Appalachian Storytelling with Adam Booth
As a part of the Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Shepherd University, all are welcome to join in many of their FREE events. Enjoy your midday even more by spending it with famed Appalachian storyteller Adam Booth. Adam Booth's storytelling blends traditional folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia. His original voice, both humorous and touching, is influenced by generations of diverse storytellers from West Virginia. His telling appearances include Teller-In-Residence at the International Storytelling Center, New Voice at the National Storytelling Festival, resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta) Spoken Word program, and multiple events in fifteen states. Equally at home as a teller and educator, his research and educational presentations have included the Berea Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowship, Ghost Ranch, the National Storytelling Conference, and the Appalachian Studies Association Conference. - See more at: http://www.adam-booth.com/bio/#sthash.GHeh2fM8.dpuf
Appalachian Showcase Concert
Shepherd University will be hosting the 39th annual Appalachian Studies Association conference from March 18-20. Nearby 1,000 scholars, educators, students, activists, and learners will come together in Shepherdstown to celebrate our region. As part of the conference, we will present a special showcase concert for the community and visitors featuring John Lilly and Blue Yonder, Appalachian dance, storytelling and much more.
Readings by the Affrilachian Poets
As a part of the Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Shepherd University, all are welcome to join in many of their FREE events. In Celebration of Twenty-Five Years, Frank X Walker and the Affrilachian Poets will be participating in “Affrilachian Voices: A Reading by Affrilachian Poets.” Poets participating in the event alongside Walker include Kelly Norman Ellis, Ricardo Nazario y Colon, Bianca Spriggs, and others.
Frank X. Walker Address
Frank X Walker will deliver the Appalachian Studies Association Conference keynote address on Friday, March 18 in the Shepherd University Frank Center Theater. Walker, a native Kentuckian and graduate of the University of Kentucky, holds an MFA in writing from Spalding University and was named Poet Laureate of Kentucky in 2013—the youngest and first African American to hold the position. Walker co-founded Message Theater and the Affrilachian Poets and was named one of "the most creative teachers in the South" by the Oxford American: The Southern Magazine of Good Writing. His creation of the word “Affrilachia” is included in the Oxford American Dictionary. Walker has lectured, conducted workshops, and read poetry at over 400 national conferences and universities across the globe. Walker’s keynote address, entitled “Escape from Negro Mountain: Writing History, Righting Wrongs,” will utilize stories and literature to shed light on the diversity of Appalachia. Frank X Walker will participate in a number of conference events in addition to the keynote.