Michael Amos Cody grew up in Walnut, a small community in Madison County, North Carolina, in the mountains not far from the Tennessee line. He now teaches at East Tennessee State University. The setting for these twelve stories is linked by the fictional town of Runion, reminiscent of Walnut and by the passage of one year through the seasons. “A vivid portrait of a community in an age of rapid change . . .Cody’s is one of the most authentic and inspired voices in contemporary Appalachian fiction, addressing such subjects as AIDS, bias, troubling history, marriage, ghosts, dementia, and abiding loyalty and love. In these linked stories he speaks for both the region and the world beyond.” – Robert Morgan. “For those who wish to understand contemporary Appalachia – with its crazy quilt bend of past, present, and future – I cannot recommend A Twilight Reel highly enough! Savor each of these stories in turn and then marvel at the world they together make.” – Terry Roberts.
Asheville, North Carolina: Pisgah Press, 2021. 292 pages. Trade paperback.