East Tennessee will always be home in my heart – where I grew up. Since moving away at 14, I’ve continued to go back each year to visit my family.
Tennessee visits have always been complicated emotionally for me. From seeing my divorced father to our annual family reunions, complex childhood memories are always entwined with my love of the South.
Mostly as my Boston University Senior Year Professional Project, but partially as a form of therapy, I revisited my home as an ‘outsider insider’ at age 21.
This started as a piece about the familial culture of Appalachia and understanding similarities in a world of hyper-polarization.
This collection reflected my relationships with my family because it’s impossible to escape what makes you.
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
– Dolly Parton
Summer 2017.
July 29, 2017 – My last family reunion before moving to Florida at the start of high school. My little siblings and cousin play in the creek at our local park during the reunion with Johnny – my Mamaw’s husband.
Our reunions always consist of a potluck-style lunch and reminiscing about old family memories. Often, this is the only time we see each other every year.
Mamaw asked me to start photographing our family reunions in 2022. Instead of meeting at the city park, we’ve rented out the American Legion Post 104 in Sevier County every year since.
Summer 2022.
Summer 2023.
March 2024.
“Family” would be incomplete without close friends. During high school visits, I always begged my mom to let me borrow the car. Most of us still talk to this day.
Lexi Kessens eats a hamburger for dinner while doing impressions – her roommate Colleen Thurman films and laughs. Lexi has always been a comedian and became known for her stand-up routines at the yearly Catlettsburg Elementary Talent Show.
Andrew McAninch pets Hermes after waking up on Lexi’s couch. The night before, he’d spent the night drinking with Lexi and me and talking about how life has changed since 2017.
Ann Edelman and Lindsay Buxton sit in Edelman’s car outside Buxton’s apartment talking about Buxton’s boyfriend. We all went to the Boys and Girls Club as kids.
Andrew Edelman – Ann’s younger brother sitting at their kitchen counter after dinner.
Lindsay left before dinner to hang out with her boyfriend at Walmart. She called Ann asking if we wanted to meet up with them.
Lindsay and her boyfriend smiling outside Walmart. The two started dating only a few weeks before. They seem genuinely happy.
Abigayle Chapman laughs while sitting outside the Neighborhood Beer House after her bartending shift. Abby was part of Lexi and I’s junior high friend group. The three of us bonded over bullies and mental health struggles from a young age.
Three Sevier County Schools students wait outside the King Family Library down the street from the junior high waiting to be picked up. Making trouble outside the library is a local childhood tradition. Ann and I would walk here from the Boys and Girls Club.
March 2024 cont.
Papaw sits in his room at Beverly Park Place Health and Rehab tired after adjusting his position in bed. While getting ready to preach in 2016, Papaw survived a brain aneurysm. This was my first time visiting him alone. We talked a lot about Facebook and how he was feeling that day.
Buc-ee’s shoppers fill up their drink cups at the ICEE station. The gas station is a tourist attraction right off the Sevierville exit coming from Knoxville.
Texas Roadhouse is one of my favorite restaurants. Mamaw and Johnny always take me when I’m in town. Johnny and I love sharing the cinnamon butter rolls.
Johnny watching YouTube in the living room at home after lunch while Mamaw quickly stepped into the kitchen.
A new house stands where my Mom grew up with her Mom and two siblings. The original home was built in the 70s and was demolished after Mamaw moved to a new house when I was a little kid.
Mamaw holds a grocery bag of things to throw away while cleaning up her Mom Bobbie Jean’s house. She’s a nurse and takes care of people like my Great Mamaw who need a little help day to day.
Mamaw and her mom go through various bits and bobs laid out on a scale on Bobbie Jean’s lap that Mamaw found while cleaning. Cleaning Bobbie Jean’s house has been a many years long project for the whole family.
Part of the cleaning process is always checking the fridge. Bobbie Jean holds on to food and lots of little things because she remembers a time when she had very little. She says it’s important to have things in case you need them.
Johnny and my momma walk to the car from Bobbie Jean’s house. Everyone laughs around Johnny – he’s the jokester of the family.
My mom visits Tennessee with my little brothers during Spring and Summer breaks so they can visit my dad – this was while the boys were with my father. I stopped visiting him after Christmas in 2018 when I was 16.
We noticed limited edition Dragon Ball Z Reese’s Puffs at Kroger – a favorite anime of my siblings and mom’s boyfriend Keefe.
My youngest sibling Connor navigates a color-changing mirror maze at MagiQuest. Between visits with my dad, we try to visit family and do fun things around town. Since moving out and going to college, these breaks have been some of my favorite memories.
While hiking the Chimney Tops Trail, the inclines kicked our butts. We had to take breaks before big sections.
All my siblings – Connor, Isaiah, and Ethan – sit bored on Naomi’s couch. There is no phone service at Naomi’s.
My Mom sits beside them listening to Naomi – my momma’s aunt. Naomi is the oldest of my Papaw’s siblings and has always taken care of everyone. She always has something to chat about – just like Mamaw.
Summer 2024.
July 28, 2024 – Our most recent reunion.
My mamaw continues to organize the reunion each year. My momma and Aunt Mary have followed in her footsteps. We always show up early and make sure there’s enough food for everyone to eat.
I hope one day these photos will be in the albums amongst the family reunion tables.
“Family Photos”
© Madi Koesler