Voices from the Misty Mountains: Appalachian Writers and Mountain Culture

FAIN: FV-50338-12

Shepherd University (Shepherdstown, WV 25443-5000)
Sylvia Shurbutt (Project Director: March 2012 to May 2017)

A three-week seminar for sixteen high school teachers on Appalachia's literary and cultural heritage.

Shepherd University proposes a three-week, July 2013 seminar for high school teachers that will delve into the subject of Appalachian literature and culture. A literature of unexpected cultural diversity, the Appalachian works will provide a new and deeper understanding of the complexity and cultural range of the region. Participants will take part in an Appalachian storytelling workshop led by an award-winning storyteller. They will explore Appalachian music, important in the cultural heritage and literature of the region and take part in a field trip to the Culture Center in Charleston, West Virginia, and to the Hawks Nest Industrial Disaster site to allow further opportunity for experiential learning and exploring the range of Appalachian themes and works. Perhaps the most stimulating part of the summer seminar will be the opportunity to interface with the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), which will feature a stage reading of Long Time Traveling.