"Now, Appalachia"

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews poet and novelist Laura Treacy Bentley about her latest novel GLASS MOUNTAIN. s an internationally published writer from West Virgina. She is a poet, novelist, and point-and-shoot photographer. Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, she has lived most of her life in Huntington, West Virginia, and divides her time between the mountains of West Virginia and a cabin in western Maryland. Laura is the author of the forthcoming LOOKING FOR IRELAND: AN IRISH-APPALACHIAN PILGRIMAGE (both poetry chapbook and art book), THE SILVER TATTOO (a psychological thriller set in Ireland), NIGHT TERRORS: A SHORT STORY PREQUEL to THE SILVER TATTOO, and LAKE EFFECT (a poetry collection).

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Lee Cole about his new novel FULFILLMENT. Lee is also the author of GROUNDSKEEPING. He was born and grew up in rural Western Kentucky. A recent graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, he now lives in Houston, Texas.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Kevin Wilson about his latest novel RUN FOR THE HILLS. Kevin is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here, and The Family Fang, as well as two story collections. His work has received the Shirley Jackson Award and been selected as a Read with Jenna book club pick. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Benjamin Bradley about his latest mystery WHAT HE LEFT BEHIND. Benjamin Bradley is a member of both Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. He's the author of the Shepard & Kelly Mystery series through Indies United Publishing House and his short fiction has appeared in literary magazines including Reckon Review and Flash Fiction Magazine. He works in public health and homelessness and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, their cat Fox, and their dog Harper.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot profiles publisher Loblolly Press with poet and founder Andrew Mack. Loblolly Press champions underrepresented Appalachian and Southern stories by empower emerging writers. Andrew is also the author of the poetry chapbook BEASTS OF CHASE which is a haunting chapbook that explores the intersection between nature and humanity, survival and violence. He lives with his husband in Asheville, North Carolina.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Kelly Mustian about her new novel THE RIVER KNOWS YOUR NAME. Kelly Mustian is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girls in the Stilt House and The River Knows Your Name. She is the recipient of the Mississippi Library Association's 2023 Author Award for Fiction, and The Girls in the Stilt House was shortlisted for the 2022 Crook's Corner Book Prize for best debut novel set in the American South. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and commercial magazines. Originally from Mississippi, she currently lives in North Carolina.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Michael Cody about his new thriller STREETS OF NASHVILLE. Michael Cody was born in the South Carolina Lowcountry and raised in the North Carolina highlands. He spent his twenties writing songs in Nashville and his thirties in school. He's the author of the novel Gabriel's Songbook (Pisgah Press) and short fiction that has appeared in Yemassee, Tampa Review, Still: The Journal, and elsewhere. His short story collection, A Twilight Reel (Pisgah Press) won the Short Story / Anthology category of the Feathered Quill Book Awards 2022. Cody lives with his wife Leesa in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and teaches in the Department of Literature and Language at East Tennessee State University.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Wes Browne about his new novel THEY ALL FALL THE SAME. Wes has lived and practiced law as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, and public defender in Appalachian Kentucky for over twenty-four years. He also helps run his family’s pizza shops.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Allison Gunn about her new gothic thriller NOWHERE. Allison Gunn is a professional researcher, writer, and podcaster with a penchant for all things whimsical and strange. An alum of the University of Maryland, she has extensively studied marginalized communities as well as Appalachian folklore and the occult. She currently resides in the wonderfully weird land of West Virginia with her twin daughters, a precocious pup, and one seriously troubled tabby. Nowhere is her first novel.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Karen McElmurray about her new essay collection I COULD NAME GOD IN TWELVE WAYS. is the author of Wanting Radiance: A Novel. Her memoir Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey is a National Book Critics Circle Notable Book and winner of the AWP Award Series for Creative Nonfiction. She has received numerous awards, including the Annie Dillard Prize, the New Southerner Literary Prize, the Orison Anthology Award, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and multiple notable mentions in Best American Essays. She is a visiting writer and lecturer at various programs and reading series across the United States.