Dream Big. Dream Write.
Appalachia Girl Dreaming
75 Young Women. 7 Counties. One Appalachian Story.
Seventy-five young women participated in the Appalachia Girl Dreaming program developed by Dr. Jacqueline Hamilton, Executive Director of Why We Write. They came from seven counties in Appalachian Kentucky to learn about women who changed the mountains—emotionally and educationally—through their writings and their work.
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Seven Months of Story, Song, and Self-Discovery
Besides learning the stories of strong women, participants sang, created art, learned poetic techniques, and studied the poetry in brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.
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A Pencil Grows in Kentucky
The stories they learned and the poetry they wrote will be published in September 2025 in a book titled A Pencil Grows in Kentucky.
Preface features Wendell Berry's poem "How to Be A Poet (to remind myself)"
The book includes an section on Affrilachia and Kentucky Affrilachian writer Crystal Wilkinson.
Appalachian Heroines Who Blazed the Trail
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The young women of Appalachia Girl Dreaming studied the lives and legacies of Kentucky Appalachian heroines—women whose words and work shaped the soul of the mountains.
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Cora Wilson Stewart (1875–1958) lit the hills with her Moonlight Schools, bringing literacy to countless lives.
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Effie Waller Smith (1879–1960) wrote and published poetry with grace and strength as the first Black Appalachian poet.
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Jean Bell Thomas (1881–1982) preserved mountain music and staged its performance with flair and fierce devotion.
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Ollie “Widow” Combs (1904–1999) stood in protest, blocking bulldozers with grit and a mountain-born love for the land.
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Harriette Arnow (1908-1986) wrote about the struggles of Appalachia Women, particularly in her unparalleled novel The Doll Maker.
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Verna Mae Slone (1914–2009) quilted her stories, stitching pride into her words and guarding the spirit of Appalachia.
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​Jean Ritchie (1922-2015) gained international fame by playing the mountain dulcimer as well as singing old ballads and the new songs she wrote.
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