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In 'Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts,' Crystal Wilkinson shares recipes, Black Appalachian stories

Former Kentucky Poet-Laureate Crystal Wilkinson‘s new book “Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks” is both a family memoir and a cookbook. She joins host Celeste Headlee to talk about it.

Book excerpt: ‘Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts’

By Crystal Wilkinson

Chicken and dumplings

Chicken and dumplings. (Courtesy)

Corn pudding

Corn pudding. (Courtesy)

Grandmother’s blackberry cobbler

Grandmother’s blackberry cobbler. (Courtesy)

Pine lick mutton leg and gravy

Pine lick mutton leg and gravy. (Courtesy)

Excerpted from “Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts,” reprinted with permission of Penguin Random House

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Crystal Wilkinson. (Courtesy of Carsen Bryant)
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Crystal Wilkinson. (Courtesy of Carsen Bryant)

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