my Appalachian roots. I...

My mom, who was raised in the Appalachian hills, often used the phrase, “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” As a young girl, I...

I recently read an internet article written by an American expat living in Germany. https://www.caliglobetrotter.com/15-questions-im-aske...

Tonya Jewel Blessing www.tonyajewelblessing.com christonyablessing@gmail.com I just read an article by Peter Mead called 4 Problems with...

I found the picture above when I Googled Appalachian love stories. Because there was no story included, I decided to write my own. Ready...

It is an Appalachian tradition to eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day. A mountain folk belief claims that the beans resemble a coin and...

I recently completed a virtual book tour with Celebrate Lit. Although I was a little intimidated by the process, the experience was...

On a recent lovely fall day, I decided to visit a Denver area Barnes & Nobel bookstore. The idea was to browse through the shelves, to...

One of my favorite things in life is being an aunt. I have four nephews and four nieces. I also consider myself an aunt to their spouses...

I like big purses. I always have. I somehow feel a need to carry diverse articles with me: random receipts, a collection of pens and...

To intentionally kill a honey bee brings bad luck. (Appalachian Folk Belief) Wouldn’t it be fun to host or attend a literary event? If I...

Paying the bride price or lobola is a controversial issue in South Africa. Some believe that the tradition of paying the bride price...