Print |
E-mail to a friend
FEATURED
Conference renews commitment to heritage
Boyd Shearer Jr., with OutrageGIS Mapping, goes through some of his maps with Rich Kirby and Lyle Snider during the Appalachian Studies Association’s annual conference on Saturday at Marshall University.
Purchase this photoRelated:
HUNTINGTON -- Jim Webb started coming to the Appalachian Studies Conference years ago when he was a teacher at Southern West Virginia College in Williamson.
And for someone interested in all things Appalachian, the conference serves multiple purposes. Webb, a poet, joined other Appalachian writers for a session called "Readings from Coal: A Poetry Anthology" during the 2008 conference, which continued Saturday at Marshall University.
But he also sat in numerous other sessions, soaking up new information and revitalizing his spirit.
"You get to see all the different things people are doing in the region," Webb said. "This region is so complex that there are factors pulling all our strings. It's so hard to comprehend until you get us all here, and you see how it's all connected."
First-year attendee Ryan Donnelly from Pocahontas Press, said the conference has meant a lot to him both professionally and personally. It also gave him a new perspective on Appalachian culture.
"Before going to Virginia Tech, I thought Appalachia was just an area," Donnelly said. "Being exposed to the Appalachian writers, there is a lifestyle that is distinctly Appalachian."
Beyond the dozens of sessions offered Saturday were the exhibits in the basement of the Memorial Student Center. There were hundreds of books on Appalachian culture, coal mining, heritage and history.
Dena Dayton of the West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University said she's been at the annual conference for the past few years. And she always seems to take away one major idea.
"Everybody is trying to make everyone realize what we do now affects our future," she said. "One thing my professor always teaches is if you know where you come from, then you know who you are and where you want to be in the future."
The conference continues Sunday morning with sessions starting at 8:30 a.m. Sessions include "Appalachian Culture: Beyond the Beverly Hillbillies," "Appalachian Studies: Yesterday & Tomorrow" and "Devil's Oven: The Fire in the Heart of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds." For a complete list of the sessions, visit www.appalachianstudies.org.
