Tim Carmichael
Bio
Tim is an Appalachian poet and cookbook author. He writes about rural life, family, and the places he grew up around. His poetry and essays have appeared in Bloodroot and Coal Dust, his latest book.
Achievements (12)
Stories (280)
Filter by community
An Appalachian Winter Ritual
The hog killing always came after the first hard freeze, when the temperatures stayed low enough to keep meat from spoiling and the work could proceed without flies buzzing around the carcass. In the mountains of Western North Carolina, this usually meant late November or early December, though some years we waited until January if the weather stayed warm.
By Tim Carmichael2 months ago in Humans
The Uppermost Chamber. Runner-Up in The Forgotten Room Challenge.
The house on Ashford Lane had belonged to my uncle for thirty-seven years before his death, and in all that time so the servants say he had never once ascended to the uppermost chamber. Not once in all those long decades had he permitted his foot to fall upon the narrow staircase that wound its serpentine way to that sealed door. When I inherited the estate in the autumn of 1847, I thought little of this peculiarity. My uncle had been an eccentric man, prone to strange habits and stranger silences. That he should choose to abandon an entire room of his own house seemed merely another manifestation of his melancholic temperament.
By Tim Carmichael2 months ago in Fiction
’Tis the Season for Apple Stack Cake in Appalachia
Apple Stack Cake holds a special place in Appalachian food traditions. Often served during Thanksgiving and Christmas, this layered dessert reflects the ingenuity and resourcefulness of mountain cooks. Unlike typical cakes, Apple Stack Cake is made from several thin layers of cake stacked with a spiced apple filling. The layers are firm, more like a cookie than a soft sponge, and the filling made from apples, sugar, and warming spices softens the cake over time.
By Tim Carmichael2 months ago in Feast
