West Virginia University Press is introducing Sounding Appalachia, a new book series that documents the many rich traditions of music-making in Appalachia, including gospel, blues, country, old-time, jazz, and classical music, among many others.

Presenting high-quality scholarship that is written for the general reader, “Sounding Appalachia” will capture the vibrancy and cultural diversity of Appalachian musical practices with an ear for those stories that challenge our prevailing understandings of the region, its people, and their music.

The “Sounding Appalachia” series will be of interest to the community of Appalachian music enthusiasts; the community of Appalachian music scholars, and to a broader extent, American music scholars; and Appalachians who have a strong interest in regional history and culture. These books will represent the diversity of writers who are currently working to document and tell others about music-making in Appalachia. As such, the series editor will work diligently to recruit authors from a variety of disciplinary and methodological backgrounds and will embrace the work of seasoned scholars as well as strong writers who do not possess academic credentials.

Series editor Travis D. Stimeling notes, “The books in the�’Sounding Appalachia’�series are designed for a general audience because we want readers to engage with the latest and most interesting scholarship about the musics of Appalachia.

“The series will also cultivate the voices of emerging scholars who are conducting powerful research that allows us to have an even deeper understanding of the sounds that have resonated from the mountains of this region. Through the�’Sounding Appalachia’�series, it is my hope that we will be able to develop an even stronger sense of place and help to encourage further investment in the scholarship, preservation, and dissemination of our region’s many musical cultures.”

About the series editor:

Travis Stimeling is an assistant professor of music history at WVU. He is the author of�”Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene”�(Oxford University Press, 2011 and the editor of the�”Country Music Reader”�(Oxford University Press, 2014) and�”The Oxford Handbook of Country Music”�(Oxford University Press, forthcoming).

To learn more about this series and WVU Press, visit wvupress.com. For updates on books and events, follow WVU Press on Twitter (@wvupress), Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest or join our mailing list on wvupress.com.

-WVU-

10/9/15

CONTACT: Abby Freeland, Marketing Manager, WVU Press
304 293-6188, abby.freeland@mail.wvu.edu

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