Jesse Hilton Stuart is a regional writer in that most of his works are set in Greenup County of northeastern Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains. He is the poet laureate of Kentucky. His audience is not regional, however, for his works are popular throughout America and have been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages. His poems and stories have been widely anthologized in high-school and college textbooks. He has produced over fifty books of poetry, short stories, novels, autobiography, and juvenile fiction. His essays, published in the nation's leading magazines, are on subjects such as Kentucky, foreign countries, nature, education, and writing. His simple style and warm characters, his optimism, and his devotion to traditional Christian and American values have made him a favorite of millions of readers. His popularity as a writer has certainly been enhanced by his career as a lecturer in the United...