Yonder Mountain
An Ozarks Anthology
Edited by Anthony Priest
The Ozarks writers featured in this compilation, much like those writing about the Appalachian Mountains back east, represent an important paradigm shift, one that generally emphasizes change and diversity. While the authors point to distinctive traits of Ozarks life and culture, their stories transcend localism and regionalism and, for better or worse, speak to the broader human experience.
Most of the anthology’s works … embody a newer and more sober depiction of the region and its people, one that engages real change, confusion, complexities and contradictions.
Themes of diversity, change, tragedy and perseverance pervade Yonder Mountain.
Yonder Mountain is a must-read for anyone interested in the Ozarks. It also stands as a model for how regional literature can tell local stories that appeal to and say more to us about the broader human condition—beyond place and regionalism.
—J. Blake Perkins in Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies, December 2013