Laughter in Appalachia : Southern Mountain Humor

As you chuckle through these tales you find the thread of self-effacing, good-natured warmth that characterizes Appalachia. -Southern Living

From the people of the Appalachian Mountains comes a special brand of humor: dry, colorful and earthy, aimed sometimes at the hillbilly's own foibles, but often at the outside world's pretenses, too.

As longtime fans of and contributors to Appalachian lore, Jones and Wheeler collected the material for this popular and timeless volume at the Festival of Appalachian Humor sponsored by the Appalachian Center at Berea College. Includes jokes and yarns on such topics as hunting, lawyers and doctors, alcohol, and religion, along with essays on the nature and origins of humor. This hilarious collection based in Appalachia America will teach readers the importance of resourcefulness, trustworthiness and respect.

Loyal Jones Bio:

Jones was born in Marble, Cherokee County, and lived there until he was 12, when his family moved to Brasstown in Clay County. “We were farmers, living on rented land,” he said. One of eight children, Jones served a brief stint in the Navy after high school, and then worked as a farmer and horse trainer before enrolling as an undergraduate at Berea College. Jones began writing in college, but did not publish until several years later. He has been a prolific writer with literally dozens of published articles concerning Appalachian culture and its people to his credit. One characteristic of Jones' writing is optimism about the resiliency of mountain people and their culture, says Ron Eller, former director of the Appalachian Center at the University of Kentucky. Jones' message has been that Appalachia should be judged by its own core values - family, land, traditionalism - rather than by more mainstream values of accumulation, wealth and power, Eller said. “In many ways, he represents the best of Appalachia, the part of Appalachian society that values people for what they really are.” In his years of writing and speaking about the region, Jones has become one of its best-known and best-loved figures. In addition to the numerous articles he has written about Appalachia, he has also authored nine books, including multiple volumes on regional humor.

Billy Edd Wheeler Bio:

Billy Edd Wheeler was born on December 9, 1932. Wheeler graduated from Warren Wilson College in 1953, and Berea College in 1955. After service as a student pilot in the Navy, he served as Alumni Director of Berea College, and from 1961 to 1962 he attended the Yale School of Drama, majoring in playwriting. Wheeler is an American songwriter, performer, writer, and visual artist.