Participation Type
Performance
Session Title
Appalachian Horizons: A literary reading of new work
Session Abstract or Summary
The authors featured in this presentation are part of a deep and diverse tradition of Appalachian literature, including fiction, poetry, and memoir. We will each share excerpts from newly published works as well as works in progress that expand the horizons of the traditionally defined Appalachian landscape. Collectively our work seeks to represent those people who may not be traditionally associated with Appalachia but who have always been there, working for change, working for justice: the queers of the hills and hollers; the generations of African-American farmers; the working class people of all races and genders; the Native Americans whose history still shapes Appalachian culture; the early Scots-Irish who pioneered Kentucky during Revolutionary War times and whose legacy lives on in story and song. In reading from these works of original creative texts and sharing information about our processes of research and writing, our presentation seeks to meet two primary goals of the conference’s objectives: “to promote dialogue, education, creative expression, and/or action related to Appalachia among a diverse and inclusive membership”; and to “foster appreciation and understanding of Appalachian experiences regionally, nationally, and internationally”. A brief question and answer period will follow allowing audience members to further explore questions of craft, representations and constructions of Appalachia in literature, and the work of literature in our own communities and beyond.
Presentation #1 Title
Lynnell Edwards: poetry
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Edwards will read selections from her most recent collection, Covet, (Red Hen Press) that explore themes of history and the natural world in the Red River Gorge and Pine Mountain regions in Eastern Kentucky. She will also share poems from a new collection that uses primary documents, including journals and maps, to excavate Kentucky’s pioneer history, including early settlement, violent contact with Native Americans, and the problematic legacy of Scots-Irish identity.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Convener and presenter Lynnell Edwards is the author of three full-length collections of poetry, most recently Covet (Red Hen Press) and a chapbook, Kings of the Rock and Roll Hot Shop (Accents Publishing). Her current poetry project explores the pioneer roots of Kentucky through original primary documents and histories. She is Associate Professor of English at Spalding University.
Presentation #2 Title
Fenton Johnson: Essays
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Johnson will read short passages from his just-published new and selected essays, Everywhere Home: A Life in Essays, focusing on the question of what constitutes home and how it is and is not portable. In particular he will speak about the challenges of long-distance migration within the country, and speak to both how the region’s prejudices against LGBT people drove him away and how he is inspired by the stories of those who chose to remain.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Presenter, Fenton Johnson. The author of six books of fiction and nonfiction, most recently Everywhere Home: A Life in Essays, Fenton Johnson lives in San Francisco and Tucson, but is often found hiking his native Kentucky Knobs. He is on the creative writing faculties of the University of Arizona and Spalding University, is a regular contributor to Harper’s Magazine, and has been featured on Fresh Air.
Presentation #3 Title
Jason Howard
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Howard will read excerpts from new and published work.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Jason Howard is the author of A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music and coauthor of Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal. His essays, features and commentary have appeared in the New York Times, Oxford American, The Nation, Salon, Sojourners and in other publications, as well as on NPR. He holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and serves as editor of Appalachian Heritage, a literary quarterly based at Berea College, where he also teaches.
Presentation #4 Title
Crystal Wilkinson: fiction
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
Wilkinson will read from her recently published and debut novel, The Birds of Opulence. The novel follows the history of a black family in rural Kentucky through three generation and across urban and rural communities. Notably, the novel explores themes of mental illness and the black community, and the complexity of women’s roles and identity.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Presenter, Crystal Wilkinson is a poet and fiction writer whose debut novel, The Birds of Opulence, received the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence the Weatherford Award for Appalachian Literature and the Judy Gaines Prize. Her other works include the short-story collections Blackberries, Blackberries—winner of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature—and Water Street, a finalist for both the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Wilkinson serves as Appalachian Writer-in-Residence at Berea College and teaches in Spalding University’s low-residency creative writing program.
Conference Subthemes
Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Lynnell Edwards: poetry
Edwards will read selections from her most recent collection, Covet, (Red Hen Press) that explore themes of history and the natural world in the Red River Gorge and Pine Mountain regions in Eastern Kentucky. She will also share poems from a new collection that uses primary documents, including journals and maps, to excavate Kentucky’s pioneer history, including early settlement, violent contact with Native Americans, and the problematic legacy of Scots-Irish identity.
