Hickory, NC – Redhawk Publications proudly announces the release of “Appalachian Grit Lit Anthology,” edited by award-winning Hickory author Rhonda Browning White. This compelling collection features thirteen stories from renowned Appalachian writers, including North Carolina’s Ron Rash, Tim Peeler, Robert Morgan, Andrew K. Clark, and White herself. Additional contributors include screenwriter and filmmaker William Bitner, along with award-winning authors Susan Tekulve, Steven Dunn, Marie Manilla, Mark Brazaitis, David C. Dickson, Matthew McEver, and Cheryl Russell.

Through these stories, White assembles a diverse chorus of voices that depict the complexity, resilience, and spirit of Appalachia. She observes that readers might find a sense of recognition—seeing people they know and love, recognizing home, or even seeing themselves reflected in these stories. For White, the “grit” woven into these narratives symbolizes “stalwart strength in the face of failure, rebuilding after ruin, giving grace, and facing fears,” an ethos deeply rooted in Appalachian life.

This theme runs throughout the anthology. As author Marlin Barton notes, White skillfully challenges stereotypes about Appalachia, ultimately providing a mirror that lets readers—regardless of where they live—see themselves in these stories.

White’s debut novel, “Filling the Big Empty,” was published by Redhawk Publications in November 2025 and has already been shortlisted for several awards, including Southern Literary Review’s 2025 Appalachian Book of the Year. Her short-story collection, “The Lightness of Water & Other Stories,” won the 2019 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and has been honored with the Sterling Watson Fellowship and the Les Standiford Scholarship from Eckerd College’s Writers in Paradise in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Alongside her literary work, White serves as Area Practice Manager for Piedmont Nephrology & Hypertension Associates in Hickory and Morganton, North Carolina.

“Appalachian Grit Lit Anthology” will be available through major booksellers or online at https://tinyurl.com/AppalachianGritLit