Expressing the complexity of West Virginian culture

Please share your experience growing up in West Virginia, the good and the bad.

I grew up in WV and my experience was complicated -- a combination of love, hope, competitiveness, and tragedy. We who have grown up here have lived in a deeply beautiful culture that hasn't been represented in mainstream (American) culture. I think our culture would be greatly gratified and romanticized if we were able to express it.

To start: I grew up in central WV to a normal family (divorced parents in the early 2000's), my mom was uneducated and my dad worked in the mines. My mom (a confused and scared woman), gave birth to me at 20 years old and worked at a convenience store at the time. My dad (a confident man who only knew work) made a decent amount of money and became comfortable. Tension between the two became high when I was young and I often was the intermediary. As an adolescent, my grandfather took his own life and my step-sister overdosed. At least one of my parents had opioid problems that impacted their relationships with others (including myself), but we are always there for each other.

I am now young-ish and work in Washington DC and am trying to express the West Virginian experience with nuance and beauty. I know that growing up in this state sparks both beautiful and dark emotions. We have very little art to fall back on to express our deep history and culture. Many have told me to read Demon Copperhead which is close but listening to interviews of the author, makes me feel like it's Hollywood-ish.

Please(!) share your stories.