Historian, journalist, playwright and performance artist Jeff Biggers has created a number of written works that highlight Appalachian culture and the impact of mountaintop removal mining. His “Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland” shares the devastation his family experienced when they lost their 200-year-old homestead to strip mining, and it expands to show parallels with communities throughout the region. “The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America” shares insight into the complex individuals and societies that make up Appalachia’s history. Today, Biggers serves as the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Iowa’s Office of Sustainability, and his work has won numerous awards including the David Brower Award for Environmental Reporting and the Plattner Award for Appalachian Literature.
