BOONE, N.C. — Appalachia is home to many talented and brilliant visual artists whose work often depicts and engages with the region but is not limited by its boundaries, thematic, geographic or otherwise. This special issue of Appalachian Journal seeks to highlight the importance of visual art in/to Appalachia and Appalachian studies. Content will include book reviews of visual art books (such as Appalachian Ghost by Raymond Thompson Jr. or Deep Ruts by Julie Rae Powers), interviews with artists, series features, transcribed roundtables or event panels, scholarly articles that analyze an artist’s (or artists) work and ekphrastic poetry.
Planned for Spring 2025, this special issue will coincide with the annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition and the Center for Appalachian Studies and Appalachian Journal will be collaborating with the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts to host a panel of interested contributors.
We are especially interested in content that:
Pushes back against common Appalachian stereotypes.
Works to unsettle the region or thinks decolonially.
Challenges typical depictions of landscape.
Engages with stories and other forms of expression through visual art.
Reclaims space and resists boundaries.
Considers the politics of joy and pleasure as revolutionary acts.
Highlights specific cultural markers, including language, spirituality and relationships to place.
Deadline: Jan. 1, 2025 (Scholarly article drafts are due Nov. 1, 2024, to allow time for peer review.)
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.
Series feature: 5-10 images in a single series plus artist statement and bio.
Scholarly article (4-8k words): Send abstract. Please note that due to the peer review process, the due date for scholarly article drafts is earlier than the general deadline.
Book reviews, interviews or roundtables: Send a brief email including the name of the book, person to be interviewed, or event to be transcribed along with a few sentences of justification for inclusion in Appalachian Journal.
Technical Information
Artwork included in his special issue will be printed in full color. Images should be 300 DPI with 3000 pixels on the long side.
For scholarly articles and poetry, please see our Writer’s Guidelines.
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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