Overview

Appalachia has been a place of movement and migration-for individuals, families, and entire communities-for centuries. Beginning Againbrings together twelve narratives of refugees, migrants, and generations-long residents that explore complex journeys of resettlement. In their stories, Appalachia-despite how it's popularly portrayed-is not simply a region of poverty and strife populated only by white people. It is a diverse place where belonging and connection are created despite displacement, resource extraction, and inequality. , born and raised in Big Stone Gap, as he describes the ""slow burn"" of everyday racism and his efforts to organize Black Appalachian youth to stay in their communities. Taken together, their stories and more collected here present a nuanced look at life in contemporary Appalachia.

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"“These poignant narratives reveal a stunning, multidimensional Appalachia.” —Appalshop ""Anyone with an interest in contemporary Appalachia will find this book essential reading. It may be equally essential for people who are students of oral history and oral narrative. Ultimately, Beginning Again: Stories of Movement and Migration in Appalachia offers us a powerful view of contemporary migration amid the turmoil of our times, and it locates these narratives in the Appalachia of today."" —The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition “An invitation to those here and beyond to expand our conceptions of who exists, who belongs, and who builds a loving home within these mountains.” —Rae Garringer, author and editor of Country Queers: A Love Letter “The stories … ask us to reckon with the inequalities in our region, but also to hold hope that our communities will provide when political and economic systems fail.” —Lesly-Marie Buer, author of Rx Appalachia “… a brilliant kaleidoscope of stories about migration, deprivation, and transformative human connection.” —Barbara Ellen Smith, author of Digging Our Own Graves ""In offering this compelling multi-vocal narrative of Appalachian migration and resettlement, Beginning Again emerges as a model of cooperation and reflection in contemporary scholarship.  This identity-centered work expands our view of Appalachia and the complex layers of place, being, and survival.""  —Elizabeth Catte"

“These poignant narratives reveal a stunning, multidimensional Appalachia.” —Appalshop “An invitation to those here and beyond to expand our conceptions of who exists, who belongs, and who builds a loving home within these mountains.” —Rae Garringer, author and editor of Country Queers: A Love Letter “The stories … ask us to reckon with the inequalities in our region, but also to hold hope that our communities will provide when political and economic systems fail.” —Lesly-Marie Buer, author of Rx Appalachia “… a brilliant kaleidoscope of stories about migration, deprivation, and transformative human connection.” —Barbara Ellen Smith, author of Digging Our Own Graves

“These poignant narratives reveal a stunning, multidimensional Appalachia.” —Appalshop ""Anyone with an interest in contemporary Appalachia will find this book essential reading. It may be equally essential for people who are students of oral history and oral narrative. Ultimately, Beginning Again: Stories of Movement and Migration in Appalachia offers us a powerful view of contemporary migration amid the turmoil of our times, and it locates these narratives in the Appalachia of today."" —The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition “An invitation to those here and beyond to expand our conceptions of who exists, who belongs, and who builds a loving home within these mountains.” —Rae Garringer, author and editor of Country Queers: A Love Letter “The stories … ask us to reckon with the inequalities in our region, but also to hold hope that our communities will provide when political and economic systems fail.” —Lesly-Marie Buer, author of Rx Appalachia “… a brilliant kaleidoscope of stories about migration, deprivation, and transformative human connection.” —Barbara Ellen Smith, author of Digging Our Own Graves ""In offering this compelling multi-vocal narrative of Appalachian migration and resettlement, Beginning Again emerges as a model of cooperation and reflection in contemporary scholarship.  This identity-centered work expands our view of Appalachia and the complex layers of place, being, and survival.""  —Elizabeth Catte

Author Information

Katrina M. Powell is Professor of Rhetoric and Writing and founding director of the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on displacement narratives. She is cofounder of the digital-born oral history initiative, VTStories.org, founding editor of the journal Roots and Resettlement, and codirector of Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia. Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty of Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor.

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