Ed Cabbell died on May 13, 2018, at the age of 71 in Rome, Georgia, where he had been living for several years. Best known as the co-author of Blacks in Appalachia with Dr. Bill Turner, Ed is widely viewed as the first and most knowledgeable proponent of Black Appalachian life. He created and edited the periodical Black Diamonds as well as special Black Appalachian issues of other magazines. He founded the John Henry Festival and graced other musical venues with his renditions of traditional Black Appalachian songs. Ed was born and raised in Southern West Virginia and studied at Concord College, West Virginia University, and Appalachian State University. His complete obituary can be found here.
Chrystal Wilkinson has publicly announced, “I am excited to announce that I will be joining the faculty in the University of Kentucky's English Department and its MFA Program in Creative Writing in the fall!”