Coal is your goal

Underworld: "In a powerfully understated narrative, Jeanne Marie Laskas offers a window into the lives of coal miners in Southeastern Ohio, transporting readers deep into a claustrophobic subterranean world. The men -- who go by such nicknames as Smitty, Pap, Hook, Duke, and Ragu -- slowly reveal themselves to be tough but nuanced characters, veritable diamonds in the dust, portrayed by Laskas with humor, grace, and compassion."

Finalist, feature writing, American Society of Magazine Editors' Best American Magazine Writing 2008. (Jeanne Marie Laska, GQ)