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Manly Wade Wellman: a Writer for the Ageless Hills

Manly Wade Wellman’s ‘Silver John’ stories stand out among the few works of fantasy fiction penned about the Appalachian region.

‘Appalachian Bestiary’ presents stories of fantastical creatures—snipes, belled buzzards, hoop snakes—from the region’s folklore.

Mountain folk use the stripes on the woolly worm to predict winter’s path. Black stripes predict cold/snowy weather, brown stripes, milder.

Mrs. Riddle raises and sells vegetables, and keeps bees, but the real business of the family is raising beef cattle.

“Is that so?” I inquired. “Yes, I’m supplyin’ at a country church on a Sunday,” he replied modestly, as he continued his hair cutting.

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