Allison Carey to discuss ‘Doubly Erased: LGBTQ Literature in Appalachia’

The author will visit Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus on March 19 for a reading from her latest book.

Leslie King

5 Mar 2024

A curly haired, white woman smiles at the camera. Behind her is an multi-gray colored backdrop. — Allison Carey will read from her latest book on March 19. Photo courtesy of Allison Carey.

Allison Carey was perplexed.

While researching a conference paper, she was struck by the scant academic attention given to the young adult novel “Finding H.F.,” a Lambda Literary Award winner from 2001 by Julia Watts. To Carey’s dismay, she was surprised to find almost no scholarship on this award-winning, groundbreaking book about a lesbian growing up in Appalachia.

This led to Carey’s own book “Doubly Erased: LGBTQ Literature in Appalachia,” which traces LGBTQ themes and characters in contemporary Appalachian literature.

Unique perspective

Carey will visit Virginia Tech on March 19 for a book reading and signing.

“I invited Allison because I respect her scholarship,” said Jeff Mann, associate professor of English, “and I appreciate her thoughtful analysis of my own work. Folks should attend her talk because her book, 'Doubly Erased: LGBTQ Literature in Appalachia,' is the very first of its kind.'”

Sponsored by the Department of English and Appalachian Studies, this event welcomes anyone interested in the intersection of LGBTQ identity and Appalachian literature.

Event details

Speaker: Allison Carey, author and chair of the English Department at Marshall University
Event: Book reading and signing session
Location: 380 Shanks Hall, Virginia Tech
Date: 7 p.m. March 19
Book availability: Virginia Tech Bookstore
Inquiries: Direct to Jeff Mann or Emily Satterwhite
Accessibility: Open to all, with accommodations available upon request to Jeff Mann five days before the event.

The interview

Please describe your book.

My book traces the tradition of LGBTQ literature in Appalachia, starting in 1976 when the first publication by an openly LGBTQ Appalachian writer came out. From there, it follows each author and each milestone book, identifying common thematic threads.

How did you select the works you included?

Some of it was simple because I knew about some of the authors and knew that their work had been overlooked to a certain extent, in some cases because of prejudice, unconscious or not, against Appalachians. In other cases, it was through word of mouth. I would talk to authors to get their advice on others I should include. A teeny tiny bit involved looking at traditional literary databases, and sometimes it just came down to internet searches, and throwing in different key words. Especially in the past 10 years, some of the younger generations of writers are publishing their work in online forums. It always felt like I was sort of following a trail of breadcrumbs and finding this wonderful tradition of literature that I needed to piece together.

What impact does literature have on LGBTQ acceptance in conservative areas?

There’s some compelling research that indicates that one of the best ways of building empathy and enhancing someone's critical thinking about people and lives that are unfamiliar to them, is by engaging with those lives through literature. And therefore, I think, that literary texts are a particularly good way to start fostering that kind of work toward empathy and understanding. Appalachia is complex region that has been all too often portrayed as monolithic and homogenous, and understanding the diversity of voices and experiences in the region is key to fostering that understanding and acceptance.

What advice would you offer students interested in LGBTQ themes?

I would just say, go for it. Especially if they have felt discouraged from doing so. Now is a particularly rich moment to be having those conversations. I would also reassure them, because all too often, I think it's possible that they haven't been made aware that those themes are out there in academic and creative work, and these probably have not been foregrounded for them in most academic contexts both within the umbrella of Appalachian literature and more broadly. I would reassure them that they would be entering a long, ongoing conversation, and they would not be the sole voice talking about these topics or thinking about these things and that there are great resources and inspirations for them to follow.

What should attendees expect from your talk?

I hope attendees will take away a list of authors they want to read. In some cases that might be some of the earlier work in a writer’s career. For example, Jeff Mann’s early poetry, or his “Loving Mountains, Loving Men,” which has been rereleased, or writers like Alison Bechdel and her text, “Fun Home,” which they possibly haven’t thought about through an Appalachian perspective. I hope that they will learn about some new and exciting writers or ones they already know and gain a new angle on those works they thought they knew.