Alex Hall is an Appalachian & esports historian, educator, and digital storyteller from the Cumberland Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. He serves as Administrative Assistant to the Provost and esports coach at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, supporting academic leadership while building student-centered programs that blend competition, community, and coaching.
Alex earned a B.A. in Pre-Law from Alice Lloyd College and an MBA from the University of the Cumberlands. He is currently pursuing graduate study in education, history, and cybersecurity, reflecting a career-long interest in how learning, technology, and local knowledge can strengthen Appalachian communities.
Through AppalachianHistorian.org, Alex publishes research-driven stories on regional history, memory, and culture, pairing archival work with clear, narrative storytelling. The site also features guest contributors and community voices from across the mountains.
Alex is also a multi-genre author. His books include Paperhearts: A Breakup Collection of Poems, which reached #1 in Kindle Contemporary Poetry, along with Blue Sunflower, Amber Jar July, and contributions to Abandoned: Cumberland Mountains Authors’ Guild Anthology. He has also published I Hate Religion: 10 Counts Against Performance Christianity, which reached #1 in Kindle Religious Leadership and #1 in Kindle Christian Leadership.
Beyond the page, Alex has delivered remarks for campus partnership events and has supported public-facing history work, including an on-camera interview for KET’s Kentucky Life connected to the Verna Mae Slone segment. When he is not writing or researching, he is coaching collegiate esports, chasing speedrun world records, or tending to his bees in the hills of Eastern Kentucky.