Her official bio says Marideth Sisco is a veteran journalist, teacher, author, musician, student of folklore, and creator of Elder Mountain Press, a venue for publishing stories relevant to Ozarks culture and history. But those words are totally inadequate in expressing the passion she exhibits in everything she does, every day, for our Ozarks cultural heritage. To see the tip of the iceberg, read her blog, as I do, 'my life and times,' and it wears me out just trying to keep up with all of her varied activities.

For a number of years, most people may know her best as a storyteller - she writes essays, These Ozark Hills, and presents them regularly on Ozarks public radio, KSMU, and ksmu.org. Many of these essays were recently collected in a hard cover book.

Increasingly over the past nearly two years, she has become much better known, nationally, as the featured singer and music consultant for the movie, Winter's Bone, winner of the 2010 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, and recipient of four Oscar nominations, including best picture. She has toured almost all of the past year with the Blackberry Winter Band that was featured in the movie. Appearances have included the South-By-Southwest Music and Film Festival, Austin, TX; Ragtag Cinema, Columbia, MO; Arkasas Premiere, Fayetteville, AR; Ozark Technical College, Springfield, MO; Arkansas Fiddlers Convention, Harrison, AR; Kansas City Film Festival; Gillioz Theatre, Springfield, MO; Memphis film opening, Memphis, TN; Missouri Film Commission screening, Jefferson City, MO; Premier of Movie, Branson, MO; Heroes Coffee, West Plains, MO; Little Rock Film Festival, Little Rock, AR; International Film Festival, Torino, Italy.

She has been passionately involved with the development and promotion of the Feasibility Study for the Ozark Highlands National Heritage Area under the auspices of the West Plains (MO) Council on the Arts among other projects.

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