“The silence depressed me. It wasn’t the silence of silence. It was my own silence.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Lately, I’ve been going back and forth between two viewpoints. Is my speaking out “empowering” and “helpful,” or “attention-seeking” and “victimizing?”

The truth is that there’s a fine line between bashing others in bitterness, and bringing awareness to important issues. But I believe I have found that line, and I’m ready to tackle something I’ve put on the back burner for a while now: The Eastern Kentucky Voices Project.

After over a year of working on interviews and story collecting for my project idea that I originally planned to make into a book, I’ve decided to instead turn it into a blog. In a pandemic-ridden and busy world, it just makes more sense to go digital with this.

What is “Eastern Kentucky Voices?”

EKY Voices focuses specifically on LGBTQ+ Eastern Kentuckians and their stories. You’ll hear from LGBTQ+ community members, along with allies. However, EKY Voices is also a place for any EKY person who has experienced trauma, pain, or ridicule.

In short, I collect stories from other EKY folks and share them here. I’ll share many of my own stories as well.

The goal here is to serve as an outlet for those who feel the need to speak up. It’s also here to hopefully educate others on what it’s like to be seen as “different,” specifically in an Eastern Kentucky environment. I also want this blog to show how we can all relate with each other, probably more than any of us realize.

I’ve heard people express concerns that this is “forceful” or intended to “bad mouth good people,” but that is simply not the case at all. No name callouts will be mentioned here. I will not post anything that’s meant to harm or slander others.

Secondly, anyone is free to share their pain, and sometimes that pain is inflicted by other humans. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality that folks are entitled to share if they wish. We’ve all been guilty of hurting others. When we share stories of that hurt, that doesn’t make us bad! It just makes us human. Expressing our pain is part of the healing process.

How Can Your Story Be Here?

This part is easy! Simply contact me at easternkyvoices@gmail.com. There’s also an easy-to-use contact form right here on the site. Once you contact me to let me know you’re interested, I’ll send you a questionnaire with prompts to help you.

That said, you can also send me your own work. Whether you’re a pro writer who already has a story organized the way you want it, or you just want to get all the feelings out into a big ole word doc, that’s fine! I’ll take care of the rest, and you don’t HAVE to follow my questionnaire. It’s just there for suggestions and to hit my main interest points.

I also offer accessibility for those who need it. We can set up a call to do a recorded phone interview, where I take notes and put your story together for you.

Here’s the most important part. Your story/stories can be completely anonymous. You don’t even have to tell me who you are. You’re more than welcome to contact me as anon however you wish. Heck, create a fake email if you feel it’s necessary. I vow to protect your privacy. I understand that coming out is not safe for everyone.

Due to legalities that I’ve yet to figure out, those who want their photo and name included may also need to remain anonymous. I’m currently researching to see if this is the case.

When Will I See My Story?

Truthfully, this is a very long-term project. It’s a one-woman show ran by me, (Noel), and I’m already backlogged with stories from my original book project. The short answer to this question is, probably not soon. However, when your story is up and ready, you’ll be the first to know.

Why Take the Risk?

Why not? Yes, I expect to receive some backlash. But doesn’t everything that’s worth addressing face a challenge or two? I want to see more love in the world, and more specifically, in this area. Eastern Kentucky is not a “bad” place, overall. I want to bring that out by showing others that they are NOT alone in their experiences.

There will be feel good stories just the same as there will be sad stories. There will also be good and bad parts to stories. You’ll read stories that are sad but have good endings, and others that have rough endings. But the best way to make those sad endings better is through us all coming together, united, supporting one another. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I’m taking the risk to publish this blog.

I hope this reaches others, and I thank everyone who decides to be part of this project.