Participation Type
Performance
Presentation #1 Title
"Invisible Girls"
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
“Invisible Girls” is a 900-word short story that describes the experience of a small group of girls who are academically high-achieving but struggle with otherness in high school. They create community as a means to cope with not fitting in and are acutely aware of their invisibility with other students, the school administration, teachers, and parents, which leads to self-destructive behavior.
Although the fictional characters in the story are not explicitly named as Urban Appalachians, their sense of otherness and need to create community expresses my experience as an Urban Appalachian born and raised in Cincinnati.
This story was written and presented at Kenyon Review Writers’ Workshop in Gambier, Ohio, in 2016. It has been published in print and audio at Streetlight Magazine (StreetlightMag.com) and was selected for inclusion in Women of Appalachia Project’s Women Speak events.
The 4-minute presentation of this story is expected to promote dialogue about the sense of otherness and need for community in individuals who don’t necessarily self-identify as Urban Appalachian and to encourage others to write creatively from the perspective of Urban Appalachians. It hopes to engage the ASA membership with the distinct needs of the population of Urban Appalachians in the Cincinnati area, especially the city-born children of Appalachians who struggle to create a sense of community because they are neither rooted in Appalachia nor in Cincinnati. The presentation of this story may also help to educate and inform members about the innovative work being done by the Women of Appalachia Project.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Tonja Matney Reynolds is a Cincinnati native with Appalachian roots. Her short fiction is included in Women of Appalachia Project's Women Speak events and has been published in Best of Ohio Short Stories: Volume II, Streetlight Magazine, The Bookends Review, and Four Ties Lit Review.
Conference Subthemes
Diversity and Inclusion
"Invisible Girls"
“Invisible Girls” is a 900-word short story that describes the experience of a small group of girls who are academically high-achieving but struggle with otherness in high school. They create community as a means to cope with not fitting in and are acutely aware of their invisibility with other students, the school administration, teachers, and parents, which leads to self-destructive behavior.
Although the fictional characters in the story are not explicitly named as Urban Appalachians, their sense of otherness and need to create community expresses my experience as an Urban Appalachian born and raised in Cincinnati.
This story was written and presented at Kenyon Review Writers’ Workshop in Gambier, Ohio, in 2016. It has been published in print and audio at Streetlight Magazine (StreetlightMag.com) and was selected for inclusion in Women of Appalachia Project’s Women Speak events.
The 4-minute presentation of this story is expected to promote dialogue about the sense of otherness and need for community in individuals who don’t necessarily self-identify as Urban Appalachian and to encourage others to write creatively from the perspective of Urban Appalachians. It hopes to engage the ASA membership with the distinct needs of the population of Urban Appalachians in the Cincinnati area, especially the city-born children of Appalachians who struggle to create a sense of community because they are neither rooted in Appalachia nor in Cincinnati. The presentation of this story may also help to educate and inform members about the innovative work being done by the Women of Appalachia Project.
