Inside Stories of Appalachia

For our final we were given the opportunity to research some aspect of Appalachia that grabbed our attention. The topic of most significance to me in this course was the stereotypes of the region. The fact that Appalachia is routinely classified by poverty, whiteness, rurality, mountains, and premodern was eye opening to me. I’ve always thought of stereotypes and the ways they serve to oppress people as one of the major downfalls of society. This led me to wonder how those who are insiders of Appalachia respond to the stereotypes that permeate popular media as to who Appalachians are and their derogatory connotations. Along with this, I was curious to what outlets there are for insiders to tell their true stories about what Appalachia means to them and how experiences have shaped who their lives.

In my research I found that if you look, you can find many mediums of self expression. There are websites, blogs, books, trending hashtags, movies, photography, artwork, and a variety of personal outlets to share vivid stories of life. Their reactions to local color fiction and refuting the common ideas of what Appalachia is can be found in many outlets if one is actually searching for true stories. A quick Google would not suffice; the images of Appalachia that appear are black and white photographs of impoverished, uneducated, dirty white “hillbillies”. Through inside stories and experiencing the region with an open mind not clouded by popular culture stereotypes, my interpretation of Appalachia has shifted this semester.

I wanted to compile an archive of sites and outlets for people looking to hear the inside stories and the truth of Appalachia. By having an easy way to access sites, people have the opportunity to see, hear, read, and watch how those in the heart of Appalachia see the region and how they have been shaped. I hope this allows for people to see the

This archive is a collection of sites containing raw outlets of stories of people in the region. I am collecting these sites so those seeking to hear these stories can find them.