I came across the story of Breece D'J Pancake last week here on LinkedIn of all places
I came across the story of Breece D’J Pancake last week here on LinkedIn of all places.
His story really grabbed a hold of me.
He was a Son of Marshall. From Milton, WV. Wrote some haunting short stories about Appalachia. Widely praised by other very accomplished writers. Tragically took his own life at just the age of 26. His mother and friends got a book published after his death with his collected works that is widely acclaimed.
I decided to read his first short story, Trilobites, this past Saturday…I’ve since read it three times.
He’s an expert at his craft, but what really pulled me in was how vividly he portrayed the ethos of our region. The geography. The people. The values. The history.
The struggle.
There have been many times at Bullseye when we’ve talked to a client about struggles they have had with out-of-town agencies. Like really successful organizations who do great work. But they can never understand that things in our area are different.
They come to our region with the same tried-and-true, cookie cutter approach they would use in Kansas City or Milwaukee. They don’t understand why the things that work there don’t work here. They don’t understand that we are different.
It’s not always easy to put your finger on what makes us so unique. If you’re from here, you just kind of know it. When people relocate here, it becomes a part of them, too. Sometimes you don’t even realize this until you step out of the area for awhile and realize that’s it’s pretty different out there.
This difference can be our biggest strength and sometimes our biggest weakness.
We’re a gritty bunch. People with good hearts that can be a bit pessimistic sometimes. We’re most hard on ourselves. But we come by it honestly.
We are a rare breed in this part of the world. We are a proud people. Our story is unique.
In the one short story of Pancake’s that I have read thus far, it’s incredibly clear that he lived and breathed that identity.