Kentucky has produced a new, great writer who has burst upon the literary scene like Minerva springing full-panoplied from the head of Zeus. His name is Silas House.

At age 32, the quiet and likeable young man who grew up in a house trailer in Lily, Kentucky, between London and Corbin, is, already our state’s favorite writer, according to a 2003 poll by "Kentucky Monthly."

His professional recognition testifies to his writing skills. Last year, he received the Kentucky Literary Award for Best Novel, the James Still Award for Special Achievement, the Chaffin Award for Literature, and two Foreward Magazine Bronze Awards. He is currently nominated for the Southern Book Critics Circle Prize, the William Saroyan International Prize for Literature, and two Pushcart Prizes.

Most successful writers have a special topic that has become a part of their literary identity. For example, Billy C. Clark writes about Appalachian river life. Jesse Stuart wrote about farm life and education. Wendell Berry has made his mark as an environmental spokesman, although, like most great writers, he’s much more than that. Cratis Williams helped to define Appalachia and her people. Allan Eckert writes about frontier life.

Silas House gives a voice to today’s, hard-working, rural Appalachian people, and he writes with a sure knowledge of his subject. Before he became a literary sensation, he was a mail carrier in Laurel County. His mother worked in an elementary school cafeteria and his father was a factory worker. He met his wife, Teresa, in 1988 when they worked together at a steakhouse in Corbin, where Silas was a cook and Teresa was a waitress.

House’s first novel, "Clay’s Quilt," is a real, honest compelling story. Young Clay Sizemore’s mother was killed when he was four years old and he finds himself alone in a small Appalachian mining town, where he is raised by his mother’s sister and her family. Read this book, and you will see and feel Clay Sizemore’s world of Free Creek, and discover how Clay’s friends and family help him create a quilt of life from the treasured pieces that surround him

In 2001, Algonquin Press published "Clay’s Quilt." The following year it was released in paperback by Ballantine.

In 2002, Algonquin published his second novel "A Parchment of Leaves," and last year Ballantine produced a paperback edition.

This fall, "The Coal Tattoo," a prequel to "Clay’s Quilt" will be published by Algonquin.

Personally, Silas reminds me of Jim Wayne Miller and Cratis Williams, for he is likeable, fun to be around, very unpretentious, and loyal to his friends, his family, and his Appalachian homeland.

This year Silas accepted a position in the English Department at his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University, because he wants to "give something back" to his home area.

As a writer, Silas excels at capturing the voice of his people and his generation, like Billy C. Clark, Jesse Stuart, and Janice Holt Giles before him.

Silas House’s books are available at the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore, 1645 Winchester Avenue, in downtown Ashland.

"Clay’s Quilt" will be the subject for our next Regional Reader’s discussion, Tuesday, July 27, 5:45 - 7:00 pm. Mark your calendar now and please plan to join us.

Thanks to all who supported and attended our recent used furniture sale. We still have several dozen items remaining, including some very nice, used office furniture. You’re welcome to examine them during our regular business hours, Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm.