Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Inside, Outside: West Virginia Writers on Place
Session Abstract or Summary
This Roundtable discussion will focus around the question: Does where one lives affect how he/she writes? It is no secret that Appalachia (and, for this discussion, West Virginia in particular) is not always an easy place in which to live. People often have to leave for a variety of reasons, including economic/work related, family related, or just because they feel pulled to explore other areas. This is true for writers as well.
Some artists say that they must leave a place to fully understand it. Other writers say they can only render a place if they are there to see it, feel it.
The participants in this roundtable are each a West Virginia writer who has a strong focus on place in his/her writing. Some live outside the state; some live inside. Is one’s ability to write about place affected by where he/she lives? Do some writers have more agency and authority to write about a certain place based not only on where she is from, but also on where she currently lives?
While these questions would be interesting for writers and other artists to explore (and perhaps consider when thinking about their own travels), others would also be interested as this question certainly has political implications. The issue of Appalachian migration directly connects to how artists represent place (both as they live inside and outside of the region).
Presentation #1 Title
Insider, Inside
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This Roundtable discussion will focus around the question: Does where one lives affect how he/she writes? It is no secret that Appalachia (and, for this discussion, West Virginia in particular) is not always an easy place in which to live. People often have to leave for a variety of reasons, including economic/work related, family related, or just because they feel pulled to explore other areas. This is true for writers as well.
Some artists say that they must leave a place to fully understand it. Other writers say they can only render a place if they are there to see it, feel it.
The participants in this roundtable are each West Virginia writers who have a strong focus on place in their writing. Some live outside the state; some live inside. Is one’s ability to write about place affected by where he/she lives? Do some writers have more agency and authority to write about a certain place based not only on where she is from, but also on where she currently lives?
While these questions would be interesting for writers and other artists to explore (and perhaps consider when thinking about their own travels), others would also be interested as this question certainly has political implications. The issue of Appalachian migration directly connects to how artists represent place (both as they live inside and outside of the region).
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Natalie Sypolt lives and writes in West Virginia. She is an Assistant Professor of English at Pierpont Community & Technical College. Her work has appeared in Glimmer Train, Kenyon Review Online, Appalachian Heritage, Still, and other fine journals. Her book, The Sound of Holding Your Breath, will be published by West Virginia University Press in Fall 2018.
Presentation #2 Title
Insider, Outside
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Same as above
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Gretchen Moran Laskas is the author of two West Virginia novels, THE MIDWIFE'S TALE (winner of The Weatherford Award in 2004) and THE MINER'S DAUGHTER. After living several years in Ireland, she is now writing about Celtic-Appalachian bonds in a new novel and memoir.
Presentation #3 Title
Insider, Outside, Inside
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Same as above
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Randi Ward is a poet, translator, lyricist, and photographer from Belleville, WV. She earned her MA in Cultural Studies from the University of the Faroe Islands and is a recipient of the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Nadia Christensen Prize. MadHat Press published Ward’s second full-length poetry collection, Whipstitches, in 2016. For more information, visit randiward.com/about.
Presentation #4 Title
Insider, Inside
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
Same as above
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Doug Van Gundy teaches in both the BA and MFA writing programs at West Virginia Wesleyan College. His poems, essays and reviews have appeared in many journals, including The Oxford American, Ecotone, Appalachian Heritage, and Poetry Salzburg Review. He is co-editor of the anthology Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Contemporary Writing from West Virginia, and is currently working on a follow-up to his debut poetry collection, A Life Above Water.
Presentation #5 Title
Insider, Outside
Presentation #5 Abstract or Summary
Same as above.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #5
Melissa Minsker is a librarian and a writer. Raised in central West Virginia, she now lives in Maryland.
Presentation #6 Title
Insider, Outside
Presentation #6 Abstract or Summary
Same as above
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #6
Jonathan Corcoran is the author of the story collection, The Rope Swing, published in 2016 by West Virginia University Press. The Rope Swing was a finalist for the 2017 Lambda Literary Awards and long-listed for The Story Prize. His stories have been anthologized in Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia and Best Gay Stories 2017. He received a BA in Literary Arts from Brown University and an MFA in Fiction Writing from Rutgers University-Newark. Jonathan is currently Visiting Assistant Professor at Wesleyan University and serves as a Visiting Writer in the low-residency MFA program at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He was born and raised in a small town in West Virginia and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY
Conference Subthemes
Migration, Education, Diversity and Inclusion
Insider, Inside
This Roundtable discussion will focus around the question: Does where one lives affect how he/she writes? It is no secret that Appalachia (and, for this discussion, West Virginia in particular) is not always an easy place in which to live. People often have to leave for a variety of reasons, including economic/work related, family related, or just because they feel pulled to explore other areas. This is true for writers as well.
Some artists say that they must leave a place to fully understand it. Other writers say they can only render a place if they are there to see it, feel it.
The participants in this roundtable are each West Virginia writers who have a strong focus on place in their writing. Some live outside the state; some live inside. Is one’s ability to write about place affected by where he/she lives? Do some writers have more agency and authority to write about a certain place based not only on where she is from, but also on where she currently lives?
While these questions would be interesting for writers and other artists to explore (and perhaps consider when thinking about their own travels), others would also be interested as this question certainly has political implications. The issue of Appalachian migration directly connects to how artists represent place (both as they live inside and outside of the region).
