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Kansas Author Sarah Smarsh Explores The 'Unifying Figure' Of Dolly Parton

By Steve Kraske,

Published October 26, 2020 at 1:14 PM CDT

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Sarah Smarsh's "She Come By It Natural" was originally published as a four-part series for roots-music magazine "No Depression."

Smarsh's new book, "She Come By It Natural," looks at how Dolly Parton's music gave a voice to working class women.

As a fifth-generation Kansas farm girl, Sarah Smarsh grew up listening to a lot of old country music. In her family, the music served as a language for women to talk about their feelings.

Sarah Smarsh, journalist and author of "She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs"

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Up To Date Talk Show Feminism author bluegrass/country/folk Music rural Podcast Books women

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer at KCUR, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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