Wilma Dykeman, 86; her books told of Appalachia, its people

Wilma Dykeman, 86, who chronicled the people of Appalachia and the land that shaped them in 18 novels and nonfiction books, died Dec. 22 at a hospice in her hometown of Asheville, N.C. She had been in failing health since breaking a hip two months ago.

Her first book, “The French Broad” in 1955, was deeply influential on Appalachian writers and was described by one critic as a love poem to the region and its people.

The book was part of the acclaimed “Rivers of America Series,” fusing history, environmental activism and folklore in a way that inspired other authors from the region to look to their heritage for subject matter.

“The Tall Woman” (1966), “The Far Family” (1966) and “Return the Innocent Earth” (1973) followed, getting critical acclaim.

Dykeman grew up in western North Carolina, then majored in speech at Northwestern University in Illinois.

Soon after graduation she married James R. Stokely Jr., a Tennessee poet.

They wrote several books together, including “Neither Black nor White” in 1957, which won the Sidney Hillman Award as the best book of the year on world peace, race relations or civil liberties.

Dykeman’s nonfiction books included biographies of Will Alexander, a champion of racial equality, and Edna Rankin McKinnon, an early proponent of birth control.

She was named Tennessee state historian in 1981.