Eliot Wigginton (Author of The Foxfire Book)

Eliot Wigginton鈥檚 Followers (69)

Eliot Wigginton

Born

in The United States

November 09, 1942

Genre

Folklore, History, Education

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Eliot Wigginton (born Brooks Eliot Wigginton) is an American oral historian, folklorist, writer and former educator. He was most widely known for developing the Foxfire Project, a writing project that led to a magazine and the series of best-selling Foxfire books, twelve volumes in all. These were based on articles by high school students from Rabun County, Georgia. In 1986 he was named "Georgia Teacher of the Year" and in 1989 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Wigginton was born in West Virginia on November 9, 1942. His mother, Lucy Freelove Smith Wiggington, died eleven days later of "pneunomia due to acute pulmary edema," according to her death certificate. His maternal grandmother, Margaret Pollard Smith, was an associate professor Eliot Wigginton (born Brooks Eliot Wigginton) is an American oral historian, folklorist, writer and former educator. He was most widely known for developing the Foxfire Project, a writing project that led to a magazine and the series of best-selling Foxfire books, twelve volumes in all. These were based on articles by high school students from Rabun County, Georgia. In 1986 he was named "Georgia Teacher of the Year" and in 1989 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Wigginton was born in West Virginia on November 9, 1942. His mother, Lucy Freelove Smith Wiggington, died eleven days later of "pneunomia due to acute pulmary edema," according to her death certificate. His maternal grandmother, Margaret Pollard Smith, was an associate professor of English at Vassar College and his father was a famous landscape architect, also named Brooks Eliot Wiggington. His family called him Eliot. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English from Cornell University and a second Master's from Johns Hopkins University. In 1966, he began teaching English in the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, located in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Georgia.
Wigginton began a writing project based on his students' collecting oral histories from local residents and writing them up. They published the histories and articles in a small magazine format beginning in 1967. Topics included all manner of folklife practices and customs associated with farming and the rural life of southern Appalachia, as well as the folklore and oral history of local residents. The magazine began to reach a national audience and became quite popular.
The first anthology of collected Foxfire articles was published in book form in 1972, and achieved best-seller status. Over the years, the schools published eleven other volumes. (The project transferred to the local public school in 1977.)
In addition, special collections were published, including The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery, Foxfire: 25 Years, A Foxfire Christmas, and The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Toys and Games. Several collections of recorded music from the local area were released. ...more

Combine Editions
Eliot Wigginton鈥檚 books

Average rating: 4.36 · 6,203 ratings · 386 reviews · 91 distinct works 鈥� Similar authors

	The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing; Log Cabin Building; Mountain Crafts and Foods; Planting by the Signs; Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing 4.35 avg rating — 1,859 ratings — published 1972 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foxfire 2: Ghost stories, spring wild plant foods, spinning and weaving, midwifing, burial customs, corn shuckin's, wagon making, and more affairs of plain living by Eliot Wigginton (Editor), Foxfire Students 4.32 avg rating — 885 ratings — published 1973 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foxfire 3 4.34 avg rating — 618 ratings — published 1975 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foxfire 4 4.39 avg rating — 451 ratings — published 1977 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foxfire 5 4.46 avg rating — 381 ratings — published 1979 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foxfire 8: Southern Folk Potter from Pug Mills, Ash Glazes, Groundhog Kilns to Face Jugs, Churns, Roosters, Mule Swapping and Chicken Fighting (Foxfire Series) by Eliot Wigginton (Editor), Margie Bennett (Editor) 4.52 avg rating — 224 ratings — published 1984 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Foxfire Book, Foxfire 2-3 4.44 avg rating — 220 ratings — published 1972 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foxfire 10: Railroad Lore, Boardinghouses, Depression-Era Appalachia, Chairmaking, Whirligigs, Snake Canes, Gourd Art (Foxfire Series) by Eliot Wigginton (editor), George P. Reynolds, Susan Walker (Editor) 4.56 avg rating — 184 ratings — published 1988 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Foxfire Christmas: Appalachian Memories and Traditions 4.12 avg rating — 200 ratings — published 1990 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Traditional Baking: The Foxfire Americana Library (2) by Eliot Wigginton, Foxfire Students 4.28 avg rating — 97 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Eliot Wigginton…

Series by Eliot Wigginton

The Foxfire Series (12 books)
by

Eliot Wigginton (editor),

George P. Reynolds,

Susan Walker (Editor),

Foxfire Students

4.40 avg rating — 5,861 ratings

Foxfire (1 book)
by

Eliot Wigginton (Editor),

Foxfire Students

4.32 avg rating — 885 ratings

Quotes by Eliot Wigginton (?)

“I am convinced that we as adults must constantly cling to, affirm, and celebrate with our children those things we love, sunsets, laughter, the taste of a good meal, the warmth of a hickory fire shared by real friends, the joy of discovery and accomplishment, the constant surprises of life. ”
― Eliot Wigginton

tags: family, inspirational

11 likes

“When I die, I would like Easter hymns sung at my funeral because they are so joyful. They're hopeful. They reflect our belief in the resurrection of the dead.”
― Eliot Wigginton, Foxfire 2: Ghost stories, spring wild plant foods, spinning and weaving, midwifing, burial customs, corn shuckin's, wagon making, and more affairs of plain living

tags: death, easter, eternal-life, resurrection

1 likes

Polls

What shall we read in December, 2022? Books published in or before 1990.

Suttree, by Cormac McCarthy

18 votes 26.5%

The Ponder Heart, by Eudora Welty

16 votes 23.5%

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams

10 votes 14.7%

Blues for Mister Charlie, by James Baldwin

9 votes 13.2%

A Foxfire Christmas: Appalachian Memories and Traditions, edited by Eliot Wigginton

8 votes 11.8%

A Long and Happy Life, by Reynolds Price

7 votes 10.3%

68 total votes

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