Brainard Cheney Papers, c. 1950 | Archives of Appalachia

Brainard Bartwell Cheney was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia, June 3, 1900, and raised in a south Georgia sawmill town. Educated at The Citadel, the University of Georgia, and Vanderbilt University, he worked as a bank clerk, timber dealer, and school principal before entering the field of journalism. From 1925 to 1942 he was police reporter and a member of the editorial staff of the Nashville Banner. During World War II he was executive secretary to Tom Stewart, United States Senator from Tennessee. After seven years as a self-employed writer and editor, he worked from 1952 to 1958 as a member of the public relations staff of Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee.

Cheney wrote four novels: Lightwood (1939), River Rogue (1942), This is Adam (1958), and Devil's Elbow (1969). His play "Strangers in This World" was first performed in 1950 at Vanderbilt University. His short stories and articles were published in Coronet, Georgia Review, Sewanee Review, and other periodicals.

Cheney died in 1990.

Appalachian Region, Southern--Fiction
Cheney, Brainard, 1900-1990
Cheney, Brainard, 1900- 1990. "Strangers in This World"
Snake Cults (Holiness churches)--Fiction