Nathan O'discin
Meet Nathan
Nathan O’Discin is a homeland security engineer, entrepreneur, blogger, instructor, and author. Born and raised in West Virginia, O’Discin frequently enriches his works with a wry attitude toward his Appalachian culture, touching on subjects of poverty, faith, and southern hospitality, often incorporating the thick dialect of central Appalachia into his writing style.
Manuscript excerpts and blog archives (2009-2016) available.
Return to the last great coal boom of West Virignia's fabled southern coalfields, as retold and chronicled by Nathan "Sly" Deskins. Recount his near-death experiences and forged brotherhood in the world's most dangerous coal mine that captured the hearts and curiosity of thousands in the 2010s.
From surviving the Upper Big Branch mining disaster, running for office in the West Virginia legislature, and recounting the politics of the "War on Coal" and the Republican revolution in southern West Virginia (and his relentless disdain for fellow author-turned-politician J.D. Vance); recapture and explore (perhaps once more) the blog that told it all, at the expense of none.
Manuscript Excerpts available in the public domain through West Virginia University:
Sky High Mining (ch. 6); They Call Me The Miner Man (ch. 8); Politically, Maybe (ch. 14); War on Coal (ch. 16); In Fact, I Suck (ch. 20);
(Courtesy of the West Virginia University Library Press of Appalachian Literature)
Nathan O'Discin
Book Tour Dates for Beneath the Whispering Pines:
Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV October 21, 2023 11:00AM - 2:00PM
Raleigh County Library, Beckley, WV November 4, 2023 1:00PM - 3:00PM
Ronceverte Library, Ronceverte, WV December 12, 2023 1:00PM - 5:00PM
Ohio Indies, Columbus, OH January 17, 2024 Noon - 7:00PM
Joseph Beth Booksellers, Lexington, KY March 15, 2024 2:30 - 6:00PM
Upcoming Work
Sly (Nathan O'discin) talks with Radii (Justin Delorme) and Umbre (Kieran Otovo) at Nintendo Indies Podcast Corner about his upcoming American dystopic series that focuses on a wild LGBT relationship between a militia commander, Derrick Reddon, and a congressional staffer, Chase Lewis; Sly (O'discin) explains how he deflects and projects his own self-loathing homophobia and queer identity into the characters, respectively.
Sly (O'discin) explains how he tackles multiple plots and story arcs across eight different characters and builds a world not-too-far-off from our own dire political climate, and the warnings and implications of continued fascism in America and how minorities stand to endure the brunt of the shifting political landscape.
Podcast Airs August 15, 2024 at 8PM E.T. Watch it live on TikTok, Odiscin Books, NintendoLife, or X/Twitter.