Gurney Norman (born 1937) is an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, documentarian, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Biography

Gurney Norman was born in

Grundy, Virginia Grundy is a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, Buchanan County, Virginia, United States, an area located within the Appalachian Mountains region. It is the county seat of Buchanan County. The town is home to the Appalachian School of Law. The popu ...

, in 1937. He grew up in the southern

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

and was raised alternately by his maternal grandparents in

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virg ...

and his paternal grandparents in Eastern Kentucky in several towns, but primarily in the small community of Allais, near Hazard, in Perry County. He attended Stuart Robinson School in

Letcher County, Kentucky Letcher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,548. Its county seat is Whitesburg. The county, founded in 1842, is named for Robert P. Letcher, Governor of Kentucky from 1840 t ...

, from 1946 to 1955. Norman attended the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

from 1955 to 1959, graduating with a degree in journalism and English. In 1960, he received a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Creative Writing at Stanford University where he studied with literary critic

Malcolm Cowley Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), his lyrical memoir, ''Exile's Return ...

and the Irish short story writer Frank O'Connor After Stanford, Norman spent two years in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

. He returned to eastern

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

in 1963 to work as a reporter for his hometown newspaper, '' The Hazard Herald''. Leaving newspaper work to concentrate on his fiction writing, Norman took a job with the U.S. Forest Service as a fire lookout in the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

in the summers of 1966 and 1967. In 1971, his novel '' Divine Right's Trip'' was published in '' The Last Whole Earth Catalog'' and subsequently by the Dial Press and Bantam Books. Norman was one of the founders of the Briarpatch Network in 1974, with Richard Raymond and Michael Phillips. In 1977, his book of short stories ''Kinfolks'', which received

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every a ...

's Weatherford Award, was published by Gnomon Press. In 1979, Norman joined the faculty of the

as an associate professor of English. He served as Director of the English Department's Creative Writing Program from 2000 to 2014. In 1996 his work as a fiction writer, filmmaker, and cultural advocate was honored at the Fifteenth Annual

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

Literary Festival, which celebrates significant writers in the Appalachian region. In 2002 he was honored by the Eastern Kentucky Leadership Conference for outstanding contribution to the advancement of regional arts and culture. In 2007 the Appalachian Studies Association awarded Norman the Helen M. Lewis Community Service Award, which recognizes exemplary contributions to Appalachia through involvement with and service to its people and communities. He serves as Senior Writer-in-Residence at

Hindman Settlement School Hindman Settlement School is a settlement school located in Hindman, Kentucky in Knott County. Established in 1902, it was the first rural settlement school in America.

's annual Appalachian Writers Workshop. Norman was selected to serve as the 2009–2010

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was officially installed as Laureate on April 24, 2009. On May 8, 2011, Norman was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Berea College. On February 13, 2019, he was inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, which recognizes distinguished Kentucky writers whose work reflects the state's rich literary heritage. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Writing

'' Divine Right's Trip'' follows DR Davenport and Estelle, a pair of hippie stoners who leave

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

for eastern Kentucky, where they settle on a farm raising rabbits. The novel was originally serialized in '' The Last Whole Earth Catalog''. ''Kinfolks'' is a book of short stories concerning young Wilgus Collier and his relationships with his family members. ''Ancient Creek'' is a satirical folktale about a rebellion by mountain people against an absurd and oppressive king in a mythical American region.

Filmography

As writer and presenter

* 1987 - ''Time on the River'' - A historical look at the important role the Kentucky River played in the settlement of the state. KET production. * 1989 - ''From This Valley'' - Explores the Big Sandy region of Eastern Kentucky, including its trails, people, history, and literary heritage. KET production. * 1991 - ''Wilderness Road'' - Retraces the route of the famous pioneer trail from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Boonesborough, Kentucky. KET production.

Based on Norman's work

* 2000 - ''The Wilgus Stories'' - Dramatization of three Norman short stories--"Fat Monroe," "Night Ride" and "Maxine"—by filmmaker Andrew Garrison.

Publications

Fiction

* ''Book One From Crazy Quilt: A Novel in Progress'' (Monterey, KY: Larkspur Press), 1990. * ''Divine Right's Trip: A Folk-Tale'' (New York: Dial Press), 1972. * ''Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories'' (Frankfort, KY: Gnomon Press), 1977. * ''Ancient Creek: A Folktale'' (Lexington, KY: Old Cove Press), 2012.

Nonfiction

* ''An American Vein: Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature'' with Danny Miller and Sharon Hatfield (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press), 2005. * ''Confronting Appalachian Stereotypes: Back Talk from an American Region'' with Dwight B. Billings and Katherine Ledford (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky), 1999.

References

External links

Faculty page from the University of Kentucky
from Appalachian Books

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Gurney 1937 births Living people People from Grundy, Virginia 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Appalachian writers Novelists from Virginia University of Kentucky alumni Writers from Lexington, Kentucky People from Perry County, Kentucky Poets Laureate of Kentucky American male short story writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets American male poets 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Kentucky