Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment: Appalachian Women's Literacies

In "Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment," Erica Abrams Locklear blends literacy studies with literary criticism to analyze the central female characters in the works of Harriette Simpson Arnow, Linda Scott DeRosier, Denise Giardina, and Lee Smith. She shows how these authors deftly overturn stereotypes of an illiterate Appalachia by creating highly literate characters, women who not only cherish the power of words but also push the boundaries of what literacy means. "Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment "includes in-depth interviews with Linda Scott DeRosier and Lee Smith, making this an insightful study of an important literary genre.