A Panel Discussion on Vernacular Speech with Poet Melissa Range

Winona State University

Winona State University (WSU) professors Andrew Higl, Jim Armstrong, Ditlev Larson, and Brooke Boulton talk with poet Melissa Range about the use of vernacular speech in literature. Range grew up in Eastern Tennessee and often uses Appalachian English in her work. The panel delves into the political and cultural aspects of the vernacular, including a discussion of particular Appalachian idioms and the class assumptions that many people make when they are confronted with vernacular speech. Range reads several of her poems by way of example.