"sing the song of her possibilities / sing a righteous gospel / the makin of a melody / let her be born / let her be born / & handled warmly." -- Ntozake Shange in for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf
The purpose of A Country Rag is to encourage contemporary arts and tourism in Appalachia, with special emphasis on the endeavors of women and minorities.
graphic: Limestone Creek TN
Publisher: Jeannette Harris
Literary Editor: Gwendoline Fortune
Contributing Editor: Carolyn Moore
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." -- Tale of Two Cities, concerning "...the years leading up to the French Revolution and [culminating] in the Jacobin Reign of Terror," by Charles Dickens
After a long hiatus due to the publisher's illness, A Country Rag is being re-established at this new website address, acountryrag.org (bookmark it!).
ACR was created in 1996 as the advertising-supported O Shenandoah! Country Rag -- the original Valley's Home Page (see "Word Preserve," Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4) -- as part of a larger Chamber of Commerce affiliated web design business situated in Page County, Virginia. Beloved by readers (see their comments at the bottom of this page) and copiously linked from websites public and private, regional and countrywide, OSCR accepted many national awards for excellence in design and content. In 1997, it received international recognition with designation by Encyclopedia Britannica as a "Best of the Web" and inclusion in their search engine under numerous criteria related to literature and the Shenandoah Valley, conferring worldwide internet fame, honor and prestige on its artists and that region of Appalachia, specifically.
"There is no private life which is not determined by a wider public life." -- Adrienne Rich in Diving Into The Wreck
"The 1990s masculinist men's movements, which sought to restore male dominance over women and reverse feminist advances, rose and fell.... many people see the presumed 'crisis of masculinity' in the Western world as 'a,' if not the burning issue of our time.... Susan Faludi (in Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Male] ... reports a serious 'masculinity crisis' in the increase of such 'male distress signals' as anxiety, suicide, and criminality.... as men struggle to free themselves from their crisis, their task is not, in the end, to figure out how to be masculine -- rather, their masculinity lies in figuring out how to be human.... the old rules about manhood no longer apply, men are floundering, and the terrain is fragile.... artists, poet-scholars, caring fathers, and men inspired by spirituality ... can be an effective antidote to the pervasive association of masculine power with economic success or physical prowess." -- Masculinity Studies and Feminist Theory, edited by Judith Kegan Gardiner
"... the male phoenix sings by itself, as it dances alone." -- Russel Leong in Phoenix Eyes
Since 1998 it has been published, with coverage expanded to all the Appalachian states, from Historic Jonesborough, Tennessee, the State's first capitol and home of the International Storytelling Center.
In 1999, Encyclopedia Britannica, by then a prominently displayed icon for easy accessibility from most college and library introductory computer screens, reiterated its "Best of the Web" award for A Country Rag artists, adjusting search engine listings to reference all of Appalachia. ACR has also been used as a supplementary text for some university courses on regional studies and the arts.
A Country Rag has been reorganized as a non-profit corporation, owned and operated by women, headquartered in the State of Tennessee. Its Charter and Bylaws have been approved by the Tennessee Secretary of State effective October 31, 2007, and filed with the Jonesborough Register of Deeds. Application has been made for federal 501(c)(3) status.
The internet site is open for submissions of material to submissions@acountryrag.org and encourages participation by regional women and minorities. The next update will be in the spring of 2008.
"...they believed that upper management had to deal with more uncertainty and in some situations needed immediate decisions without any precedent -- situations that would only work well for someone who is more intuitive.... 45% of corporate executives now rely more on instinct than on facts and figures in running their businesses.... those who are more reflective, spontaneous, or quick to make a decision based on feeling, tend to utilize their intuitive sense more.... I believe that it is important for us to bring back the natural integration of the reasoning mind along with our intuition in order to feel whole and complete...." -- Finally, intuition is gaining a greater respect in the professional world, by Janese Johnson, Asheville Daily Planet -- One People, One Planet, One Future, November 28, 2007, NC
A Country Rag 
Rabbit Logos 
Appalachian Stars 
If you choose (happily) to link from your site to this one, any of the four gifs above are available for download to use with the listing. All other site graphics and writing are protected by copyright, unless specifically noted otherwise, to the artist or to ACR, Inc. with a notice that appears at the bottom of each page.
"There is a Navajo blessing, and their word for 'spirit' is 'beauty.' It's the same word. They say, 'Beauty is before me, beauty is behind me, beauty is above and below me. I am surrounded by it, I am immersed in it. In my youth, I am aware of it, and in my old age, I will walk quietly the beautiful trail.' ... I live so that I will bring honor to my people, and when I step into the stars, people will speak my name with respect." -- Cherokee elder Grandmother Red Leaf, "Finding Your Past" in new life journal, December/January 2008, Asheville, NC
"I saw you today... in the blooming of the prairie flowers and the
scampering newborn calves. I listened to your song in the dawning
warble of the meadowlark and the mimicking melody of the
mockingbird. I felt the radiance of your smile in the sunlight as it
softly kissed my shoulders and drove the spring chill from the air.
I heard the whisper of your voice in the wind as it ruffled my hair and
pushed me gently along my lonely running road. I felt your awesome
power in the earthshaking thunder and lightning of the afternoon storm
on the horizon. With a tear in my eye, I watched with a longing envy
as you painted yet another golden masterpiece in the late evening
sky. I saw you today...." -- Randall Bentley
Especially For Country Artists
A Country Rag welcomes submissions of country essays, articles, photos, video clips, poems, music, humor, art, sayings, recipes and short stories. Please send text in an e-mail message, attached graphics and/or music to submissions@acountryrag.org.
All rights to material printed in A Country Rag remain with the author. Publication includes your copyright and hotlinks to your email address and/or website, unless you choose otherwise. (Please indicate with your submission if the rights to a work belong to another publication, so the appropriate on-line credit will be given.)
"Lately the issue of an artist's identity, both privately and publicly, has seemingly come into focus as our culture's obsession with celebrities and personalities continues onward.... My own philosophy toward dealing with my work and its relationship to the viewer runs parallel to an actress and her audience -- I am performing for you, and how much of this is me is irrelevant compared to your individual reception of the performance.... Anonymity is about respect, about owning yourself and not allowing anyone to claim you (unless, of course, you give them permission).... I genuinely believe that art, at its best, acts as a forum for dialogue within yourself, with other viewers and possibly with the artist...." -- Nobody Really Cares Who the Artist is, Anyway by Jaime Hickman, Vision, Art-Culture-Awareness, a publication of East Tennessee State University, Johnson City
CONTACT A COUNTRY RAG
Share your favorite saying, backwoods recipe, Appalachian scene, Country Rag question or comment by sending e-mail to submissions@acountryrag.org.
Gifts and Treasures for A Country Rag
(some unsolicited reader comments)
"glorious"... "an adventure"... "stunning"... "full of interesting subjects"... "delight-full"... "felt right at home"... "exceptional"..."cheery-style layout"... "Enjoyable"... "excellent"... "lots of fun to read"... "a remarkably fine product"... "Classy"... "deserves a bookmark"... "an enjoyable exploration"... "homey"... "professional"... "a grand job"... "heartwarming"... "fine layout and quality"... "uplifting"... "Great!!!"... "Lots of interesting content"... "extremely well done"... "peerless"... "wonderful"... "a positive reflection of southern life"... "love to come back again and again"... "striking design"... "a place to read and think and dream"... "excellent job!"... "creative"... "much better than most I have seen on the Internet"... "lovely"... "Great Job!"... "spectacular"... "fabulous"... "innovative"... "like a travel guide to someplace in the heart or memory"... "outstanding"... "WOW!"... "brilliant"... "nice flavor with soft backgrounds"... "humorous"... "most fun and the most beautiful"... "lyrical"... "love your e-zine"... "cool"... "incredible"... "charming"... "the very best site on the web"... "great approach to valley mindset"... "a jewel on the Web"... "an excellent source"... "Love it"... "really great"... "entertaining"... "the best I've seen"... "very user-friendly"... "pretty neat"... "incredibly beautiful"
"Poets use language to create a world of their own. For poets such as Rumi, Wordsworth, Hopkins and Hirschfield, this created world is space in which we can encounter the divine. It may be a landscape, a room, or the interior space of the heart....." -- St. Mary's Sewanee, A Center for Spiritual Development, Poetry as Sacred Space, Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Michael, Professor of English, University of the South
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