(Note: I am the host of a sporadically-released podcast called West Virginia Writers Podcast, the official podcast of West Virginia Writers, Inc. )
The writer Lee Maynard passed away on June 16, 2017, in New Mexico. He was an notorious son of the Appalachian literary scene due to his less than flattering depiction of growing up in West Virginia in his novel Crum—infamously banned from sale at Tamarack. For all of the sex, violence, and combustion of outhouses Crum depicts, however, it remains a beautiful novel and a love letter to West Virginia. It speaks volumes about the power of place, family, and friendship in our lives—strange and bewildering and infuriating as those things may sometimes be.
For the past 15 years, Lee has been a regular presenter at the WV Writers Summer Conference, often accompanied by his friend and collaborator Pops Walker.
In this episode of the WV Writers Podcast, we talk to Pops himself about Lee and his work. Also included are Lee’s previous podcast appearances, including a recording of one of Lee’s readings with Pops Walker, a resonant interview he did with Cat Pleska in 2009, and other recorded material.
If you’ve not read Lee Maynard’s work, I highly recommend starting with Crum as well as his memoir in fiction The Pale Light of Sunset: Scattershots and Hallucinations in an Imagined Life.
TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 76
LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST
- “The Maynard I Knew” a belated eulogy by Pops Walker
- “Shenandoah River Songfest 2012” by Lee Maynard
- Lee Maynard JUG Award Ceremony
- Lee and Pops at the WV Writers Conference
- Crum: The Audiobook (by Mountain Whispers)
BOOKS BY LEE MAYNARD
- Crum
- Screaming with the Cannibals
- The Scummers
- The Pale Light of Sunset: Scattershots and Hallucinations in an Imagined Life
- Cinco Becknell
- Magnetic North