"Now, Appalachia"

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews historian and author Frank Garmon, Jr. about his latest book A WONDERFUL CAREER IN CRIME: CHARLES COWLAM'S MASQUERADES IN THE CIVIL WAR ERA & GILDED AGE. Frank is an assistant professor of American studies at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Nick Gardner about his new collection of linked stories titled DELINQUENTS. Nick Gardner is a writer, teacher, and recovering addict. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University in 2017 and an MFA in fiction writing from Bowling Green State University in 2021. His poetry and fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Epiphany, Reckon Review, The Atticus Review, Ocean State Review, Fictive Dream, Trampset and other journals.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Heather Day Gilbert about her new psychological mystery QUEEN OF HEARTS. Heather Day Gilbert, an RWA Daphne du Maurier Award winner and 2-time ECPA Christy Award finalist, enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with unpredictable twists, much like the Agatha Christie books she read growing up. She also writes Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren't afraid to protect those they love. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author and educator Josh Eyler about his new book FAILING OUR FUTURE: HOW GRADES HARM STUDENTS, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. Josh is the director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and a clinical assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Mississippi. He is the author of How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Henry Wise about his debut crime noir thriller HOLY CITY. Henry is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Mississippi MFA Program. His work has appeared in Shenandoah, Nixes Mate, Radar Poetry, Clackamas, and elsewhere. He lives in western Virginia.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author and journalist Dan Klefstad about his latest book DIY BOOK PROMO: HOW TO FIND READERS WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY. Dan is a longtime radio host and newscaster. His latest book helps his fellow authors find readers without spending money. It’s based on lessons from the campaign for his novel, Fiona’s Guardians, plus his broadcasting career. Dan will speak about his unique approach to book marketing this July at the Imaginarium Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, not far from his home.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Jake Maynard about his debut novel SLIME LINE. Jake Maynard is a writer from rural Pennsylvania whose stories and essays appear in Guernica, Southern Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Electric Lit, The New Republic, The New York Times, and others. His experiences working in the commercial fishing industry inspired his debut novel, Slime Line.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Bobi Conn about her new novel SOMEPLACE LIKE HOME. Bobi Conn is the author of A Woman in Time and the memoir In the Shadow of the Valley. Born in Morehead, Kentucky, and raised in a nearby holler, Bobi developed a deep connection with the land and her Appalachian roots. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at Berea College, the first school in the American South to integrate racially and to teach men and women in the same classrooms. She also attended graduate school, where she earned a master’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing. In addition to writing, Bobi loves playing pool, telling jokes, cooking, being in the woods, attempting to grow a garden, and spending time with her incredible children.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Russell W. Johnson about his latest novel THE MOUNTAIN MYSTIC. Russell is a fiction writer and North Carolina attorney. His debut story, "Chung Ling Soo's Greatest Trick," was published by ​Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in January 2015 and won the Edgar Award's Robert L. Fish Memorial prize for best short story by a new author. Since then he's been published in a number of outlets and recently won the West Virginia Writers Association’s Pearl S. Buck Award, as well as first place for book length fiction. In addition, he has been a nominee or finalist for the Pushcart Prize, Claymore Award and Screencraft’s Cinematic Novel competition.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Ellen Burkett Morris about her debut novel BEWARE THE TALL GRASS. Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has appeared in The Clackamas Literary Review, Juked, Gastronomica, and Inscape, among other journals and in eight anthologies. Morris won top prize in the 2008 Binnacle Ultra-Short Edition and was a finalist for the 2019 and 2020 Rita Dove Poetry Prize. Her poem “Abide” was featured on NPR’s A Way with Words. Her essays have appeared in Newsweek, AARP’s The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio. Morris holds an MFA in creative writing from Queens University-Charlotte and lives in Louisville, Kentucky.