Participation Type
Performance
Session Title
Session 3.18 Health
Presentation #1 Title
This Lonely Time: A Life of Music & Mental Health in Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Through personal testimony and music, This Lonely Time is an exercise in understanding the mental health impact of environmental and social injustices in Central Appalachia. Will Parsons and his son Matthew Parsons have had first-hand experience with the environmental travesties in the mountains, the continuing sexual repression of the culture, and the injustice of poor mental health care and institutional corruption in the region. In 2008, Michael Parsons (Will’s brother), a mentally handicapped man functioning on approximately a ten-year-old level, was incarcerated without trial on the accusation that he sexually molested a minor. The facts of the case proved otherwise, but Michael was placed in a mental health facility the goal of which, it seemed, was to make patients worse off. The Parsons family has spent the last six years documenting the abuse Michael faced and unraveling the mystery, while also confronting the many other social justice issues of the region. A professor of bluegrass music at Morehead University in Morehead, KY, and a former employee of the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Country, and Old-Time Music program, Will Parsons has perfected his style and taste in music, writing beautiful lyrics and inspiring melodies. The songs that he and his son Matthew have written, like all cultural art forms, speak to the injustices and the beauties of the region, while providing an aesthetic experience for the audience that is unforgettable. This Lonely Time delves into the uncomfortable, the illuminating, and the beautiful truths of our Appalachian culture.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Will Parsons, a professor of bluegrass music at Morehead State University, was born to an abusive, religious fundamentalist father in a severely depressed neighborhood in Charleston, West Virginia. He has witnessed the wrong-doings of corrupt judicial systems, cruel and usual treatment in West Virginia’s mental health facilities, the oppression of the poor, white, Appalachian male, and the devastation caused by extractive industries on his yet uncompleted path to becoming the ideal example of healthy living.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Matthew Parsons, Will's son, is a budding young artist. At 20 years old, Matthew has written many songs, each speaking to different aspects of the human condition. His poetry and lyrics are designed to communicate truth as well as provide a pleasing language for the listener. As a student at Berea College in Berea, KY, Matthew studies Appalachian Studies and serves as the NEH Chair Assistant to Silas House, while also maintaining his love for literature in its many forms. He has spent the last four years dedicated to ending mountain top removal and enlightening people about the complexities of Appalachian culture with his passion for food, language, and music.
This Lonely Time: A Life of Music & Mental Health in Appalachia
Through personal testimony and music, This Lonely Time is an exercise in understanding the mental health impact of environmental and social injustices in Central Appalachia. Will Parsons and his son Matthew Parsons have had first-hand experience with the environmental travesties in the mountains, the continuing sexual repression of the culture, and the injustice of poor mental health care and institutional corruption in the region. In 2008, Michael Parsons (Will’s brother), a mentally handicapped man functioning on approximately a ten-year-old level, was incarcerated without trial on the accusation that he sexually molested a minor. The facts of the case proved otherwise, but Michael was placed in a mental health facility the goal of which, it seemed, was to make patients worse off. The Parsons family has spent the last six years documenting the abuse Michael faced and unraveling the mystery, while also confronting the many other social justice issues of the region. A professor of bluegrass music at Morehead University in Morehead, KY, and a former employee of the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Country, and Old-Time Music program, Will Parsons has perfected his style and taste in music, writing beautiful lyrics and inspiring melodies. The songs that he and his son Matthew have written, like all cultural art forms, speak to the injustices and the beauties of the region, while providing an aesthetic experience for the audience that is unforgettable. This Lonely Time delves into the uncomfortable, the illuminating, and the beautiful truths of our Appalachian culture.
