Background
Still, James was born in Ma 1906 in LaFayette, Alabama, United States. Son of James Alexander and Lonie (Lindsey) Still.
(Still's delightful Appalachian retelling of ""ack and the...)
Still's delightful Appalachian retelling of ""ack and the Beanstalk," with illustrations by Margot Tomes, was the New York Times Book Review Judges' Choice for Best Illustrated Children's Book when it first appeared in 1977. This reprint makes available an Appalachian rendition of a beloved children's classic to a new generation of readers.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813117356/?tag=2022091-20
(James Still first achieved national recognition in the 19...)
James Still first achieved national recognition in the 1930s as a poet. Although he is better known today as a writer of fiction, it is his poetry that many of his essential images, such as the "mighty river of earth," first found expression. Yet much of his poetry remains out of print or difficult to find. From the Mountain, From the Valley collects all of Still's poems, including several never before published, and corrects editorial mistakes that crept into previous collections. The poems are presented in chronological order, allowing the reader to trace the evolution of Still's voice. Throughout, his language is fresh and vigorous and his insight profound. His respect for people and place never sounds sentimental or dated. Ted Olson's introduction recounts Still's early literary career and explores the poetic origins of his acclaimed lyrical prose. Still himself has contributed the illuminating autobiographical essay "A Man Singing to Himself," which will appeal to every lover of his work. James Still, the first poet laureate of Kentucky, recipient of two Guggenheim Fellowships and many other awards and honors, is the author of numerous works, including his masterful novel River of Earth. Ted Olson, associate professor of Appalachian studies and English at East Tennessee State University, is the author of Blue Ridge Folklife and the editor of CrossRoads: A Southern Culture Annual.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813191327/?tag=2022091-20
(In language both spare and colorful, sure in its command ...)
In language both spare and colorful, sure in its command of Appalachian dialect and poetic in its evocation of mountain settings, James Still's stories reveal the lives of his people―lives of privation and struggle, lived with honesty as well as humor. With a foreword by Cleanth Brooks and an afterword by the author, The Run for the Elbertas features thirteen stories from one of America's masters of the short story. Enjoyable and enriching, Still's stories sparkle with wisdom and joy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813114144/?tag=2022091-20
(First published in 1940, James Still's masterful novel ha...)
First published in 1940, James Still's masterful novel has become a classic. It is the story, seen through the eyes of a boy, of three years in the life of his family and their kin. He sees his parents pulled between the meager farm with its sense of independence and the mining camp with its uncertain promise of material prosperity. In his world privation, violence, and death are part of everyday life, accepted and endured. Yet it is a world of dignity, love, and humor, of natural beauty which Still evokes in sharp, poetic images. No writer has caught more effectively the vividness of mountain speech or shown more honestly the trials and joys of mountain life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813113725/?tag=2022091-20
(After keeping school for six years at the forks of Troubl...)
After keeping school for six years at the forks of Troublesome Creek in the Kentucky hills, James Still moved to a century-old log house between the waters of Wolfpen Creek and Dead Mare Branch, on Little Carr Creek, and became "the man in the bushes" to his curious neighbors. Still joined the life of the scattered community. He raised his own food, preserved fruits and vegetables for the winter, and kept two stands of bees for honey. A neighbor remarked of Still, "He's left a good job, and come over in here and sot down." Still did sit down and write―the classic novel River of Earth and many poems and short stories that have found their way into national publications. From the beginning, Still jotted down expressions, customs, and happenings unique to the region. After half a century those jottings filled twenty-one notebooks. Now they have been brought together in The Wolfpen Notebooks, together with an interview with Still, a glossary, a comprehensive bibliography of his work by William Terrell Cornett, and examples of Still's use of the "sayings" in poetry and prose. The "sayings" represent an aspect of the Appalachian experience not previously recorded and of a time largely past.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813117410/?tag=2022091-20
(With illustrations by Paul Brett Johnson Sporty Creek is...)
With illustrations by Paul Brett Johnson Sporty Creek is a series of short stories set in the Kentucky hills. Narrated by a young boy (a cousin of the narrator of Still's classic novel River of Earth), the book tells the story of his family during the Great Depression. With work in the coal mines sporadic, they move from place to place, trying to earn a living the best they can. The story is told with gentleness and humor.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813109655/?tag=2022091-20
(Who hasn't heard of Jack Sprat, Little Boy Blue, and Pete...)
Who hasn't heard of Jack Sprat, Little Boy Blue, and Peter the pumpkin eater? These colorful characters from the Mother Goose rhymes have been a staple of children's literature for the last two hundred years. James Still, long known for his ability to bring the rhythmic and evocative language of the Appalachian region onto the page, now brings fresh life to these rhymes. This new Mother Goose introduces readers to the delights of gooseberry pie, the festivities of Jockey Day, and the dangers of witch-broom. Who knew that the man in the moon was really on his way to Hazard, Kentucky, or that a person "has only to bathe in honey dew" to avoid getting freckles?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813120926/?tag=2022091-20
writer adult education educator
Still, James was born in Ma 1906 in LaFayette, Alabama, United States. Son of James Alexander and Lonie (Lindsey) Still.
AB, Lincoln Memorial University, 1929. Master of Arts, Vanderbilt University, 1930. Bachelor of Science in Library.
Science, University Illinois, 1930. Doctor of Letters (honorary), Berea College, 1973. Doctor of Letters (honorary), Morehead State University, 1978.
Doctor of Letters (honorary), University Kentucky, 1979. HLD (honorary), Lincoln Memorial University, 1974. HLD (honorary), Kentucky Wesleyan University.
Degree (honorary), Transylvania University, 1983. Degree (honorary), Cumberland College, 1996.
Member staff Hindman (Kentucky) Settlement School, 1932-1939, 51-61. Associate professor Morehead (Kentucky) State University, 1962-1970. Commentator National Public Radio, Washington, 1980-1983.
Visiting professor Appalachian College, since 1987.
(After keeping school for six years at the forks of Troubl...)
(In language both spare and colorful, sure in its command ...)
(Still's delightful Appalachian retelling of ""ack and the...)
(Who hasn't heard of Jack Sprat, Little Boy Blue, and Pete...)
(With illustrations by Paul Brett Johnson Sporty Creek is...)
(A collection of riddles and other witticisms from the App...)
(First published in 1940, James Still's masterful novel ha...)
(James Still first achieved national recognition in the 19...)
(A collection of sayings and riddles from the hills of Ken...)
(First Edition)
Sergeant United States Army, 1942-1945. Member South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Phi Beta Kappa.