Appalachian Heritage features Cherokees

Magazine shines light on Cherokee writers

B. Lynne HarlanLast weekend, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian hosted a reading and autograph session for the fall 2009 edition of Appalachian Heritage magazine. The magazine is published by Berea College and edited by George Brosi.

George lived near Cherokee for many years and has always been a friend to our people.

The featured writer is Robert Conley, currently the Sequoyah Professor at Western Carolina University. The edition also features the artwork of Sean Ross, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. More than 20 Eastern Band members contributed work as diverse as traditional stories, Cherokee language stories, fiction and poetry.

The work is important in many ways, but perhaps most important is that it features works in the Cherokee language. Very few original writings were published in the Cherokee language during the 20th century. For those learning the Cherokee language, access to writing is limited, and to have another place to enjoy our language is important.Comment:  For more on Cherokee writers, see The Best Indian Books.