Why Silas House Matters
This week’s Salvation South covers not only the great Appalachian writer, but also the over-the-levee community of New Orleans and that city’s late great king of funk music, Dr. John.
There’s a good argument to be made that Silas House, one of my favorite Appalachian writers, embodies all the contradictions of his home region.
For 20 years, he’s written books and plays filled with deep love and clear-eyed insight into his home region. He’s an environmental activist who grew up in a coal-mining family. He grew up in the hard hellfire-and-brimstone environment of the Holiness Church, but remains a man of devout faith as an Episcopalian. And he’s a gay man, married with two children — a fact that makes too many of his home folks quite uncomfortable.
Despite all these contradictions, all of Silas’s work displays his deep love of Appalachia. I think Silas writes for all of us who are troubled by the contradictions of the South but love the place anyway, who want desperately for it to be better. His work never fails to touch me deeply.
This week, Silas’s seventh novel, “Lark Ascending,” was published, and we’re happy to have Holly Gleason’s beautifully written profile — “Silas House Speaks the Truth.” Holly has long been one of my favorite magazine journalists, and we’re happy to have her among Salvation South’s contributors.
We’re also proud this week to bring you the writing of Macon Fry, a man who for over three decades has lived on New Orleans’s “batture” — the narrow strip of land and water that sits between the banks of the Mississippi River and the levee that protects the city behind it. His story, “The River Rats of New Orleans,” is a must-read.
And speaking of New Orleans, our culture warrior Rob Rushin-Knopf, brings us a touching look at the final, posthumous album from Dr. John, the late great king of NOLA funk. “Things Happen That Way” came out last week, three years after the great musician’s passing. It is, as Rob puts it, “a love letter from beyond the grave.” Read up about it and listen to the music.
Chuck Reece is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Salvation South, the weekly web magazine you're reading right now. He was the founding editor of The Bitter Southerner. He grew up in the north Georgia mountains in a little town called Ellijay.
Chuck, what an excellent summation and representation for Salvation South. We are increasingly assembling a fine bunch of Southern writers for the world to read. Thank you and Stacey for building this house with a front porch view.