BOONE, N.C. — From pepperoni rolls to apple stack cakes, and from ramp patches to the importance of sochan, the region’s many biomes and communities have relationships with food that comingle and are born out of place. Planned for Fall 2025, this special issue of Appalachian Journal seeks to highlight the importance of foodways in/to Appalachia and Appalachian studies. Content will include book reviews of foodways-related books (such as Crystal Wilkinson’s Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts or Appalachia on the Table by Erica Abrams Locklear), interviews with important foodways folks, creative nonfiction essays, transcribed roundtables or event panels, passed-down recipes (bonus points if they’re in a grandmother’s or similar scrawl), scholarly articles that provide insight into important foodways work happening in the region, food-focused poetry and images or photo essays.
We are especially interested in content that:
Pushes back against common Appalachian stereotypes
Works to unsettle the region or thinks decolonially, such as focusing on Indigenous foodways and/or food sovereignty
Engages with stories and other forms of expression through food(ways)
Emphasizes the importance of food(ways) and community
Considers how taking pleasure in food and foodways can be revolutionary acts of self and community care
Highlights specific cultural markers, including language, spirituality and relationships to place through what we eat and grow
Focuses on the role of tradition in food(ways), including creating new traditions
Discusses the impacts of occupation, displacement and immigration on Appalachia’s foodways
Deadlines: Abstracts (if required) are due March 1, 2025. The deadline for full materials (excluding scholarly articles) is June 1, 2025. Scholarly article drafts are due May 1, 2025, to allow time for peer review and revision.
Submission Instructions
All materials should be emailed directly to Appalachian Journal editor Dr. Jessica Cory at coryjs@appstate.edu, though what you send depends on the genre:
Poetry: Send up to five poems in one document. No abstract needed; deadline June 1, 2025.
Images or photo essays: Images can be emailed or shared through Google Drive. Artwork included in this special issue will be printed in black and white. Images should be 300 DPI with 3000 pixels on the long side. Send up to ten images. No abstract needed; deadline June 1, 2025.
Scholarly article (5-12k words): Send abstract ahead of complete article. Abstracts are due March 1, 2025, with final drafts due May 1, 2025. Abstracts will be quickly responded to on a rolling basis. Please note that to give time for the peer review process and revision, the due date for scholarly article drafts is earlier than the general deadline for finalized work.
Creative nonfiction, interviews or roundtables: Send a brief abstract that includes your ideas for the creative nonfiction piece, the person(s) to be interviewed or event to be transcribed along with a few sentences of justification for inclusion in Appalachian Journal and a potential word count. Abstract due March 1, 2025; full material due June 1, 2025.
Book reviews: While we generally do not accept unsolicited book reviews, if there is a book you feel we should review for this special issue, please drop us a line by March 1, 2025.
Technical Information
For scholarly articles, creative nonfiction, interviews and poetry, please see our Submission Guidelines.
Artwork included in this special issue will be printed in black and white. Images should be 300 DPI with 3000 pixels on the long side. Send up to ten images.
Feel free to email the editor, Dr. Jessica Cory, with any questions at coryjs@appstate.edu.
If total submissions exceed our page count limitations, they will be considered for future issues of Appalachian Journal.
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About the Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review
Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review, founded in 1972, is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed quarterly journal housed at Appalachian State University. The journal features field research, interviews and other scholarly studies of history, politics, economics, culture, folklore, literature, music, ecology and a variety of other topics, as well as poetry and reviews of books, films and recordings dealing with the Appalachian Mountains region. Learn more at appjournal.appstate.edu.
About the Center for Appalachian Studies
The Center for Appalachian Studies promotes public programs, community collaboration, civic engagement and scholarship on the Appalachian region. The center is committed to building healthy communities and deepening knowledge of Appalachia’s past, present and future through community-based research and engagement. Learn more at appcenter.appstate.edu.
Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review
Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review