Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Through the Window, Not the Door: Writing as a Vehicle for Change
Session Abstract or Summary
THROUGH THE WINDOW, NOT THE DOOR: WRITING AS A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE: These four writers from the WV Wesleyan low-residency MFA community are impassioned about creating work that presents fuller portraits of the people of Appalachia and their very real struggles. Nikky Finney, a recent guest at Wesleyan’s MFA residency, encourages writers to go “through the window, not the door,” when it comes to grappling with difficult material. We should approach these issues with artistry and humanity, rather than crafting a rant, sermon, or sentimental appeal. These WVWC students, alumni, and faculty will read short selections from their work that acknowledges the diversity and disparities in Appalachia and that also seeks to champion marginalized people and create avenues for healing. Each writer will discuss the ways his or her writing might elicit compassion in both the writer and reader. During the final fifteen minutes, panelists will engage the audience in a conversation about how writing can be a vehicle for change.
Presentation #1 Title
Through the Window, Not the Door: Writing as a Vehicle for Change
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Original Prose or Poetry.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Marie Manilla is the author of The Patron Saint of Ugly, (Houghton Mifflin, 2014), winner of the Weatherford Award. Shrapnel (RCP, 2012), received the Fred Bonnie Award for Best First Novel. Her short stories have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Mississippi Review, Prairie Schooner, and other journals. Her stories are collected in Still Life with Plums (WVU Press, 2010), a finalist for both the Weatherford Award and ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year.
Presentation #2 Title
Through the Window, Not the Door: Writing as a Vehicle for Change
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Original Prose or Poetry.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Danielle Kelly holds an MFA in Fiction from West Virginia Wesleyan College and serves as Managing Editor and Co-Fiction Editor of HeartWood literary journal. She is a banker, a multi-denominational church singer, and currently serves as Adjunct Instructor of English at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV. Danielle's work has appeared in r.kv.r.y quarterly where it was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Presentation #3 Title
Through the Window, Not the Door: Writing as a Vehicle for Change
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Original Prose or Poetry.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Rebecca D. Elswick lives in southwestern Virginia. Her writing has appeared in journals and anthologies. Rebecca’s debut novel, Mama's Shoes was published by Writer's Digest. Mama's Shoes was awarded the Writer's Digest Mark of Quality and was a Weatherford Award and ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year finalist. Rebecca is a public relations and writing specialist for the Appalachian School of Law and a teacher’s consultant for the Appalachian Writing Project at UVA Wise.
Presentation #4 Title
Through the Window, Not the Door: Writing as a Vehicle for Change
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
Original Prose or Poetry.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Ginny Rachel is a traveling Adjunct English Instructor in several counties in southern WV/VA, most recently New River Community and Technical College. She received her MFA in Fiction from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2015 and returned to explore Creative Nonfiction in 2016 via the cross-genre option. She weaves Appalachian folk music and culture into her writing as well as her teaching in the classroom. Ginny’s work has appeared in, WV South.
Through the Window, Not the Door: Writing as a Vehicle for Change
Original Prose or Poetry.
