The Hawk’s Done Gone collects a series of stories narrated by Mary Dorthula White, a granny woman. Set in East Tennessee from the Civil War to 1940, the tales explore the beauty of the valleys and mountains, family dynamics, community values, and the supernatural. Haun drew heavily on the oral traditions and folk beliefs of Cocke County, where she grew up in a farming family. Her themes of witchcraft, infanticide, incest, and miscegenation explore the deprivations of the area. Haun is known for her authentic use of dialect and vivid mix of realism with superstition. Mildred Haun left East Tennessee at the age of sixteen to pursue an education. She completed a M.A. in English at Vanderbilt University in 1937. The Hawk’s Done Gone is her only published fiction.

Jennifer C. Core, Executive Director of the Tennessee Historical Society, will join this session.