Appalachian Literature and the "red-headed Stepchild of Publishing": The Writings of Victor Depta and the Cultural Work of Independent Presses

Over the past couple of decades, Appalachian literature has developed a strong and close relationship with independent publishing, showing the latter to be an important medium for the expression for Appalachian voice. As the attempted consolidation of the book trade into a corporate, bottom-line oriented, high-profit industry minimizes the publication of books with mere "regional" appeal at the same time that the cultural products of Appalachia, as a region, continue to be marginalized through the continued deployment of stereotypes and attitudes of inferiority, Appalachian writers find it difficult to have their books published and distributed by major publishing houses. As a remedy to this problem, independent publishers are flourishing, and this thesis looks at the work of one prolific author/publisher in particular, Victor Depta, who exemplifies this phenomenon. The published work of Victor Depta crafts a new characterization of Appalachian, by its very defiance of the stereotypes that try to limit that characterization and prevent its voice from being heard.