Some of us understand place in terms of family and community,
landscape, or even the weather. For others, the idea of place
becomes more distinct and particular: the sound of someone humming
while washing dishes, the musical cadence of a mountain accent, the
smell of a tobacco field under the hot Piedmont sun. Some of North
Carolina's finest writers ruminate on the meaning of place in this
collection of twenty-one original essays, untangling North
Carolina's influence on their work, exploring how the idea of place
resonates with North Carolinians, and illuminating why the state
itself plays such a significant role in its own literature.
Authors from every region of North Carolina are represented, from
the Appalachians and the Piedmont to the Outer Banks and places in
between.
Amazing Place showcases a mix of familiar favorites
and newer voices, expressing in their own words how North Carolina
shapes the literature of its people.
Contributors include Rosecrans Baldwin, Will Blythe, Belle Boggs,
Fred Chappell, Jan DeBlieu, Pamela Duncan, Clyde Edgerton, Ben
Fountain, Marianne Gingher, Judy Goldman, Stephanie Elizondo
Griest, Randall Kenan, Jill McCorkle, Michael McFee, Lydia Millet,
Robert Morgan, Jenny Offill, Michael Parker, Bland Simpson, Lee
Smith, Wells Tower, and Monique Truong.