Frank Kilgore's Literary Legacy
As the proud publishers of Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard and Photographic Journey, we're honored to serve as a home for Frank Kilgore's books with us and other publishers. We intend to keep his literary legacy alive for many years to come.
Frank published Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard Journey with Katharine Shearer of Clinch Mountain Press in 2004. This 176 page book featured over 250 historical postcard images from all around the coalfields region of Virginia.
The book sold very well, and it's still sought out by railroad enthusiasts for the striking cover image and many others within.
2006 brought The Clinch River: A World-Class Treasure with Stacy Fowler Horton, published by Mountain Heritage, Inc. Distributed for free to ninth-graders around the region as part of Virginia's Standards of Learning curriculum, this science and environmental textbook also provided information about vital resources for conservation.
The Virginia Headwaters of the Big Sandy River: A Story of Revitalization and Nature's Resilience followed in 2008. This time around, Frank served as editor while Spiral Publishing's own Kari Kilgore was co-author with Lu Ellsworth. While the focus shifted to the neighboring Big Sandy watershed, this science textbook was equally well-received by area high school students and teachers.
We of course have deep affection for 2014's greatly expanded Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard and Photographic Journey, and not only because it was Spiral Publishing's first published title! Both Kari Kilgore and Jason A. Adams have drawn fictional inspiration from over 1,000 photos and postcards in its 320 color pages, and other authors have as well.
In 2022, Frank teamed up with Fake Hillbilly Publishing for J.D. Vance Is a Fake Hillbilly: Think Twice Before Calling (All) Coalfield Appalachians Racists, Sexists, and Ignoramuses. The book did well in its initial release, and it vaulted to bestseller status in light of recent news.
Frank's no-holds-barred response to that other book continues to strike a chord with proud Appalachians and everyone who wants to learn the truth about an unfairly maligned region.
For 2024's The History and Culture of Coalfields Southwest Virginia from our friends at Coalfields Publishing, Frank started with much of the material from J.D. Vance Is a Fake Hillbilly and expanded upon it. He added more of a focus on our region's best and brightest, along with more information about natural history.
In keeping with his wishes, this ebook will be offered for free to area high schools and colleges.
While that's already quite a literary legacy, another book featuring Frank's recollections of his childhood and adult adventures is on the way! We'll keep you updated as that fun and fascinating project takes shape.