Barbara Kingsolver (photo by David Wood)
Barbara Kingsolver is one of the world’s most renowned authors and makes her home in Washington County, Virginia, with her husband, Steven Hopp.
“We live in a century-old farmhouse. The desk where I write for long hours every day is in front of windows that look out on the woods of our mountainside. I’m occasionally distracted by the sight of passing deer or wild turkeys — once, a bear.
“We raise Icelandic sheep, poultry and vegetables on our farm. In addition to being an author, I am often called upon to plant tomatoes, pick beans or handle the emergency delivery of a breech lamb. I enjoy it all – mostly. Beyond the routines of farm work, one of my fondest pastimes is knitting sweaters from the wool of our own sheep.
“Steven and I have two adult daughters who live and work in this community, one as a therapist working with troubled kids, and one as a researcher with the American Chestnut Foundation. It’s probably the greatest happiness of my life that they share my appreciation for our region, with its beautiful land and people, and chose after college to come back here to live with their families and contribute their own talents to this place we all call home,” she says.
Kingsolver has published 16 books and multiple essays, articles and poems during her career. Her most recent book is a collection of poetry, “How to Fly in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons,” which was named the Poetry Book of the Month by The Guardian. She is working on a new novel set in Southwest Virginia. Her work has been translated into two dozen languages. The list of her awards is long and includes The American Library Association Award, The Orange Prize for Fiction and the National Humanities Medal. She became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in May.
Oprah Winfrey chose Kingsolver’s “The Poisonwood Bible” along with Elie Wiesel’s “Night” and John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” as one of the 10 works of literature that mattered to her most. Kingsolver’s work is read widely across the world. In 2012 Emory & Henry College’s Literary Festival honoring Appalachian writers highlighted her contributions.
Although she has global appeal, Kingsolver is fully grounded in her home in Southwest Virginia – a home that inspires her writing. “Prodigal Summer” and “Flight Behavior” share her mountain home with the world. “Prodigal Summer” is a hymn to wildness that celebrates the prodigal spirit of human nature and nature itself. It weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives amid the mountains and farms of southern Appalachian. “Flight Behavior”explores how the complexities we inevitably encounter in life lead us to believe in our particular chosen truths.
Kingsolver doesn’t just live in a small town now, she was born in one in rural Kentucky.
“I grew up in a very small town without access to museums or concerts or anything like that, so I wasn’t especially aware of ‘the arts’ as a part of life. But we had a library, and I discovered very early that books were windows into the whole world. I read everything I could get my hands on, but especially novels, because they invited me into other lives, other places, even other times. I didn’t know any writers, of course, but even as a child, it seemed to me that writing books would be the most beautiful, valuable work a person could do,” she says.
Kingsolver’s commitment to social justice can be seen not only in her work, but in her support of other writers. Her Bellwether Prize for Fiction, now called the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, has become the nation’s largest prize for an unpublished first novel. Many of the newly discovered literary voices associated with this award have come to Abingdon, Virginia, to share their work under the auspices of the Friends of the Washington County Public Library.
“She is a compassionate and involved member of our community who nurtures, advocates and celebrates the literary arts. Both her literary presence in our region and in the broader world contribute to the art scene in the Tri-Cities,” says Dr. Felicia Mitchell, poet and English professor retired from Emory & Henry College.
“My career has taken me all over the world and introduced me to people from every walk of life: I have sat down and broken bread with artists, scientists, African villagers, American Presidents and British royalty. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. But the most important place to me is home. I’m proud to be a Southwest Virginia farm girl. Rural people, and Appalachians in particular, are not very well represented in mainstream culture, so I consider it my most important life’s work to write about our kind of life, our challenges, our gifts and our grace. I want to represent my people in a clear, honest, loving light. So, it means the world to me to be honored in my own community. Thank you,” Kingsolver says.
