Book about MTR receives Morehead State Award

by KFTC member Sue Tallichet

Catherine Pancake, noted author of "As Strange As This Weather Has Been,â€ received Morehead State University’s esteemed Thomas and Lillian D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing last month.

Published in 2007, this novel focuses on a southern West Virginia family devastated by mountaintop removal mining. Pancake is a native West Virginian who grew up in Romney and Summersville. Based on both interviews and actual events, "As Strange As this Weather Hs Beenâ€ was her first novel.

Pancake earned her bachelor’s,  Master’s and doctoral degrees in English from West Virginia University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Washington, respectively. She currently teaches at Pacific Lutheran University.

The Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing was established in 1996 to recognize excellence in Appalachian writing in all genres. Past winners include Erik Reece, Silas House, and Denise Giardina.