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60-538: Giardina was born October 25, 1951, in Bluefield, West Virginia , and grew up in the small coal mining camp of Black Wolf , located in rural McDowell County, West Virginia , and later in Kanawha County , where she graduated from high school. Like the rest of the community, her family's survival was dependent upon the prosperity of the mine. Giardina's grandfather and uncles worked underground and her father kept

120-547: A Masters of Divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia , in 1979, was ordained as an Episcopal deacon, and returned to lead a church in the area of West Virginia where she grew up. However, she soon found herself in a conflict with superiors in the church due to her criticism of the coal companies, and left within a year. She moved to Washington, D.C., where she joined

180-638: A chapter to each of the writer and activist's novels, examining them from three perspectives: Regional, political, and theological. He analyzes her use of history and writing technique, as well as delving into the themes of significance in each of her works. He concludes that though her writing is largely informed by her own religious beliefs, Giardina never provides theological answers to the issues raised in her very political fiction; rather, she pushes both characters and readers to confront and wrangle with ever more complex and challenging moral and philosophical questions. Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield

240-565: A citizens' group fighting strip mining . She moved to Durham, North Carolina , while still working on the novel, got a bookstore job, and studied with novelist Laurel Goldman at Duke University . The class helped Giardina recognize the value of what she had been doing intuitively and gave her the confidence to teach writing. Another parallel between her characters and herself was the idea of needing to leave home in order to gain perspective on it. having spent some time away while writing about West Virginia, Giardina moved back to Charleston, and took

300-422: A class with visiting novelist George Garrett , who helped with revisions and also recommended Giardina to agent Jane Gelfman, who sold the novel to Aaron Asher at Harper & Row. Harry was published in 1984. Despite positive reviews, the novel sold poorly. Denise Giardina also wrote guest columns for The Charleston Gazette and submitted pieces to The Washington Post . Her next novel, Storming Heaven ,

360-759: A course in Virginia and West Virginia fiction. Giardina lives in Charleston and taught at West Virginia State University until 2015. In 2007 she was reinstated as an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church. Her papers , including notebooks, artifacts, correspondence, manuscripts, and family photos are held in the Archives & Manuscripts at West Virginia University 's West Virginia & Regional History Center . The Mountain Party of West Virginia

420-506: A difficult man." Both books contain union organizers more committed to their cause than their lovers. Bonhoeffer, her next main character in Saints and Villains , also fits that pattern: "I guess in none of my books are the personal relationships real easy." Giardina also drew on local histories, childhood memories and even people she met in eastern Kentucky , where she lived in a "hovel" while writing The Unquiet Earth and also volunteering for

480-526: A job teaching at West Virginia State University . Both feeling more at home and experiencing more financial security, she began to work on her next novel, 1999's Saints and Villains . The book is a fictionalized retelling of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer , a German Lutheran pastor who opposed fascism, became involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler and was hanged by the Nazis for his theological principles. The novel dwells upon moral decisions, most notably

540-418: A little bit New York, and a whole lot of Pittsburgh" —rugged and with steel and coal embedded in its soul. The coal boom generated a flood of money in the area. Nearby Bramwell , incorporated in 1888, boasted that it was the "Millionaires' Town" because more millionaires per capita lived there than anywhere in the nation. The city also had more automobiles per capita than any other city in the country. In 1889,

600-406: A maximum of at least 90 °F (32 °C) or greater maxima, 1.3 days of minima at or below 0 °F (−18 °C), and 23 days where the maximum does not rise above freezing. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was 99 °F (37 °C), set on July 28, 1952, and August 9, 1957, with the coldest temperature at −25 °F (−32 °C), set on December 30, 1917. As of

660-502: A more liberal religious setting later, her early church experience inculcated Giardina with basic values of charity and fairness that reinforced her mother's lessons on justice and tolerance. Her mother herself was not a fundamentalist, though many other family members and most of the surrounding community were, including Giardina's only brother. In 2004 Giardina was the Writer-In-Residence at Hollins University and taught

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720-519: A peace campaign and lived communally with some radical Christians in an inner city outpost. This is when she began writing her first novel, Good King Harry . She later moved back to rural West Virginia for a while, then took a job as a congressional aide in Charleston . The novel eventually sold to Harper and Row , and was published in 1984. As a political activist Giardina participated in and wrote about Appalachian labor-capital conflicts, including

780-412: A second consecutive term in office, but was defeated by Democratic U.S. Representative Bob Wise . Concurrently, the state voted for the opposite party federally, choosing Republican nominee, George W. Bush over Democratic nominee Al Gore in the presidential election that year. To date, this is the last time in which an incumbent West Virginia Governor lost re-election. Governor Cecil Underwood

840-444: A small group of resisting miners working to create a fledgling union. The mining camp Giardina spent her childhood in was less than 100 miles from Blair Mountain and served as the model for the town of Winco in the novel. Giardina's 1992 novel, The Unquiet Earth , also explores life in the coalfields of West Virginia from the 1930s into the 1980s. Both novels follow characters either fighting or accommodating King Cole, are written from

900-707: A small village with a mill, a church, a one-room schoolhouse, and a fort for defending the settlement against invasions by the Shawnee tribe, which had a village on the banks of the Bluestone River . In 1882, the descendants of the Davidson and Bailey families sold a portion of their land, when Captain John Fields of the Norfolk and Western Railway pioneered the area and began building a new railroad through

960-549: A theological writer. Giardina became interested in the Appallachian tradition of storytelling at an early age, and this oral literary heritage of the mountains informed much of her later work. Giardina began working on her first novel, Good King Harry , while living in Washington, D.C. She completed the book, told in the first-person voice of King Henry V , after returning to West Virginia. Unable to sell it, she took

1020-490: Is "nature's air conditioned city, where the summer spends the winter." Jazz musician Louis Jordan 's song "Salt Pork, W.Va." was inspired by his time in a Bluefield jail. The song " Sweet Georgia Brown " was co-written by Maceo Pinkard , a native of Bluefield. Bluefield is mentioned in the Stylistics ' 1973 song Rockin' Roll Baby as the birthplace of Little Joe. A controversy exists over whether or not Hank Williams

1080-522: Is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia , United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census . It is the principal city of the Bluefield micropolitan area extending into Virginia , which had a population of 106,363 in 2020. The European-American history of Bluefield began in the 18th century, when the Davidson and Bailey families settled in a rugged and remote part of what is now southern West Virginia. Others joined them, and they built

1140-555: Is a mountain city with a warm-summer humid continental climate ( Dfb ) bordering on subtropical highland climate or temperate oceanic climate ( Cfb ), due to its elevation. It is characterized by moderately cold, snowy winters and pleasantly warm to hot summers. The normal monthly mean daily temperature ranges from 31.9 °F (−0.1 °C) in January to 70.3 °F (21.3 °C) in July; on average, there are only 2.5 days with

1200-936: Is played at Mitchell Stadium , the home field of both schools. Bluefield is also home to the East River Soccer Complex which has five fields and hosts local high school and college soccer games. The Southern West Virginia King's Warriors of the USL PDL began to play their home games at the East River Soccer Complex in 2014 before dissolving in 2017. Bluefield is also the home of the Rough and Rowdy Brawl, an amateur boxing tournament owned by Barstool Sports and broadcast on pay per view via its website. The tournament features many local and non-local fighters who compete in 3 one minute rounds. U.S. routes 19 , 460 , 21 and 52 run through

1260-512: The A. T. Massey coal strike of the mid-1980s, and the Pittston coal strike of 1989-1990. In the following years she was vocal in her critique of surface mining and other environmental issues, particularly mountaintop removal coal mining . These issues informed her unsuccessful gubernatorial run in 2000. Giardina credits her mother and her upbringing in a conservative fundamentalist church for shaping her political sensibilities. Though she sought

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1320-529: The Deep South to the mountains in search of industrial work. In the late 19th century, the Norfolk and Western Railway Company selected Bluefield as the site for a repair center and a major division point, which greatly stimulated the town's growth. In the one-year period from 1887 to 1888, passenger travel along the railroad increased 317%. As with the extremely accelerated growth of San Francisco during

1380-612: The International Dublin Literary Award . In Fallam's Secret , published in 2003, Giardina explores Appalachian magical realism within a time-travel murder-mystery. In 2009, Giardina published Emily's Ghost , a fictionalized biography of poet and novelist Emily Bronte . Both novels received warm, though not rave reviews. However, the fact that major national reviewer attended to her work was an achievement her previous, only-later more appreciated work, failed to accomplish. In 2015, Giardina announced she

1440-493: The census of 2010, there were 10,447 people, 4,643 households, and 2,772 families living in the town. The population density was 1,179.1 inhabitants per square mile (455.3/km ). There were 5,457 housing units at an average density of 615.9 per square mile (237.8/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 73.7% White , 23.0% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.5% Asian , 0.2% from other races , and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of

1500-423: The gold rush , Bluefield became a city that seemed to spring up "overnight." Growth far outpaced the existing infrastructure. Urban sprawl and blight were common complaints in the early days, as workers crowded into aging housing. The growth and decay of the city depended almost entirely upon Norfolk and Western Railroad. A bustling metropolis, it had a nightlife and a personality that was "a little bit Chicago,

1560-514: The 1960s the Norfolk and Western Railroad operated trains from the Mid-West to the metropolitan Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia area, and Bluefield City was a stop. The station was located at 715 Princeton Avenue. General Aviation service is provided at Mercer County Airport , located off State Highway 123 between Bluefield and Princeton. The last commercial service by Colgan Air ended in 2007. This therefore makes Raleigh County Memorial Airport

1620-649: The 1988 film Bull Durham , played for the Bluefield Orioles in 1967. Furthermore, Bluefield is mentioned in the film. "Bluefield" is the title of a song by Stonewall Jackson about the killing of the Sheriff of Bluefield. Bluefield was the home of the Appalachian League (rookie) Bluefield Orioles baseball team until 2010. The Orioles have had a team in Bluefield since 1958, which was

1680-586: The Blue Jays were replaced by the Bluefield Ridge Runners , a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores. Bluefield High School has 522 state championships in all sports, which is more than any other AA school in the state. Bluefield ranks second (tied with now-closed Ceredo-Kenova) in total football state championships with 11, behind national powerhouse Parkersburg High School (16). Bluefield won

1740-798: The High School State AAA Football Championship in 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1975 and 1984. They won the West Virginia State AA football title in 1997, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2017. Bluefield High School won the West Virginia AA State Championship in boys basketball in 1995, 1996, 2013 and 2014. Bluefield is largely a football town and carries on a rivalry between the Bluefield Beavers and their sister city Bluefield, Virginia . The annual Beaver-Graham game

1800-733: The State of Virginia , but it was not mined until 1882. Around that time, coal mines were developed in the area around Harman , Bluefield, War , and Pocahontas , which together were known as the Pocahontas Coal Fields. They helped support the Industrial Revolution in the United States. The development of the coal industry in this area created a boom in the local and national economy and attracted immigrant European workers and migrant African Americans from

1860-491: The United States. Air raid practice drills were common in the city during this time. In 1964 Helen Compton opened the now demolished Shamrock Bar, the oldest gay bar in WV. The Interstate Highway System was constructed through East River Mountain on December 20, 1974; for the first time automobile traffic could reach the city without crossing the top of the mountain. The dependence on the railroads waned and restructuring changed

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1920-510: The acceptability of sin if the sin will prevent a greater evil. Giardina immersed herself in Bonhoeffer's life, attracted to the story because of the ambiguities of the situation. Grappling with the moral and theological struggles in the book also brought Giardina back to her church, in a journey to "live in God" that culminated with her being re-ordained in 2007. The novel is her first narrated in

1980-504: The average family size was 2.87. The age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. Bluefield prides itself on its hospitable climate. Since 1938, the Chamber of Commerce has given free lemonade when the temperature has surpassed 90 °F. The city's motto

2040-540: The books for Page Coal and Coke. Her mother was a nurse. When the mine closed, her family moved to the state capital of Charleston . As a member of a coal-mining family, and growing up with a 1960s social consciousness, Giardina often found herself in political conflict with the people and culture around her. Giardina received a BA in history from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1973. She pursued graduate work at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia , and

2100-772: The city of Bluefield was officially incorporated. Bluefield headquartered the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency who initially worked train crimes but became famous strike breakers and were prominent figures in the Coal Wars , including the Battle of Matewan . With a strong Black community, Bluefield was the site of the 1895 founding of the Bluefield Colored Institute, an historically black college . It developed as today's Bluefield State University . Demographics began to shift with

2160-531: The city. Interstate 77 is a short distance to the east. Proposed and under construction are interstates 73 and 74 , labeled as King Coal Highway. The last passenger train was the Catlettsburg, Kentucky to Washington and Boston Hilltopper train of Amtrak , which was terminated in sweeping cuts in 1979. Until 1977 Amtrak's Mountaineer operated from Chicago and Cincinnati, through Bluefield, and then through lower Virginia to Norfolk, Virginia . Into

2220-407: The city. The population density was 1,311.3 people per square mile (506.4/km ). There were 5,966 housing units at an average density of 683.2 per square mile (263.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 75.84% White, 22.14% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of

2280-409: The controversy over mountain top removal mining to move her to political action. They have the nerve to say to us they should be allowed to destroy our mountains because they create jobs. The mafia creates jobs. The Colombian drug cartel creates jobs, pimps create jobs, and they're the same kind of jobs that destroy communities and even exploit the people that they employ. King Coal is dead. Long live

2340-726: The first-person perspective of several narrators, in regional dialect , enabling readers to clearly understand the characters' views of the United Mine Workers of America and the hope that they invest in the union. Some of the characters in The Unquiet Earth are descendants of those in Storming Heaven , and one, Jackie, is an alter-ego of Giardina herself. Giardina incorporates a diversity of portraits, not only of coal miners, but also of coal operators, politicians (local and national), and VISTA workers into

2400-532: The hills of Bluefield. The city is traditionally thought to be named after the chicory flowers in the area, which give the fields a purplish blue hue during the summer. Research has shown that this settlement, also known as Higginbotham's Summit in the 1880s, was probably named for the coal fields that were developed in the area of the Bluestone River. Beneath the land of the Davidsons and Baileys lay

2460-567: The hiring of its first white President, Dr. Hardway, and his closing of dormitories after the 1968 bombing. It is known as "The Whitest Historically Black College in America". During the 1920s, the twelve-story West Virginian Hotel was built. It has been adapted and in the 21st century is operated as the West Virginia Manor and Retirement Home. In 1924, nearby Graham, Virginia decided to rename itself as Bluefield to try to unite

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2520-581: The industry. Bluefield lost jobs and population as a result. Its Amtrak station closed in the 1980s. Mercer Mall , the area's major shopping mall, opened in 1980. Bluefield is located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia across the state border from Bluefield, Virginia . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 8.86 square miles (22.95 km ), all land. Bluefield

2580-482: The largest and richest deposit of bituminous coal in the world. The first seam was discovered in nearby Pocahontas, Virginia in the backyard of Jordan Nelson. President Frederick Kimball of the Norfolk and Western Railway described this as the "most spectacular find on the continent and indeed perhaps of the entire planet." The coal seam had been mentioned much earlier in Thomas Jefferson 's Notes on

2640-563: The longest relationship between a parent club and a town in affiliated baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays replaced Baltimore for the 2011 season with the Bluefield Blue Jays . The team played at Bowen Field (former Orioles stadium) through 2020. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league , and

2700-473: The music's liner notes helped her build the character of SS officer Alois Bauer, a music lover who is a composite of Bonhoeffer's real interrogators. Some of the novels characters are real historical figures, others invented by Giardina. Some dates and events were moved around for the story's purposes. Saints and Villains was awarded the Boston Book Review fiction prize and was semifinalist for

2760-411: The nearest airport with commercial service. Bluefield Area Transit provides bus routes throughout Mercer and McDowell counties. 2000 West Virginia gubernatorial election Cecil Underwood Republican Bob Wise Democratic The 2000 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Republican governor Cecil Underwood ran for re-election to

2820-488: The people of West Virginia. According to Still journal, her "anti-mountaintop removal platform she became a folk hero and is often looked to as one of the primary commentators on the state of contemporary Appalachia". In all of her books, Giardina is interested in the complexities and ambiguities of the individual destined to answer the call of his or her particular moment. Though largely recognized as an Appalachian writer, she has been defined, and defines herself, as primarily

2880-442: The population. There were 4,643 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.3% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2940-407: The population. There were 5,038 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 55 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and

3000-574: The third-person. In a mirror image of her experience with Storming Heaven , she began it in the first-person, and junked the first 50 pages in order to start over. She also decided to shift from past to present tense for the book's final scenes, adding suspense to the question of whether the imprisoned Bonhoeffer would be freed by the advancing Allies. The title comes from a quote from Bonhoeffer: "Today there are once more saints and villains". She used lines from Mozart's Mass in C Minor to frame Bonhoeffer's saga and Germany's slide into Nazism and war, and

3060-483: The two stories. The novel also chronicles the continual lack of concern for human life by the coal mine operators. This includes such important issues as Coalworker's pneumoconiosis and culminates in a catastrophic flood at the novel's end, the author's fictionalization of the 1972 Buffalo Creek Disaster . Giardina also captures such aspects of life in Appalachia as religion and racism. The decision to use dialect

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3120-556: The two towns, which had been feuding since the civil war. Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash was born in Bluefield in 1928. George Marshall Palmer, the well-renowned Purdue University professor of aeronautics and director of the AerospaceSciences Laboratory at Purdue, lead of the invention of the Boeing wind tunnel and a pioneer in the aerodynamic and structural testing of skyscrapers

3180-435: Was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 43.1 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 11,451 people, 5,038 households, and 3,078 families living in

3240-489: Was a costly one for Giardina, resulting in her scrapping nearly 500 pages of the original 3rd-person manuscript of Storming Heaven . But she had come to the realization that "the people had to tell their own stories". This novel also had trouble finding a publisher, but it did put Giardina on the "critical map" as it was very well-received. Both coal-country novels were inspired in part by Wuthering Heights , with its rugged landscape and tales of women "who have this passion for

3300-525: Was born as a result of Charlotte Pritt 's 1992 and 1996 candidacies for Governor of West Virginia . Giardina became the first statewide nominee of the new party in the 2000 general election . She received 10,416 votes, 1.61% of the vote, coming in third behind Democrat Bob Wise and Republican incumbent Cecil H. Underwood . Her platform included many of the environmental and miners' rights issues she worked on as an activist. Giardina says that though her writing focused her emerging political views, it took

3360-453: Was born in Bluefield in 1921. The Great Depression was particularly damaging to Bluefield. With the government nearly bankrupt, after a series of devastating structural fires swept through the downtown area, the city was nearly destroyed. It was not until the outbreak of World War II that coal production revived. The strategic importance of the city was so great that Adolf Hitler put Bluefield on his reputed list of German air raid targets in

3420-671: Was last seen alive in Bluefield on his way to a show in Ohio. He was discovered dead in Oak Hill, West Virginia . Lex Luger won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship in Bluefield in a televised match on May 22, 1989, defeating Michael Hayes . Bluefield was the hometown of fictional character Rita Stapleton Bauer on the CBS soap Guiding Light . Ron Shelton , director and screenwriter of

3480-570: Was preparing to go to law school. At this point, however, Giardina found a new spiritual home in the Episcopal Church , which she found to be more broad-minded than the fundamentalist Methodism of her childhood. Her pastor, Jim Lewis, provided reading suggestions that helped steer Giardina from law school to seminary: "I thought I was called to be ordained. I realized later I went because I needed that education for writing. [My books] are actually more theological than political." She received

3540-599: Was published in 1987. In her previous work Giardina feared being pigeonholed as a "regional" writer, but this time she returned to her roots, setting the novel in the coalfields along the West Virginia– Kentucky border during the West Virginia Mine Wars . It covers the period 1890–1921, when coal miners fought to be unionized. The climax of the novel is based upon the historical 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain , when in 1921 U.S. Army troops marched on

3600-473: Was working on a memoir and a new novel, and noted that she had begun writing plays, though none had yet achieved production. Her Appalachian novels have been taught in university courses. As a contributor: In March 2020, George Fox University professor William Jolliff's book Heeding the Call: A Study of Denise Giardina 's Novels was published by West Virginia University Press. In the book, Jolliff dedicates

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