Tag Archives: West Virginia
Appalachian Poet – Bertie Jane Cutlip
Outside a country store in the Allegheny Mountains, she stood behind a table covered in mason jars of home-made apple jelly and pickles. It was one of those glorious fall days in West Virginia, so I lingered to buy some … Continue reading
Mountaintop Removal
“Remember to remove the I Love Mountains bumper sticker before heading into coal country.” That was advice I gave myself before touring counties where mountaintops are being “removed” by open mining in the heart of Appalachia. I wasn’t a declared … Continue reading
Ghost Story from West Virginia
MY NIGHT AT JOHN NORTH HOUSE Aha! So that’s the house I heard rumors about. Surely my family can’t believe it’s haunted? After parking on a steep rise above the town center I stared at the rambling brick mansion with … Continue reading
Star-struck
Few people are star-struck these days—unless you mean a movie- or rock-star. How could they be when the nightly spectacle is veiled by light pollution? That expression might strike you as perverse, even as a non sequitur, for isn’t “light” … Continue reading
Bertie’s Latest Poem
The first time we met Bertie she was sitting behind bottles of apple butter and pickled vegetables laid out on a wooden table in the green outside Sharp’s Store in West Virginia. The bottles were lined up in serried ranks, … Continue reading