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John W Peace II

Big Stone Gap, VA

John W. Peace II is a Southwest Virginia author, syndicated feature writer, and fifth-generation farmer. A two-time Amazon bestselling author, he writes about Appalachia, rural culture, and working-class communities. https://linktr.ee/JohnWPeace

“Work Hard, Be Smart, Love Everybody”

“Work Hard, Be Smart, Love Everybody”

Every day before her daughters left for school, Shannon Love would tell them the same three things. “Work hard. Be smart. Love everybody.” It started as a family saying, but over the years it became the way Shannon tried to live her life. Now it has become the heart of

Why Big Tech Is Coming to Rural America

Data Centers: The New Gold Rush

The International Energy Agency estimates electricity demand from data centers could more than double by 2030, driven largely by artificial intelligence.

Hillbilly and the People Who Explain Us to Ourselves

Hillbilly and the People Who Explain Us to Ourselves

Academics have fancy names for it now. Urban Chauvinism. Urban-Centrism. Ruralism. Metronormativity.

A Legacy That Keeps Giving: Buccaneer Scholarship Program Awards Nearly $70,000 to Union High School Seniors

A Legacy That Keeps Giving: Buccaneer Scholarship Program Awards Nearly $70,000 to Union High School Seniors

By John W. Peace II BIG STONE GAP- 6/28/2026 – For Adam Harris, current Big Stone Gap town councilman and member of the Buccaneer Scholarship Program board, serving the organization is about much more than handing out scholarship certificates. It's about preserving a legacy that began long

When Family Farms Were Middle Class

When Family Farms Were Middle Class

We’re finally looking at a stretch of warmer weather here in Southwest Virginia, and it brings back a feeling folks around Russell County and Washington County used to know by heart. But this story isn’t just about two counties in the mountains and foothills of Southwest Virginia. It’

Most 911 Calls Aren’t for Police... They’re for FIRE / EMS And Rural America Already Knows It

Most 911 Calls Aren’t for Police... They’re for FIRE / EMS And Rural America Already Knows It

Chances are, if you live in rural America, you know somebody in Fire / EMS. If you don’t, you have probably met them the hard way. In your driveway. In your living room. Standing beside a family member on a day you will never forget. That is just the way

The Mayberry Effect: Nostalgia, Memory, and Rural America

The Mayberry Effect: Nostalgia, Memory, and Rural America

In 2016, some of the most effective political campaign messaging across rural America was not built on economic policy or specific issues. It was built on nostalgia. A feeling that life was once more stable, more local, and more connected to community. That emotional appeal resonated deeply in small towns