Read the essay that inspired a book-long exploration of Black Appalachian Foodways. I wrote these stories so that we never forget to sing the glorious praises of country, Black women and the kitchens they cooked in. PRAISESONGS FOR THE KITCHEN GHOSTS, published by Clarkson Potter/Penguin Random House in January 2024.
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts in Emergence Literary Magazine
“People are always surprised that Black people reside in the hills of Appalachia. Those not surprised that we were there, are surprised that we stayed. My family lived in the hills of Kentucky for four generations. My grandmother came from a long line of women who worked hard and cooked well. The long lists of food I’ll describe here will make you think my folks had deep pockets, but they didn’t. Hardworking poor blacks who couldn’t break the barriers of nepotism or racism in education or the workforce, they continued the tradition of farming. Tobacco. Corn. A few head of cattle. A few dairy cows. My grandparents lived primarily off the land. They owned sixty-four acres and had a modest income from the crops they raised. My grandfather prided himself on taking care of his family, his animals, and his land. My grandmother prided herself on making sure her family was fed. I read somewhere once that pride stems from fear. I imagine my grandparents were hungry more than once in their youths, but I never was.”
My essay, Covid Kitchen appears in Oxford American’s special food issue edited by one of our queens of cuisine Alice Randall.