About Amy

Storyteller Amy Ammons Garza tells tales of growing up in the mountains in a house with no electricity or plumbing. As a child she sat at the foot of her grandfather and listened to tales of how her ancestors, seven generations past, were a part of those who traveled to Western North Carolina in the 1700s and settled the isolated mountains. His stories intrigued her, and so she stored them away in her heart until she grew up and began to write about them. Now she has twelve books, three of which are a trilogy of her family's heritage in the NC mountains. "Our family struggled to make a living," says Amy. "They did as others... gardened, picked wild berries, cut timber, worked on the railroad, made corn liquor...anything to put food on the table and shoes on their feet. And in among it all, they had love stories, fun stories, faith stories, how to 'made do,' and how to 'keep on keeping on! '"  

Amy is the cofounder of Catch the Spirit of Appalachia where she and her sister spent years telling mountain stories, and eight years on the radio interviewing other mountain folk. Over 400 interviews are now archived at Hunter Library, Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, NC. Some of the stories have been turned into audio "slices of life" which are available through CD's offered for purchase on this site.  

Amy is also a publisher for others who want to share their talents.