West Virginia Authors

Byars, Betsy      Born in Charlotte, NC, Betsy Byars wrote many of her highly acclaimed children's books in Morgantown, where her husband taught engineering at WVU. Her books protray lonely, bulnerable adolescents.
Cooney, Nancy Evans      Nancy Evans Cooney taught junior high school in Northfork before moving away. She has written four children's books to date, the first of them The Wobbly Tooth in 1978. Cooney lives in Bridgewater, NJ.
Corbin, David A.      David is a member of the Senate Democratic Policy Committe. He worked as a consultant for and appeared in the PBS documentary Even the Heavens Weep, on southern West Virginia miners. He was the winner of the W. D. Weatherford Award of the Appalachian Studies Association for his book Life, Work, and Rebellion in the Coal Fields
Currey, Richard      Fatal Light, Richard Curry's 1988 autobigraphical novel, concerns a West Virginian who serves in Vietnam. Besides his novels, Currey has written poetry, short stories, novellas, and nonfiction.
Douglas, John      Blind Spring Rambler (1988), John Douglas' second mystery novel is set in Blind Spring, WV, a company coal town that in 1923 is in the throes of a miners' strike. Youthful detective Bill Edmondson solves the case after his older partner is killed.
Dubofsky, Melvyn      Dubofsky is professor of history and sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton and author of We Shall Be All: A History of the IWW Co-author of John L. Lewis: A Biography
Fox, Rosalind      see Haydon, June
Giardina, Denise      Denise Giardina, who calls herself "an Appalachian writer", is the author of Storming Heaven, a powerful novel about common people who rise to greatness in West Virginia's "Battle of Blair Mountain" in 1921.
Grubb, Davis      A novelist and short story writer, Grubb wrote about the lives of West Virginia mountain people. His first and best-known work, The Night of the Hunter, was made into a movie in 1955, starring Robert Mitchum.
Harshman, Marc      Born and raised in Randolph County, Indiana, Mr. Harshman has lived his adult life in Marshall County, West Virginia. He also writes poems, tells stories, and teaches fifth and sixth grades in one of the last three-room country schools. He is married to Cheryl Ryan and has a daughter, Sarah. His poems have appeared in periodicals in the US and England. As a storyteller he is a frequent performer throughout the region and has judged the WV state liars' contest at the Vadalia Gathering, Charleston, WV for over a decade. He holds degrees from Bethany College, Yale, and the University of Pittsburgh.
Haydon, June      Springhill. Trail of Love. Haydon writes historical romance novels using the pen names Rosalind Fox and Taria Hayford. She also writes mystery books.
Hayford, Taria.      see Haydon, June
Hickam, Homer H. Jr.      Homer was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia. The author of Torpedo Junction, a Military History Book-of-the-Month Club selection, as well as numerous articles for such publications as Smithsonian Air and Space and American History Illustrated, he is a NASA payload training manager for the International Space Program and lives in Huntsville, Alabama.
Hoffman, William      Hoffman's first novel, The Trumpet Unblown, was published in 1955. Several others followed, including The Dark Mountains (1963), and a collection of short stories, Virginia Reels (1979).
Hyde, Arnout, Jr.      Arnout Hyde, Jr. has been chief photographer since 1969, and is currently editor, of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources Magazine, Wonderful West Virginia. His innate talent and sensitive appreciation of the natural wonders of our state are evident in each photograph he takes. His acute portrayals of West Virginia are a great source of pride to its citizens.
Janus, Christopher      Montgomery. Janus currently lives in the Chicago area. His youth novel Miss 4th of July, Goodbye, based on his family's experiences in Montgomery during the Great Depression, is a popular Disney film portraying the struggles of Greek immigrants and African-American in the community. Novels, short stories, biography.
Johnson, Skip      A native of Braxton County, retired in 1992 as the outdoor columnist for The Charleston Gazette and Sunday Gazette-Mail.Woods & Waters: A Collection of Outdoor Stories from West Virginia and Beyond is a collection of his best and best-loved Woods & Waters columns which appeared in these papers.
Knowles, John      Fairmont. Knowles,now a resident of New York, is best known as the author of A Separate Peace. Of special interest to West Virginians is his novel A Vein of Riches detailing the rise and fall of a WEst Virginia coal dynasty in a town like Fairmont. Knowles was a finalist in the 1961 National Book Award competition.
Kromer, Tom      Huntington. Attended Marshall University, but, of necessity, became a hobo during the Great Depression. At the age of 28 Kromer published his survival story Waiting for Nothing. The style of the "strictly autobiographical" novel was emulated by Breech D'J Pancake. Short fiction, novels.
Latham, Jean Lee      Buckhannon. In 1956 Latham became the state's first Newbery Medal winner for her work of historical fiction, Carry on, Mr. Bowditch. Genres--historical fiction, screen and radio plays, nonfiction. Latham, one of our most versitile and prolific authors, ahd an outstanding career as author, playwright and writer for major television shows.
Lockard, Duane      A Professor of Politics Emeritus at Princeton University and the author of numerous books on American politics. Author of Coal: A Memoir and Critique.
Maillard, Keith      In the 1960s Maillard worked his way through the US and Canada as a folksinger, photographer, music teacher and writer. A Canadian citizen since 1976, much of his fiction, including his 1980 novel Alex Driving South, is set in West Virginia.
Mallamas, Gloria Mills.      Gloria Mills Mallamas was born July 7, 1923, in a log cabin at Barn, West Virginia. She was the second child of Thelma and Johnny Mills. They were all packed to move to Besoco, when everything had to be put on "hold" for her arrival>      She graduated from the Egeria High School in 1941 and attended Beckley College. Gloria worked for Western Union Telegraph Company, as a teleprinter operator until her retirement in 1971.      She wrote short stories, some of which were published in The Briar Patch, a West Virginia anthology and Grit. In recent years, she has had several articles published in the Orlando Sentinel.      Gloria has always been interested in family history and family stories. She wrote a history of the Keaton Mills Cemetery in 1981. Since the death of her husband of forty-nine years in 1997, she presently lives in Florida in the winter and West Virginia in the summer.
Marshall, Catherine      Catherine lived near Keyser ofr ten years and is a graduate of Keyser High School. Her best-selling novel Christy, set in Tennessee, is her mother's story. Novels, religious non-fiction, children's literature, biography. Marshall was a National Book Award Finalist in 1980.
Maynard, Lee      Maynard was born in Crum. His novel Crum is a coming-of-age story. Maynard, a freelance writer for Readers' Digest lives in New Mexico and is working on his second novel.
Mays, Lee      Lee Mays is in love with words and is currently learning new ones in seven foreign languages as well as using his extensive English vocabulary in writing. The author of a number of books of poetry, including Worse Torse Vorse, a volume of limericks ribbing the inconsistencies of English spelling, he is a member of the WV Poetry Society and the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. He also belongs to the Mark Twain Society, the Filson Club (historical) and to Kiwanis International. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Osa, in Ribley, WV. (1968)
McNeill, Louise      McNeill was born near Marlinton, lived and taught in many West Virginia counties. Gauleyu Mountain and Elderberry Flood are two of her best-known books of poetry. McNeill, a gifted historian, is one of the state's longest-term Poet Laureates.
McKinney, Irene      Belington and Buckhannon. The Girl with the Stone in Her Lap; The Wasps at the Blue Hexagon; Quick Fire and Slow Fire; Six O'Clock Mine Report. Our current Poet Laureate teaches at West Virginia Wesleyan. Poetry and essays.
McPherson, James Lowell      Born in Charleston, McPherson moved to Connecticut after graduating from WVU. He holds the distinction of being a Poet Laureate with no published books of poetry and the only West Virginia Poet Laureate to publish a novel, Goodbye Rosie.
Milnes, Gerald      Now of Elkins. Milnes collected the rhymes, riddles and verses in Granny Will Your Dog Bite and Other Mountain Rhymes and is the author of Play of a Fiddle: Traditional Music, Dance, and Folklore in West Virginia. Milnes is associated with the Augusta Heritage Festival music program in Elkins.
Moore, Phyllis Wilson      Clarksburg. Researches the literary history of West Virginia. Her selected essays, poetry and book reviews are available in journals and anthologies such as Traditions: A Journal of Folk Culture and Educational Awaremess published by Fairmont State College and the West Virginia Humanities Council. She received the 1995 Denny G. Plattner Applachian Heritage Award for Written Excellence in Poetry.
Musick, Ruth Ann      Fairmont. Musick collected and published folktales of West Virginia: The Telltale Lilac Bush; Green Hills of Magic; Coffin Hollow. She wrote poetry, short stories and plays. The Goat Man is her most popular play. Fairmont State College is home to the Musick collection.
Myers, Karl Dewey      Hendricks. The Quick Years. As a child Myers developed physical problems and could not walk. He had no formal schooling but was "more learned than many college graduates" according to Phil M. Conley, editor of The West Virginia Review. Conley mounted a campaign to see Myers appointed first Poet Laureate of West Virginia (1927-1937).
Myers, Walter Dean      Martinsburg. Now Is Your Time: The African American Struggle for Freedon; At Her Majesty's Request: An African American Princess in Victorian England. Myers, a New Jersy resident, left Martinsburg around the age of three but returns to visit family and research his ancestors' slave experiences at a plantation near Martinsburg. Myers is the winner of five Coretta Scott King Awards and a Newbery Honor. He writes poetry, fiction and history.
Pancake, Breece      Milton. A stark collection, The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake, was published posthumously to national acclaim. The "why" of Pancake's suicide at the age of 26 remains a sad mystery. Success seemed eminent; he was near completion of his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia and his stories were being published by The Atlantic. Poetry and short stories.
Pedneau, Dave      Bluefield. Pedneaus bestselling crime novels have unique titles based on police jargon: D.O.A.; N.F.D. His background as reporter, columnist and magistrate court judge provided him materials.
Phillips, Jayne Anne      Buckhannon and Morgantown. Phillips is the author of Black Tickets and Fast Lanes, two widely anthologied collections of short stories. Her work is included in the 1980 O. Henry Award Prize Story Collection. Phillips' first novel Machine Dreams was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The roots of her fiction can be found in her early poetry Sweethearts.
Post, Melville Davisson      Romine Mills near Clarksburg. Post, a WVU graduate, is one of the state's most revered authors. He is the author of two well-known novels, Dwellers in the Hills and The Mountain School-Teacher. A short story is included in the 1919 O. Henry Award Prize Story Collection. His crime stories were bestsellers and hailed as unique.
Price, Eugenia      Charleston. Price lived most of her adult life on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The location inspired best-selling historical romances novels: Lighthouse; New Moon Rising; The Beloved Invader. Price is also the author of inspirational books and autobiography.
Rice, Otis      Hughestown. Rice has many history titles to his credit: Hatfields and the McCoys; West Virginia: A History; West Virginia: The State and Its People. He is currently advisor for the West Virginia Humanities Encyclopedia Project.
Rylant, Cynthia.      Born in Virginia, grew up in Cool Ridge and Beaver, and lives in Oregon. Her family traces its roots back to the coal camps of 1920s rural Alabama. Her grandfather, Ferrell, worked in the mines of Alabama and West Virginia for forty-two years. He died of "black lung" disease at age seventy-two. Her mother, Leatrel, and her grandmother, Elda, live near the mouth of a hollow in Cool Ridge, West Virginia, which has been home to them for nearly forty years. A graduate of Marshall University, Rylant is an inspiration to many authors. She thrives on writing and her honors are legion: 1993 Newbery Medal; 1987 Newbery Honor; 1983 National Book Award finialist. Genres: fiction, poetry, autobiography, and essays. Her first book When I Was Young in the Mountains, illustrated by Diane Goode, is a Caldecott Honor Book.
Settle, Mary Lee      Winner of the National Book Award in 1978 for Blood Tie a story of expatriates living in Turkey, Mary Lee Settle is best known as a novelist, but she has also been acclaimed for her other writings, including the autobiographical All the Brave Promises.
Smucker, Anna Egan      Anna Egan Smucker has been a children's librarian and a teacher as well as a writer. She served as the Writer-in-Residence for Harrison County Schools, West Virginia, 1990-1992. Currently she teaches Children's Literature at Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, WV. She has given presentations and conducted writing workshops for over 17,000 students and adults throughout West Virginia and the United States.
Suter, John F.      A research chemist for 36 years, John F. Sutter published A Break in the Film, his first mystery short story in 1953. It earned a special prize in the Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine of that year. Suter's later Boley and McKee stories, such as For a Coffin of Pine, are set in east central West Virginia. Born in Lancaster, PA, Suter has spent most of his life in West Virginia.
Thompson, Carlene      Carlene Thompson's Black for Remembrance (1991) is a chilling psychological thriller about the apparent return of a mother's murdered five-year-old daughter after a 20-year hiatus. Her later novels are All Fall Down and The Way You Look Tonight.
Trotter, Jo William, Jr.      A member of the history department at Carnegie Mellon University, is the author of Black Milwaukee: The making of an Industrial Proleariat, 1915-45; Coal, Class and Color: Blacks in Southern West Virginia, 1915-32.
Van Hook, Beverly      Always an avid reader, Beverly Van Hook decided to become a writer after reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women at age ten. She is a native of Huntington, West Virginia, and an honors graduate of Ohio University, Athens. Before beginning the Supergranny series in 1985 she was an award-winning newspaper and magazine journalist whose articles appeared in Readers' Digest, Family Circle, The Lion and other magazines. Six titles in her popular "Supergranny" series have been published and she is at work on an adult mystery. She and her husband are the parents of three grown children. They live in Charlottesville, Virginia and Chicago, Illinois...and have a bashful Old English sheepdog exactly like Shackleford in the Supergranny mysteries.
Van Tine, Warren      Warren is chairman of the history department at Ohio State University, author of The Making of the Labor Buearucrat and co-author of John L. Lewis: A Biography.
Ware, Clyde      Clyde Ware's career has been in motion pictures and television. The writer of countless TV scripts, he also produced two novels, The Innocents (1969) and The Eden Tree (1971).
Willis, Meredith Sue      A radical student activist in the late 1960s, Willis worked on thre novels--the "Blair Morgan" trilogy -- for more than a decade. Pror to that, she had published one novel, A Space Apart in 1979.

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