Renea Winchester Writes About Hardscrabble Southern Appalachia and the Strong Women Who Survive in “Outbound Train”
Podcast: Download (Duration: 34:58 — 32.2MB)
In this episode 149, we meet Renea Winchester, author of the novel, “Outbound Train.”
Bestselling author Michael Morris says: “Renea Winchester writes about the people of the hardscrabble south with compassion and conviction. Her debut novel, Outbound Train, is an inspiring story of three generations of women who not only seek to survive a life of poverty in Appalachia but also dare to dream. With pitch-perfect dialogue and believable characters, Winchester has crafted a story that will make readers stand up and cheer.”
And New York Times bestselling author Julie Cantrell calls the book “a powerful tale of heartache and healing delivered with the skills of a true southern storyteller.”
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About the Author:
Renea Winchester is an award-winning author of several works of non-fiction including Farming, Friends & Fried Bologna Sandwiches (Mercer University Press). Her debut novel, Outbound Train, (Firefly Southern Fiction, April 2020), debuted at #22 in Southern Fiction. She is the winner of the Wilma Dykeman Award for excellence in Appalachian writing.
Renea Winchester was born in Bryson City, North Carolina and lived in Atlanta for two decades before returning home. She lives on a farm in the Westernn North Carolina Mountains where she tends a crop of critters and a mountain of medicinal plants.
As a descendant of those who were displaced to form the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Renea is passionate about Appalachian Heritage, preserving rare seeds, cultivating endangered plants and educating others about the healing power of plants. She leads writing workshops, and teaches continuing education classes on plant medicine. She believes water sustains life and that everyone has a right to clean drinking water. She has never met a critter she didn’t like, or a snake she didn’t fear.
She is a passionate cheerleader of libraries and a strong supporter of independent bookstores.
Other Endorsements for the Book
Renea Winchester’s storytelling is as real and authentically Southern as the clear water music of an Appalachian creek and the song of Cicadas on a front porch summer evening.
Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Before We Were Yours and Before and After
Renea Winchester writes with all of her heart and soul and we are the luckier for it. She had me rooting from the start for the three generations of fierce and admirable “make-do girls” from the Parker family; her rich storytelling keeps the pages turning in this tale of determination and steadfast love.
Lynn Cullen, Bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and The Sisters of Summit Avenue
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