Participation Type
Performance
Session Title
Appalachian Daughters: Writing the Next Generation
Session Abstract or Summary
Appalachian Daughters: Writing the Next Generation, a performance of three nonfiction essays written by emerging Appalachian women writers, focuses on the changing Appalachian landscape and the issues—primarily those related to poverty and addiction—that restrict its growth. The combination of essays also works to preserve the rich traditions of Appalachian storytelling and nature of that storytelling for the next generation. Each essay, crafted by Appalachian daughters and granddaughters, works to uphold the Appalachian storytelling tradition while also redefining its role to preserve this unique form of storytelling for the next generation. In adopting this perspective, the essayists also consider how the role of the family remains intrinsic to the Appalachian narrative which they each reflect creating a central theme of family.
Presentation #1 Title
Left in the Dark: Rural Appalachia through a Daughter’s Eye
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
“Left in the Dark: Rural Appalachia through a Daughter’s Eye” is a creative non-fiction essay that attempts to understand issues of rural Appalachia through the perspective of the next generation. In this essay, I combine my personal experiences of camping in Calhoun County, WV with the research my father, Dr. Tim Ezzell, conducted in partnership with the University of Tennessee and the Appalachian Regional Commission regarding the possible effects of tourism on a distressed community. Because of Calhoun County’s low population, it has remained untouched by the severe light pollution that plagues most cities, making it an eligible location for a star park—a place where locals, scholars and tourist can look up at an unblemished sky. This essay not only aims to understand the problems that Appalachia faces, but also answer the question: Is Appalachia hopeless? Is there light in darkness? Ultimately, there is no guaranteed answer to this, however, it is clear by the generosity and determination of the locals that there is at the very least the possibility of hope. This idea speaks to ApplachA’ville’s curiosity regarding how Appalachia can survive in a rapidly urbanizing world. In addition, “Left in the Dark” approaches these issues of poverty and isolation from the point of view of a daughter—the next generation.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Sophie Ezzell is a student at Marshall University pursuing an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and Literary Studies. In 2018, she was awarded two Maier Awards for her works in fiction and poetry. In addition, her poetry received an honorable mention for the 2018 Wallace E. Knight Award. Currently, she serves as Poetry Editor for the literary magazine Et Cetera.
Presentation #2 Title
Stories of the Broom Sage
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
“Stories of the Broom Sage” is focused on a beloved component of Appalachian identity: storytelling. Stories are never a singular thing and as much about the person telling the story as the version of someone created in a story. From my grandfather who grew up during the Great Depression in Bolt, West Virginia, to myself as a learning-disabled child, this nonfiction narrative illustrates truths behind the Appalachian region’s focus on story and my own understanding of my role in and with them. It raises questions of why we tend to remember one side of the story and how the same story can change and gain a sort of new life through different storytellers. A more rounded depiction of my grandfather, dad, and self are braided around story and setting, sharing the beauty of old, the complexity of memory, and the purpose of stories for the future. “Stories of the Broom Sage” also “facilitates ASA’s connections and collaborations” by embracing the significance of Appalachian storytelling and working to both enrich and preserve that cultural characteristic. Furthermore, it aligns with ASA’s“commitment to foster […] appreciation of Appalachian experiences regionally, nationally, and internationally” by valuing stories of old to preserve a larger cultural purpose of storytelling. This essay seeks to understand and share how stories, which say more than words alone ever could, are as much about the person who tells them as those who remember.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Sarah Canterbury is a student and writer born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. Her nonfiction work has been featured in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, GNU Journal, The Blue Mountain Review, and The Storyteller Anthology. Sarah also has an upcoming academic publication with The James Dickey Reviewand craft publications in Fiction Southeast.
Presentation #3 Title
Helpless: Addiction and the Appalachian Family
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
This performance will be a reading of the braided nonfiction essay, “Helpless.” The piece was written as the result of a Creative Discovery Scholar grant through Marshall University and is the companion essay to “Faded,” another nonfiction piece on the subject that was published in Adelaide Literary Magazine. The research intended to explore the issues surrounding Appalachia’s opioid crisis, mostly through interviews with a large number of persons across West Virginia. This piece explores issues surrounding parenthood and substance use disorder through personal experience, anonymized interviews, and outside research. The essay considers the consequences and tensions that families experience that accompany addiction in the Appalachian region.
The initial aim of this project was to humanize people suffering from addiction and their families in an attempt to create a more realistic and multi-faceted depiction of this issue. My own family has struggled with my aunt's substance use disorder for years, yet we still have many unanswered questions. This essay seeks to situate my family in the "norms" of addiction experience. What do families with a history of substance use disorders look like? What should we do to assist our loved ones? Is their addiction our fault? Is it wrong or abnormal to hope for the struggle to end? These questions are things that many families grapple with and which I explore through my own family's story and the stories I have gathered through my summer research.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Victoria Endres is a senior Literary Studies and Creative Writing student and Yeager Scholar at Marshall University. Originally from St. Albans, West Virginia, Endres’s writing focuses on issues of Appalachian women and families. She is interested in addiction and gothic literature, digital humanities, and women’s issues. After graduation, Endres plans to pursue a graduate degree in Creative Writing.
Left in the Dark: Rural Appalachia through a Daughter’s Eye
“Left in the Dark: Rural Appalachia through a Daughter’s Eye” is a creative non-fiction essay that attempts to understand issues of rural Appalachia through the perspective of the next generation. In this essay, I combine my personal experiences of camping in Calhoun County, WV with the research my father, Dr. Tim Ezzell, conducted in partnership with the University of Tennessee and the Appalachian Regional Commission regarding the possible effects of tourism on a distressed community. Because of Calhoun County’s low population, it has remained untouched by the severe light pollution that plagues most cities, making it an eligible location for a star park—a place where locals, scholars and tourist can look up at an unblemished sky. This essay not only aims to understand the problems that Appalachia faces, but also answer the question: Is Appalachia hopeless? Is there light in darkness? Ultimately, there is no guaranteed answer to this, however, it is clear by the generosity and determination of the locals that there is at the very least the possibility of hope. This idea speaks to ApplachA’ville’s curiosity regarding how Appalachia can survive in a rapidly urbanizing world. In addition, “Left in the Dark” approaches these issues of poverty and isolation from the point of view of a daughter—the next generation.
