Intervals and then there will be 15 minutes for all of you to ask any questions that you may have of them. The first panelist is dr. Thomas g. Burton, he is a Professor Emeritus of english at east Tennessee State university. He has produced three documentaries on sir spent handling and is the author of serpent handling believers, the serpent and the spirit, and Beach Mountain man, the memoirs of rhonda helix, his most recent book, voices worth the listening, three women of appalachia, is out now from Mercury University press. Please join me in welcoming tornado thomas burt dr. Thomas burton. The next person i would like to introduce is sarah smarsh. She is a kansasbased journalist who has reported for the New York Times, the guardian and other approximations. Per book pout working hard and being broke in the richest country on earth, very relatable title, let me tell you, what finalist for the National Book award, 2018 Research Fellow at Harvard Universitys center on media politics and public policy, sarah smarsh is a frequent speaker and commentator on economic inequality. Her most recent book, she come by it natural, dolly parton and he women who lived her song, is out now from simon schuster. The last person that i would like to introduce is Wayne Winkler. Wayne winkler is a descendent of can from Hancock County, tennessee, very near where im from, and past president of the heritage association. He he director of the public Radio Station wets fm and lives in johnson city, tennessee. His most recent book, beyond the sunset, the outdoor drama, 1969 to 1976, is out now. Please join me in welcoming all of our panelist and i believe first up we will hear from dr. Burton. Thank you very much. Its pleasure to be part of the festival this year and he an opportunity to introduce you to this book, voices worth listening, three women of appalachia. Published by the university of tennessee press. This book as the title suggests is the presentation ol the lives of three women of appalachia. Two white women, one black. One important feature of the become is that the lives are told by the women themselves in their own voices. Of interviews. The interviews are blended and crafted from their free speech to form unified and progressive monologues the monologues attempt to retain the integrity of each persons speech and voice. They the attempt also as much as possible to recreate and print the experience personally talking or listening to these people. Certain dedays are alter details are altered and thats in accordance with their wishes, so that they remain anonymous. In a way, these women are presented somewhat like characters in a play. Characters who speak directly to their audience, in their own language, without interruption and without detailed an analytical interpretation. An lick cat enter analytical interpretation of people or regions can be insightful and helpful, yet on the other hand they can overstate a single critical perception or they can restrict at best other perspectives. A literary case in point is the statement by the remarkable old vick actor and director sir Lawrence Olivier at the beginning of his film holiday pamlet. He say says is the tragedy of a man who cannot make up his mind. The statement does provide dramatic focus for the filmbut it is nevertheless a very restrictive commentary of one the most worlds most complex, dramatic person. Hamlet is of course a great deal more than a man who cannot make up his mind. The same point of overemphasis and restriction is relative to critical analysises of appalachians and of appalachia. However, to repeat, this book instead of being a critical analysis is a presentation of the lives of these the voices of these women themselves. And you the readers have the opportunity to respond to them in your own emotional and intellectual insights and as the title suggests the voices of these women are certainly worth listening. Furthermore, their voice are worth the listening for several reasons. If for no other reason they are worth listening to because they are the voices of really interesting, very complex human beings whose lives have been lived off the beaten path. Listening eii. Theyre people you dont meet every day or if you did meet them you couldnt guess the roads they have traveled. For me personally, when i heard the stories of the lives of these three women, i was really blown away. I could hardly believe what i was hearing. But they were true nevertheless. They were forthright, deeply personal revelations of real people, real human beings, struggling with amazing endurance against tremendous odds. Certainly some of those odds are their own making. Some of them, however, are odds over which they have had little or no control. But unfortunately for them, in the language of shakespeare, when sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions. Let me list for you just some of the sea of troubles they collectively confront. For example, various criminal circumstances which include homicide, insult, assault, and battery, theft, rape, attempted murder, drug addiction, felonies and imprisonment. Domestic problems. Parental dysfunction. Childhood pregnancy, loss of child custody. And multiple dysfunctional intimate relationships including physical and mental spousal abuse. Social problems. Childhood bullying and racial discrimination, and gender discrimination. Economic instability. Either starting from poverty or ending in poverty. Homelessness, joblessness, and insufficient Financial Support by family, friends, and our government. Besides all these slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, they have to bear arms against personal demons as well. Low selfesteem, irresponsibility, naivete, bizarre sexual involvement, despondency and dispair, leading even to attempted suicide. Its almost incredible the whips and thorns these women bear and with great fortitude. Certainly these women are not unique in their struggles. In fact, they are in part representative of a whole category of women across appalachia as well as across america. A whole sector of women who, like them, struggle greatly in lives off the beaten path. As the cover design of this book attempts to image, they exist across appalachia like a seam we have seen as we have driven through a cut in a mountain pass. These women are in part representatives but they are not simply stereotypes, not of hillbillies, coalminer are daughter, not of unemployed workers on welfare. They are not simply stereotypes of any group of southern appalachians or sometimes of any sector of appalachia. And i would be quick to add that any attempt to definitively label types or to define the essence of any group or sector of appalachia is very as complex as they both are, is a fools game. And in particular to this book, anyone attempting to define the essence of these women would be subject to reprove by each woman in the sentiment of hamlet, how unworthy a thing you make of me. You would pluck out the heart of my mystery. Even though these women are not simply sometimes of appalachians they are part of the diversity of appalachia. And to understand appalachia, one needs to listen to the diverse individuals of appalachia, and theres much music, much excellent voice, in the people of appalachia and certainly in the voices of the women presented in this book. I would like now to take the opportunity to read an abstract from the first novel, which is entitled some would call hear good old girl. Im not perfect. No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. And i did a lot of things. There were times i was forced by my husband to have relationships with women along with him. And all that sort of thing. Sometimes wed bring home men, would have to, it was for him, not me. Its not fun when youre forced to do it. I would go interest the bathroom and cry. No one would believe the times ive ran out of the room just ball bawling my eyes out. I hated it. It was awful. I hated doing it because of diseases and stuff out there. I just dont think the lord that i just thank the lord i never got anything. That scared me to death. Ive kind of blocked out that part. I get so drunk i would have to go get so drunk, i mean plastered, to do that. So a lot of time its dont remember what happened or went on. But i was going to pretend. He just threatened me. If you dont do this youre going to regret it when you get home. It just hurts to see someone who truly love, make love with someone else. Why would they want to do if they truly loved you . You should be happy in your marriage. You shouldnt be sad. But i was sad. Very sad. And there were lots of things, sexualized, that were just literally its almost disgusting to discuss or talk about some of the things. It turns your stomach. And he forced me to do other weird things, like he would hold me down and take razor blades and cut himself and cut myself, and we would have to each each others blood. Yeah, it was crazy. And if i even brought up the thought of leaving him at that point, he would then to kill himself. It was horrible. When you care and love with somebody, you just dont like doing that stuff. It turned him on issue guess. I dont think it was fun and games. Its just that is what he wanted. Its his sex drive or whatever, and thats what he enjoys doing. Later on i came to find out, when he was traveling on the road, and i was sending him money to survive, because hoe said there werent d he said they werent making enough money to eat and stuff, that actually he was taking the money i was sending him for prostitutes, drugs, or whatever. And i was working two jobs. When you are in an abusive relationship, some people think you can just walk out of it but you cant. You see these tv shows and they say, if youre being abused or neglect, call this number and well help you. Its just not that simple. Especially if you love that person. Or if you care for that person and want to be there and help them. Its really hard to walk away from somebody. Its also hard to explain. Im a caring person. I try to care. And you dont want to do anything to hurt a person you really care but. Even though theyre hurting you. Even. I you give them leeway to straighten up and they wont. Its hard. That was the situation during the open marriage pretty much the rest of our being together. So off and on, for ten years of the 13 years married, but all that stuff wasnt constant. It was just every once in a while. Although i would have to say, no, a lot, and then he would get really mad. I just couldnt handle it. Im just not that kind of person. Thank you. Temperature thank you so much dr. Burton. Up next we have sarah smarsh and she is going to be sharing some of her work. Hi, everyone. Im so happy to be joining the southern book festival. Wish we are were install personment on this particular panel in case anybody is scratching their havents why a journalist from kansas is joining the discourse, i have written book put one of the most famous voices of appalachia, being dolly part to be and ill get to that question. First i want to say in case anyone joining read my first book heartland which is a hybrid of social critique and a bet of u. S. History on socioeconomic class, you might remember my grandmother, betty, who is the star of the book, im in her house right now in this working class neighborhood of wichita, and like right next door some good kansas home owners are reroofing their own house so if you hear a nail gun going off, it may be appropriate for my presentation because i tend to write about the working class and the work core of this country. My new become she come by it natural and thewoman who lived her song is from simon and shoes at simon schuster. Comes out officially on tuesday, and im excited to tell you a little bit about it. I mentioned my first book heartland. That if is that is in many ways obvious integration of the workbeen doing a journalist with my personal advantage as someone who grew up on a small wheat farm in southern kansas. A book about dolly parton you might ask why . And why would this be the followup. I think he most way to introduce the text is to give you a little context. Im not a celebrity writer. Dont cover Popular Culture so to speak. I write lawsuit class, and race, and ginger, and so on, and in 2016, you might remember that was an election year, that had some repercussions in at the country and quite a contentious time. A dawn of this polarized political moment were experiencing, and when every headline i saw about the place i come from, if you want to speak in general terms, my people, white for folks, every headline was, quite negative, and quite bleak, seemed to be about hate, bigotry, an aspect of that population, demographic that is certainly present but i happened to know as someone who has been very fortunate in my life as a First Generation College student who went on to study in the ivy league and be fortunate enough to intersection with rarefied space is knew that folks like that exist aft every rung of the class ladder, among white folks specifically so those headlines bugged me in a personal way, and i wrote a little bit of media criticism to that end as one of the few folks with that particular lens within national media. Now that same year, dolly parton had a new album out for the firm time in mean years and was touring, putting on huge arena shows for the first final a very long time. And i could see how the energy coalescing around that first of all all of a sudden my friend i police in rural kansas today and have spent most of my life in kansas but im most of my industry is centered in new york and ive got a lot of good friends there im seeing them on twitter, tweet bought dolly parton and im like what do you know but dolly parton . I knew she was a huge icon. I didnt understand the sent to which maybe none of us did until recent years the extent to which she is not just a creative generalus and now an icon of Popular Culture but an increased by unifying incredibly unifying figure in a very rare and notable way in a climate such as today. So, kind of intrigued by this and then started thinking and it occurred to me, you know what . That rural specifically rural white poor place i come from, theyre always headlines about the without of it and darned if dolly parton doesnt represent the best of it. Got me thinking, i theres a lot going on about gender, and Hillary Clinton as the democratic president ial candidate, and there was a lot of misogyny in the air that year, regardless of your politics. Thats an objective fact. And it occurred to me this is right behalf the dawn of me metoo movement, and i was thinking, you know, theres something but feminism right now that i feel like no one has articulated at least in a mainstream way, outside of academia, and that is what i would call working class feminism and that is what i was raised on, what i was raise by and what i moon by that its not theory, its not exclusive in its language, it not be even articulated or expressed in an overt way but it is rather lived organ my and it organically and it ode cured to me Country Music written by women i was race raised on was a formative feminist text of my life i was bringing to their year 2016 and all the ways that year was offending me at intersection of class and gender. I was working on heartland at the time, me memoir that came out letter and i was plenty busy. But a great magazine called no depression, Country Music fans you might follow it. A longtime publics specifically about roots music that had a New Fellowship to allow a writer to write in depth about the way in which that genre talks to or influences society and culture in a broader way. Thought, oh, boy, i want to write how dolly parton relates to felt system. I got the gig and i was writing what ultimately became this book, back at that moment several years ago, serialized in no depression magazine as a print only read so probably a fairly smallreadership and were in another election year, another fraught moment no less a divisive moment and no less problematic moment in terms of class and gender, and happily now that text is now in book form. So, im going to read you just a smidge from it, and i want to add by the way, while im finding my place here, i i ones raised as some sort of dolly parton super fan. I was kid in the 80s and for anyone who was cognizant in that decade she was just sort of woven into the fabric of Popular Culture. Yous see her on a talk show, her music was on the radio, she was starring in blockbuster movies. She actually i think kind of appropriately enough, if i took up the man tell of attempting to do justice to her life and career in this book, starred in her first hollywood role, nine to five, the year i was born, 1980. So, in some ways this book is really a gesture of gratitude to women of her generation, not least of whom being my grandmother, betty, who i mentioned a few minutes ago. I wrote about here struggles in heartland, and i sort of assert in this book, interest which as well and justifies a bit of memoir. Wanted to provide some context why i get this in a particular way, and that context has everything to do with my grandma who raised me and who was born just like five months apart from dolly parton and i kind of put forth in the back that in some ways she and women like her are the real Dolly Partons which the stories she built her career on, hard knocks and specifically hard luck lives as women. Dolly parton left her familys holler in east tennessee at age 18, so she had been rich and famous longer than she was poor in near pigeon forage, but she had continued to tell the stories of the sort of women that raised me and whom i believed owe a debt of gratitude in a way the feminist movement proper perhaps hasnt afforded. So, this is a section called leaving home. Partons career took off at the same moment that Womens Liberation Movement did. Providing a revealing contrast between feminism as political concept and feminism in embodied in the world. Like most women in poverty, parton knew little of the former but excelled at the latter. You wont get very far as poor women without believing youll are equal to men. The result of that belief is unlikely to be a leaning in, possibly sound advice from middle and up clear class women, claiming the spoil. A poor womans better solution is to turn around and walk away from a hopelessly patriarch cal situation she cannot possibly mend with her limited cultural capital. I tell as evidence the story of tolly parton quite brave departure from the port