The One Who Left
Abstract
I’m from near Grayson, in Carter County, in eastern Kentucky, in Appalachia, but left after college. This thesis examines aspects of my relationship to Appalachia through a set of essays, each of which addresses some aspect of my experience. In compiling the essays, I realized that most of scenes happened along roads, and that the roads could be thought of as memory palaces. The essays are loosely organized by the road they occurred along. There are two main sections: Hitchins Road, with essays mostly about my life through high school, and The Gravel Road, with essays about my experiences on my grandparents’ farm.
Description
This thesis has been embargoed for 10 years. It will not be available until April 2031 at the earliest.
Keywords
Memoir, Appalachia, Eastern Kentucky, Farm, Essays