What is Americana Literature?

You don’t hear much about Americana literature. It’s a subgenre that fits well into other main genres. It’s what I write. I like to work on it the most in my script and manuscript consulting with studios and publishers.

Americana literature, which has its roots in the early 20th century, encompasses the culture, history, traditions, values, and social dynamics of the United States, where I live. It’s a genre that celebrates and criticizes aspects of American life and identity by examining uniquely American experiences, places, and struggles. My writing covers all media: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, short stories, and anything else I write. All include influences of the Americana sub-genre.

I like to have a sense of place when writing or looking at a consult script. I’m not talking about necessarily a physical place, though that is a part of it, but a mental, spiritual, social, economic, and anything else you can think of place. My mind naturally goes in this direction. Numerous things stand out in Americana literature. There is the exploration of American identity. This is a complex thing, especially in today’s politically volatile times. However, American identity focuses on what it means to be an “American,” examining themes like freedom, independence, individualism, and democracy. It looks at these and more, all sides, the similarities, differences, and even the downright contradictions. Americana literature tends to be regional. I like it because it becomes a character within the story. The location or region is highlighted. Specifics are used, such as Biloxi, Mississippi, or areas of the Midwest, Northeast, and others, with my two favorites being the true South and Appalachia. Americana literature captures traditions from these areas, as well as dialects, customs, and environments that make this section of America different from the rest of the world and different from other parts of the U.S. It gives the work a flavor like gumbo or Philly cheese steak. Of course, there is history involved. In my area, you can’t write about the South without hitting historical moments of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, the Bible Belt, and other relevant historical movements. Looking at this history, we see the now through the lens of the past. In the South, we carry a lot of baggage. History defines us as it does other parts of the country. In this historical context, historically-based struggles and issues of belonging (or even being welcome in the area) play a role, and no self-respecting story from the South or any other part of the U.S. can even be expected to be a decent read without its influence. Issues such as immigration, race, class, and tension between rural and urban life play a role across the U.S. Everywhere, there are marginalized voices who are struggling for inclusion or equality. This is everywhere. Within that history are embedded iconic symbols and imagery such as towns, open landscapes, frontier settings, highways, and urban centers. There is much history in Shoney’s restaurants, though they are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Main Street in my Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida hometowns has different flavors. This is Americana.

All literary work can (and, in my opinion, should) reflect the subgenre of Americana: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, children’s and YA literature, essays, short stories, and video games. All give the stories a sense of place. Some of my favorite Americana novels are The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), which portrays the struggles of migrant farmers during the Great Depression, addressing themes of poverty, resilience, and community; To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) which captures the complexities of morality, empathy, and human dignity in the Deep South; and Beloved (Tony Morrison) that examines the traumatic legacy of slavery through the story of Sethe, a woman haunted by her past. Some of my favorite nonfiction Americana books are The Souls of Black Folk (W.E.B. Du Bois), which examines race, identity, and inequality in post-Reconstruction America, and Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer), which chronicles the journey of Christopher McCandless, who abandoned material comforts to live in the Alaskan wilderness. Some of my favorite American books of poetry include Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman), which celebrates the diversity and vitality of America, exploring themes of democracy, nature, and the human spirit; Langston Hughes’ Collected Poems (Langston Hughes), which captures the struggles, dreams, and joys of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance; and Howl (Allen Ginsberg) that explores the Beat Generation and addresses American materialism and conformity in post-war America. My favorite Americana plays include Our Town (Thornton Wilder), which explores small-town American life, focusing on universal themes of love, loss, and the passage of time; A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry) which explores the dreams and struggles of an African American family in Chicago in the 1950s; and Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller) that looks at the failures of the American Dream through the tragic life and family dynamics of Willy Loman. Some of my favorite children’s and young adult literature include Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder), which looks at a pioneer family settling in the American Midwest; The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton), which explores themes of class conflict, identity, and friendship among American teenagers in 1960s America; and Holes (Louis Sachar) that blends humor, mystery, and historical narratives about redemption and justice. Even videogame favorites include Red Dead Redemption 2, which captures the dying days of the American frontier; Kentucky Route Zero, which offers an adventure set in the American South; and The Oregon Trail, which simulates the challenges of westward expansion in the 19th century. These are but a few examples. They resonate with me because they resonate with my identity as an American. I am a product of my society and my past.

In historical times or the present day, Americana literature looks at the American Dream and what that means, or seems too beyond, to those living in America. It looks at social justice and inequality. It looks at multiculturalism and objective aspects of immigration (not just the political dung we’re hearing about now). It explores nature, how nature is being destroyed, and the American frontiers yet to be discovered (and there are places). It looks at globalization and its impact on American identity. It examines climate change and how the climate is affecting our world as we know it. It explores the growing influence of multicultural perspectives in the U.S., and, especially for me, the changes that are taking place in the South because of the immigration of non-Southerners into our midst who are logically bringing their cultures with them, but cultures that do not match our own. And, for me, because it not only sets a place but also creates a character unto itself, the regionalism of America. This takes me to places I don’t know. To me, that pulls me in. I love the cultural reflection, nostalgia, familiarity, insight into social issues, and especially (for my independent spirit) the celebration of individualism. All of this is fascinating to me, and stories set in the United States that don’t have the subgenre of Americana literature are sadly lacking. Americana is about us; we should write about, explore, share, and understand it. I’d go so far as to say if you don’t know the history and character of the region you are writing about, you don’t know the characters or the true story either.

Americana literature captures what it is like to live, struggle, dream, and die in the United States. It shines a mirror on our unique culture, history, and diversity. It allows readers to learn about us (wherever the story may be set) and compare it against their own lives. It gives writers a chance to elevate their work by exploring the complexities of American life, and there are many. Some might say that we are talking about nostalgia. Maybe so, if we are writing Americana literature set in the past. But I say no book set in America that does not carry the subgenre of Americana is lacking, whether the story is historical or contemporary. Americana literature provokes thought, reflection, questions, and a deeper understanding of who we are as Americans. When we’re thinking, as writers, of our setting, the subgenre of Americana literature should be at the forefront of our minds. Above all else, it defines who we are and makes our stories sing.