Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Session 8.12 Appalachian Studies: Creative Student Responses to Appalachian Culture, History, and Cinematic Representations
Session Abstract or Summary
This panel will feature screenings and readings of works composed by undergraduate students at Marshall University, followed by a question and answer session with the creators of those texts. During the Spring 2014 semester, I taught two sections of “Appalachia on Film” at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. This course examined representations of Appalachia and Appalachians within documentary and fictional films, produced both within and outside of Appalachia. Additionally, students read scholarship on Appalachian culture and history, as well as shared with one another their own experiences of Appalachia. While some students chose to write conventional research-based analyses for their final projects, I encouraged the production of creative texts. This panel will share three creative responses to the course: “Appalachian Cultural Identity: A Reflection on The Dying Coal Industry and its People,” a video essay by Hannah Leport; “The Women of My Appalachia,” a hybrid essay by Hannah Grace Smith; and “Picking Apart Bluegrass,” a short documentary film by Kayla Hager. This panel will expose educators to the benefits of students merging course content and personal experience within genres beyond the normative limits of academic discourse. Further, this panel will demonstrate that cultural production is often intergenerational, for each performer addresses how familial, cultural, and/or economic pasts affect the present. Finally, this panel interacts with the conference theme “Many Mountains, Many Musics,” as the three presenters have composed works of art within different (multi)genres.
Presentation #1 Title
Creative Student Responses to Appalachian Culture, History, and Cinematic Representations
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
NOTE TO CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS: As I have organized this panel so that select members of my recent undergraduate "Appalachia on Film" classes may present their creative responses to the course, I will only provide a brief introduction which explains the content and objectives of the course. However, I will suggest that incorporating creative projects within classes focused upon (representations of) Appalachian culture and history allows students to take ownership of their education and identities while simultaneously encouraging a recognition of interdependency, as family and community history plays a significant role in the majority of the presenters’ work. Furthermore, I will note that students’ prior knowledges and experiences are valuable educational resources, for the panelists have not only drawn upon personal interests and utilized genres learned in other courses but they have also shared their projects with classes I and other faculty are currently teaching. Finally, I will facilitate and, when pertinent, join in a question and answer session following the conclusion of the presentations.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Walter Squire is an Assistant Professor of English at Marshall University, where he teaches courses in film as literature. His publications include essays on labor activism and literature, Disney adaptations, and L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Presentation #2 Title
“Appalachian Cultural Identity: A Reflection on the Dying Coal Industry and Its People”
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
“Appalachian Cultural Identity: A Reflection on the Dying Coal Industry and Its People” is a video essay that reflects on the importance of understanding the dying coal industry and its direct effects on Appalachian people and culture. Told from the author’s perspective as a young woman born and raised in rural West Virginia, the essay explores both the height of the coal industry as well as its lows through the stories of her grandparents. Those grandparents, both children of coal miners, provide an ethos to the author’s family heritage in coal as well as give an enlightening perspective from people who experienced the coal industry in both its success and downfall. In this personal video essay, the author steps out from behind the camera, so to speak, and confronts her own thoughts and feelings regarding the coal industry and its effects, both negative and positive, on Appalachian people and culture, focusing on the way the coal industry is presented in popular cultural media today.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Hannah Leport is a recent graduate of Marshall’s Bachelor of Arts in English program, with a focus in Creative Writing. She plans to further her education by obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching from Marshall and teach English in the public schools.
Presentation #3 Title
“The Women of My Appalachia”
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
“The Women of My Appalachia,” is a hybrid essay, blending elements of creative nonfiction and scholarly writing to produce a piece that is both deeply personal and analytical. In “The Women of My Appalachia,” I examine the concept of the “Appalachian wild woman,” analyzing the trope as it appears in film and comparing these on screen depictions to several prominent female figures in my own life. The essay shifts between personal vignettes and film analysis. I explore the ways in which the heroines of Harlan County, USA, The Hunger Games, and Night of the Hunter are reflected in the experiences of my Appalachian grandmother, aunt, and mother. As a child growing up in West Virginia, I would have never thought that the women of my Appalachia were similar to the women in these movies. However, I have now come to view the strength and devotion portrayed by these women on screen to be the same as the strength and devotion evident in the lives of my family members. I now recognize these qualities as something distinctly Appalachian.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Hannah Smith is from Parkersburg, West Virginia. She is currently working on completing a Bachelor of Arts in English/Creative Writing at Marshall University.
Presentation #4 Title
“Picking Apart Bluegrass”
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
“Picking Apart Bluegrass” is a short documentary that gives some insight into what it is like to be a bluegrass musician, the stereotypes that come along with being one, and a brief history of the genre. Two men are featured in the documentary who have grown up in Appalachia and have performed as bluegrass musicians for many years. One a banjo player and the other a guitarist, these two men talk about their experiences, share information on bluegrass music, and even get a chance to play together for the camera. Bluegrass music is unfortunately not as popular as other genres of music today, but these two men show just how enjoyable it can be. The common stereotypes associated with this music, along with the fact that it is normally performed live rather than recorded, serve to push people away from this genre. However, once people realize that the stereotypes are not true and that live music is to be valued, they will appreciate the genre in a whole new way.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
After receiving her first video camera at age ten, Kayla Hager began creating her own films. Her passion for music is shown through being part of the Marshall University Marching Thunder for four years and teaching a children’s show choir.
Creative Student Responses to Appalachian Culture, History, and Cinematic Representations
NOTE TO CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS: As I have organized this panel so that select members of my recent undergraduate "Appalachia on Film" classes may present their creative responses to the course, I will only provide a brief introduction which explains the content and objectives of the course. However, I will suggest that incorporating creative projects within classes focused upon (representations of) Appalachian culture and history allows students to take ownership of their education and identities while simultaneously encouraging a recognition of interdependency, as family and community history plays a significant role in the majority of the presenters’ work. Furthermore, I will note that students’ prior knowledges and experiences are valuable educational resources, for the panelists have not only drawn upon personal interests and utilized genres learned in other courses but they have also shared their projects with classes I and other faculty are currently teaching. Finally, I will facilitate and, when pertinent, join in a question and answer session following the conclusion of the presentations.
