Greta Cross has written about Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord in the Springfield News-Leader.
“McCord’s late grandmother was May Kennedy McCord, popularly referred to as the ‘Queen of the Hillbillies’ or ‘First Lady of the Ozarks’ by those who read her work. Throughout much of her life, McCord was both a journalist and folklorist, writing about happenings in the Ozarks and chronicling the stories and songs of those who lived in the region. Within the last few years, Patricia has learned much more about her grandmother as she began sifting through her writings for the first book on the beloved storyteller. Last year, The University of Arkansas Press published Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord, as a part of the press’ book series, ‘Chronicles of the Ozarks.’ Queen of the Hillbillies is not just a collection of writings; it’s an ode to the Ozarks, a chronicle of life in ‘the hills,’ as McCord frequently referenced the region. Organized into overarching themes, readers learn about law and crime, religion and politics, music, superstitions, celebrations and much more about how Ozarkians lived during the 1930s and 1940s.”
Despite the encouragement of her contemporaries, McCord never published a collection of her work. In 1956, Vance Randolph wrote to her, “If you didn’t have such a mental block against writing books, I could show you how to make a book out of extracts from your columns. It would be very little work, and sell like hotcakes. . . . I could write a solemn little introduction, telling the citizens what a fine gal you are! The hell of it is, most of the readers know all about you.” In Queen of the Hillbillies, editors Patti McCord and Kristene Sutliff at last bring together the best of McCord’s published and previously unpublished writings to share her knowledge, humor, and inimitable spirit with a new generation of readers.
Part of the Chronicles of the Ozarks Series, Queen of the Hillbillies is now available.