Bio

If all the trees were oaks

What if all the trees were oaks
How plain the world would seem;
No maple syrup, banana splits,
And how would orange juice be?
Wouldn't it be a boring place?
If all the people were the same;
Just one color, just one language,

Just one family name!

But -
If the forest were the world,
And all the people were the trees;
Palm and pine, bamboo and willow,
Live and grow in harmony.
Aren't you glad, my good friend,
Different though we be;
We are here to help each other.

I learn from you, and you, from me.

--Will Allen Dromgoole
You may have assumed that Will Allen Dromgoole was a man. Early in her career, she used the pen name “Will Allen” but her choice of names was not simply a means by which a female could get published in newspapers and magazines. William Ann Dromgoole was born on October 25, 1860 and she changed her name to William Allen when she was just six years old and was known as “Will Allen” or “Miss Will” for most of her life. She was educated at home and at private schools and wanted a career in law, which was not open to women at that time. So she wrote articles and poetry and became involved in Tennessee politics. After reading an article about a lost and forgotten group of people called Melungeons in northeast Tennessee, she became interested in and embarked upon a search for information. At considerable risk and hardship she found this lost race huddled together on a ridge near Sneedville in Hancock County, they were totally illiterate, spoke fractured English and inspired her writing.