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Laken Brooks

Laken Brooks

Laken Brooks is a PhD English student at the University of Florida where she studies Appalachian folklore, disability, and digital technologies. She also is a freelance writer and has written about rural life, healthcare, and gender/sexuality for outlets like CNN, Good Housekeeping, Inside Higher Ed, the Washington Post, Refinery29, Forbes, Salon, and more.

Dolly Parton and a cougar

How Dolly Parton Is Literally Like a Cougar

The mountain cat’s cries, like Dolly Parton’s famous songs, carry the diverse voices of rural Appalachia.