Robert Gipe is from Tennessee, but he has spent most of his adult life teaching art and making art in the coal country of Eastern Kentucky.
He’s best known for his theater productions that bring in community members as actors and playwrights to produce shows about hot-button issues such as stripmining and opioids. He’s a consultant to the upcoming Hulu series called "Dopesick," based on the bestselling book about the opioid crisis in Appalachia.
Along the way, Gipe has written and illustrated three novels dealing with some of the same issues – the last book in the trilogy, called “Pop,” just came out last week. His characters have rough edges, tough problems, and big hearts. They’ve also been failed by a country that doesn’t know or care much about what happens back in the holler.
Robert Gipe cares.
Show notes:
- Gipe's website, with links to all three of his books
- The story I wrote about him for Wake Forest Magazine
- Beth Macy's story on him for the Oxford American
- More on the "Dopesick" TV series
Other music in this episode:
- Mid-Air Machine, "Appalachia Coal Mines"
- Blue Dot Sessions, "Coal Baron Blue"
