Episode 167: Tammy Horn

Tammy Horn was born in Harlan County, KY, on March 21, 1968. Her parents taught history and English; both maternal and paternal grandparents kept bees on their properties in eastern KY. All of these interests coalesce in my research and vision for a world in which there is, to quote J.R.R. Tolkien, “hope without guarantees.”When she was ten, her parents moved to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The stark Badlands and their nuanced shadows continue to serve as her aesthetic ideal when writing. Tammy received a B.A. from Berea College, an M.A. from Ft. Hays State, and finished a Ph.D. in Modernism at the University of Alabama in 1997. This was the same year that her grandfather introduced me to his bees. The real education began. For three years, Tammy taught at the University of West Alabama, returning to KY to help her grandfather with his bees. In 2000, Tammy stayed in KY to teach at Eastern Kentucky University and in 2002, transferred to teach at Berea College. In 2005, Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped A Nation was published by the University Press of Kentucky. In 2006, Tammy was named the NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies at Berea College. Tammy’s research from that year has resulted in a pilot project focusing on the relationship between coal mine reclamation sites and honey bees. Hear Tammy on KY Life! This program has been brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“We’re losing 1 in every 3 beehives every year across the nation…and that’s because we haven’t regulated pesticide use at all.” [16:30]

“2013 will go down in history as the year when honey production will be at its lowest.” [21:30]

— Tammy Horn on Greenhorns Radio