The Appalachian Echo Fall 2026

If you want to meet a real daughter of the mountains, talk to Renea Winchester. A self-described “fiercely literate Appalachian woman,” Renea specializes in spinning tales of the invisible women whose stories enrich the history of our region.

On September 5, 2026, Renea celebrated the release of her latest novel at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, North Carolina. With mountain farming in her blood, Renea likes to say she has “dirty hands and a clean heart.” That heart is unmistakable as she speaks of her work. Inspired by her grandmother’s story and her ancestral home, which now lies within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Renea devoted 15 years to honing The Mountains Remember—a deeply personal homage to our cherished land and the families who have called it home for generations.

The Mountains Remember

Sadie Bird lives in Shaconage, North Carolina, with Lazarus, a mixed-breed dog she rescued from the forest. Sadie supports herself by harvesting medicinal plants which she uses in her tonics and salves. Having recently buried her husband and children, Sadie is more worried about surviving the winter than the federal government's plan to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

When Bowman Marks, a government agent tasked with acquiring thousands of acres of land, arrives at Sadie's place, their initial meeting does not go well. Bowman secretly vows to acquire her land by any means necessary and soon presents an unacceptable offer to purchase.

In 1929, a woman without a husband is a woman without a voice. Forced to swallow her pride, Sadie asks for help from church members who had cast her out. She soon realizes that to help herself and her neighbors, she must take an active role in a lawsuit against the government filed by the timber baron who employed Sadie's husband.

“A testament to the courage it takes to fight against injustice, to hold onto land and memory, and to find hope where there seems to be none. This is historical fiction at its most intimate and powerful--where every tree, stone, and grave tells a story worth fighting for." --Robert Gwaltney, award-winning author of Sing Down the Moon and The Cicada Tree.

About the Author

Renea is a daughter of Appalachia who began her writing career in Georgia, where she penned several non-fiction works, including Farming, Friends & Fried Bologna Sandwiches (Mercer University Press), which was nominated for the prestigious SIBA award, earned Renea a Georgia Author of the Year, and received the endorsement from The Pulpwood Queens, the largest book club in the country. Renea is the recipient of the Wilma Dykeman Award, the Appalachian Writer’s Award, and the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for women who elevate the world.

Renea has served on the Atlanta Writers Board, Georgia Writers Association, and judges multiple literary awards. In April 2020, Firefly Southern Fiction released Outbound Train. Set in her hometown of Bryson City, North Carolina, in 1976, Outbound Train is a triumphant story of perseverance and hope despite the harshness of poverty. The novel released internationally titled, De l’autre côté des rails. Her latest novel, The Mountains Remember, was released on September 1, 2026.

Renea is passionate about literacy, Appalachian Heritage, preserving rare seeds, fiercely defending libraries, cultivating endangered plants, and meeting new friends.