Appalachian author Jeffrey Smith will present readings in Ironton Wednesday from his most recent book detailing his personal battle with depression.

Tuesday, January 25, 2000

Appalachian author Jeffrey Smith will present readings in Ironton Wednesday from his most recent book detailing his personal battle with depression.

Depression is a serious, sometimes, fatal illness in America today. At any given time, about 18 million Americans are affected by depression, also known as melancholia.

Smith, a writer who has deep Appalachian roots, made the illness the subject of his most recent book, "Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia."

Smith will read from the book Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Briggs Lawrence County Public Library, 321 S. Fourth St., Ironton.

The book is his personal narrative of coming to grips with his depression and finding his path to healing.

He alternates his story with a wealth of information on melancholia. Of interest to local readers is the role of his Appalachian roots and sense of place in his healing process.

At the reading, folk musician Joe Dobbs will provide musical accompaniment. Dobbs is an accomplished fiddle player, recording artist, instructor and lecturer.

He has produced "Music from the Mountains," a weekly program of the West Virginia Public Radio Network for more than 16 years.

Smith’s and Dobbs’s appearance at the Briggs library is part of a series of presentations at select Ohio and West Virginia libraries.

The presentations are made possible with funding from "LIVE at the Library," a program of the American Library Association, with major support from the Lila-Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund. Additional support also is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio River Border Initiative, a joint project of the Ohio Arts Council and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.