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48th Annual Appalachian Studies Conference | Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, Tennessee | March 20 - 22, 2025.
Thursday, March 20
 

10:00am CDT

DeRossett Railroad Section House Tour/Mines
Thursday March 20, 2025 10:00am - 2:00pm CDT
Meet shuttle bus at RUC, Dixie Avenue Entrance.
A group site visit to the historical DeRossett Railroad Section House and the nearby company coal mining towns of Bon Air and Ravenscroft.
Thursday March 20, 2025 10:00am - 2:00pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

10:00am CDT

Registration Set Up
Thursday March 20, 2025 10:00am - 2:00pm CDT
RUC Multipurpose Room
Registration Set Up – Setting up the check-in area.
Thursday March 20, 2025 10:00am - 2:00pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

10:00am CDT

Exhibit Hall and Silent Auction Set Up
Thursday March 20, 2025 10:00am - 5:30pm CDT
RUC Multipurpose Room
Thursday March 20, 2025 10:00am - 5:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

12:00pm CDT

Poster Set Up
Thursday March 20, 2025 12:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
RUC first and second floor lobbies
Thursday March 20, 2025 12:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

1:00pm CDT

Burgess Falls Guided Hike
Thursday March 20, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Meet shuttle bus at RUC, Dixie Avenue Entrance 
A guided hiking tour of Burgess Falls, focusing on the geology and civic significance of this 130-foot cascade waterfall.
Thursday March 20, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

2:00pm CDT

Exhibit Hall and Registration Open
Thursday March 20, 2025 2:00pm - 5:30pm CDT
RUC Multipurpose Room
Thursday March 20, 2025 2:00pm - 5:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

3:00pm CDT

ASA Members Business Meeting
Thursday March 20, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT
Lab Science Commons Room 1205
ASA Members Business Meeting
Thursday March 20, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT
Laboratory Science Commons

4:00pm CDT

Opening Reception
Thursday March 20, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Stonecipher Lobby
Thursday March 20, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Stonecipher Hall 125 Wings Up Way, Cookeville, TN 38501

5:00pm CDT

ASA Conference Opening Ceremonies, In Memoriam, and Awards, music from Doug Van Gundy
Thursday March 20, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Stonecipher Hall 113 & 126
Thursday March 20, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Stonecipher Hall 125 Wings Up Way, Cookeville, TN 38501

8:00pm CDT

Author Showcase hosted by poet Andrew Smith (Sunfrog)
Thursday March 20, 2025 8:00pm - 10:00pm CDT
Backdoor Playhouse
Thursday March 20, 2025 8:00pm - 10:00pm CDT
Jere Whitson Building 805 Quadrangle, Cookeville, TN 38501
 
Friday, March 21
 

7:00am CDT

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Meeting
Friday March 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Henderson 214
Friday March 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Henderson Hall

7:00am CDT

International Connections Committee Meeting
Friday March 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Farr 305
Friday March 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

7:00am CDT

Special Collections Committee Meeting
Friday March 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 305 
Friday March 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

After All, the Water Will Come: Flooding and Resilience in Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 004
Convener: Alison Stine, NPQ
  • "Driving Us Away, Bringing Us Home," Alison Stine, NPQ
  • "New Work About Flooding from the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center," Brendan Muckian-Bates, Appalachian Citizens' Law Center
  • "A Time Measured in Water: The 1998 Flooding of SE Ohio," Wesley R. Bishop, Jacksonville State University, Alabama
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Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Authors-Meet-Critics: Power and Just Transition: The Struggle for a Post-Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Gabe Schwartzman, University of Tennessee
Presenters:
  • Barbara Ellen Smith, Emerita
  • Philip Lewin, Florida Atlantic University
  • Rebecca Scott, University of Missouri
  • Cathy Kunkel, Independent
Authors’ Response 
  • John Gaventa, Institute for Development Studies
  • Gabe Schwartzman, University of Tennessee
Summary: In this session, panelists respond to John Gaventa and Gabe Schwartzman's forthcoming book, Power and Just Transition: the Struggle for a Post-Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley. Nearly fifty years after Gaventa's groundbreaking text, Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley, the co-authors revisit the Clearfork Valley, the setting of the first book, and ask how power relations are shifting in a moment of fossil fuel transition. Fifty years ago, the coal company was a defining actor in relations of power in this valley. Now, the valley produces no coal and The Nature Conservancy, the world's wealthiest environmental organization, controls much of the land in the valley. The book raises questions about how power relations shift as actors and economies change, using a power framework to examine the rise of the conservative right, emerging for-profit conservation models, grassroots struggles for a just transition, and Biden-era investments in environmental justice and energy transition. Panelists will provide critical reflections on the new book and its contributions to Appalachian Studies scholarship.
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Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Be a Man: Healthier Masculinity in the Mountain South
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 316
Convener: Matthew Sidney Parsons, Independent
• Matthew Sidney Parsons, Independent
• Willie Carver, KY120 United AFT, LGBTQ+ Taskforce
• Rick Childers, Berea College
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Black Geographies in Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 214
Convener: Jillean McCommons, University of Richmond
  • "The ‘Double Minority’ Position: Black Feminism in the Black Appalachian Commission, 1971-1974," Jillean McCommons, University of Richmond, Wilma Dykeman Faces of Appalachia Fellow 2024-2025
  • "‘It's Always Nice to Have People That Has Your Back’: Black Appalachian Women Working Within and Beyond State-led Agricultural Organizations," Jed DeBruin, Jacksonville State University
  • "The Decline of Over the Rhine: Urban Renewal and Community Erosion in a Rural Appalachian City," Dorian Cleveland, University of Kentucky
  • "‘Remembering Where it Used to be’: (Re)claiming the Hills and Hollers as Historically Black Spaces in Eastern Kentucky," Kristan L. McCullum, Clemson University
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Drawing Environmental Justice Connections Between in Appalachia and the India
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 305

Convener and Presenter: Denali Sai Nalamalapu, Independent.


Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Finding Our Appalachian Voices in the North
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 108
Convener: Jody DiPerna, Independent
  • "Death in a Small Mill Town," Jody DiPerna, Independent
  • "Driverless Cars in a Mountain Region," Patrick McGinty, Slippery Rock University
  • "American Glass, a reading," Christina Fisanick, Pennsylvania Western University
  • "Careful Negotiations, a reading," Natalie Sypolt, Pierpont Community & Technical College


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Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Medical Histories
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 216
Convener: Bob Hutton
• "Cottage Plans and Work Cures: Highland Hospital and the Romantically Restorative Rural," Gabby Kiser, University of Virginia
• "Appalachian Women, WWII, and Changes in Mountain Medicine," Gracie Amburn, University of Tennessee Knoxville
• "The History of Herbal Usage among Cherokee Women," Catherine Philips, Tennessee Tech University
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Recovering the History of Resistance to Slavery in Appalachia: The Greenup County Slave Revolt of 1829 and the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 216
Convener: Cicero M. Fain, III, Marshall University 
  • "Finding the Greenup County Slave Revolt in David Walker’s Appeal," Andrew Feight, Shawnee State University
  • "Researching Slavery in Eastern Kentucky and the Mystery of Dinah's Execution," Marlitta Perkins, Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative
  • "Thinking about the Greenup Slave Revolt in Terms of Environment," Chris Leadingham, University of Kentucky
Summary: Dr. Cicero M. Fain, III will convene a panel session focusing on the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative, funded by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER Grant. Panelists include Dr. Andrew Feight, Director of Research and Outreach for the Initiative; Marlitta H. Perkins, an Outreach Specialist for Greenup County, Kentucky; and Dr. Chris Leadingham, a project consultant with the University of Kentucky. 
 
This session will highlight ARC-supported research on Underground Railroad history in the tri-state region of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio, uncovering largely forgotten chapters of resistance to slavery in Appalachia. The discussion will center on the Greenup County Slave Revolt of 1829, a long-overlooked chapter in the region’s history. Over a decade of research by Feight, Perkins, and Leadingham, along with significant new discoveries in archives from Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana, allow for a more complete story to be told and the memories of those involved commemorated. 
  
The panel will outline plans to mark and commemorate the site of the revolt, located near the banks of Tygart Creek, close to what was once Liberty, Kentucky. The site, formerly home to Lynn Elementary School, will soon feature a public wayside marker as part of the new Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour, which is being developed as part of the ARC POWER Grant. Each panelist will contribute by discussing their role in researching the revolt, the importance of local collaboration with residents, tourism officials, and county leaders, and how these partnerships have been essential to the success of the initiative. 

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Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Transforming the Foundry: Planning the Resurrection and Reuse of an Historic but Contaminated Industrial Site
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 106B
Conveners: Tim Thornton and Jason Davis, Radford University
  • Wilma Dotson, Radford University
  • Jade Horton, Radford University
  • Leslie Pendleton, Radford University
  • Oli Sparks, Radford University
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Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Widows and Orphans: Four Appalachian Poets Explore Loss and Hope
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 114
Convener: Darnell Arnoult, Independent
  • Darnell Arnoult, Independent
  • Cathryn Hankla, Professor Emerita, Hollins University
  • Denton Loving, EastOver Press
  • Linda Parsons, Madville Publishing
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

The Gifts of Poet Bill King
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Bart 111
Convener: Ann Pancake, Independent
•    Ann Pancake, Independent
•    Elizabeth Hoggard-King, University of Georgia
•    Walter King, Independent
•    Doug Van Gundy, West Virginia Wesleyan College
•    Gordon Johnston, Mercer University
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Bartoo Hall

8:00am CDT

Trauma and Co-Creativity in Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
FARR 308
Convener and Presenter: Jennifer Elam, Independent
Dr Elam will talk about and demonstrate how we can intervene with grief and trauma using co-creativity. Grief and trauma are rampant everywhere. Dr Elam lives in Ky, attends the Spiritual Seekers program at Berea College and is especially concerned about the trauma being experienced by Appalachians of all ages, races, genders and cultures.
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

8:00am CDT

Academic Success in the Heart of Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 307A
Convener and Presenter: Casey Peavler, University of Pikeville.
The purpose of our workshop is to discuss the diverse needs of the students, particularly student-athletes in higher education. Our research is based on the academic statistics of the university’s undergraduate population that utilizes the resources of the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) at the University of Pikeville. We asked the following questions: Who is utilizing the CAE? What times of the day/semester are they seeking services? Are they required to attend by an instructor, coach, or attending voluntarily? What are the main areas of interest for assistance? What do they know about the CAE before arriving? What are their desired outcomes or fears about seeking assistance? How do the faculty and staff view the services offered by the CAE? How are the faculty and staff collaborating with the student and professional CAE staff to better serve their needs and the needs of the students based on content specifics? The fostering of a supportive and collaborative academic service is imperative to the success of the student population. Our workshop will foster an environment to discuss the needs of student populations in Appalachia and higher education, how to create an environment that meets the needs of native and non-native Appalachians, and how we are using innovative approaches to conduct research and offer support at a small, private institution in Eastern Kentucky. Casey will focus on the analytical data provided by multiple semesters of tracking. Lori will use her background in pedagogical theory to express the unique needs of the students, university, and region.  
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Posters Open
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 5:30pm CDT
RUC first and second floor lobbies
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 5:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

8:00am CDT

Registration, Exhibit Hall, and Silent Auction Open
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 5:30pm CDT
RUC Multipurpose Room 
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00am - 5:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

9:30am CDT

Water Center Open House
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
PRSC (Prescott Hall) 426
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Prescott Hall 1020 Stadium Dr, Cookeville, TN 38501

9:30am CDT

Adolescence Meets Artificial Intelligence: The Need for Ethical, Practical Technology Use in the Classroom
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 108
Convener: Caroline Grugin, Tennessee Technological University
  • "The Need for Accessible Technology Tools in Adolescent Education," Nimotallahi Azeez, Tennessee Technological University
  • "Partnering with AI in the 8th Grade Classroom," Destiny Wannamaker, Tennessee Technological University
  • "Mental Imaging: How AI Image Generation Tools Can Support Reading Comprehension in Tennessee Middle School Classrooms," Caroline Grugin, Tennessee Technological University

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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Appalachia Rural Education and Queer Identities: Voices from Rural and (Out)Rooted
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 004
Convener: Clint Whitten, Virginia Tech
  • Clint Whitten, Virginia Tech
  • Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech
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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Appalachian Disasters! ASA Special Collections Committee Disaster Response Resources
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 216
Convener: Savannah Bennett, Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University
  • Savannah Bennett, Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University
  • Katherine Everhart, University of Virginia - Wise
  • Michael Hatch, Southern Highland Craft Guild
  • Chad Hunter, Appalshop Archive
  • Kim Larmee, University of Virginia - Wise
  • Jeremy Smith, East Tennessee State University
  • Jack Swab, University of Tennessee
  • Jinny Turman, University of Virginia - Wise
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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Dark Skies in Appalachia Part 1: Literature, Poetry, and Place
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 111
Convener: Elijah Prewitt-Davis, Mount St. Joseph University
  • "The Character of the Night Sky in Appalachian Literature," Jeff Bary, Colgate University
  • "The Nightly Reminder of a Place on Earth," Elijah Prewitt-Davis, Mount St. Joseph University
  • "Falling Down, Looking Up: Nightscapes in Robert Gipe’s Trampoline," Anna Creadick, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
  • "‘You, Darkness’: A Collaborative Project in Eco-Poetry, Art, and Astronomy at Berea College," Ansel Elkins, Berea College; Lie Ford, Berea College
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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

9:30am CDT

Memoir and Memoirists
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 327
Convener: Chris Green, Berea College
• "Being Loyal: Some Notes on Editing Loyal Jones's Memoir," Chris Green, Berea College
• "My Mother’s Translator: Stories and Poems from an Affrilachian Migrant," E.J. Wade, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

9:30am CDT

Mountain Justice Summer 2005 — 20 Year Reflections
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 316
Convener: Dave Cooper, The Whippoorwill Festival - Skills for Earth-Friendly Living
  • Wendy Johnston, Librarian, Activist, Writer, and Historian
  • Dave Cooper, The Whippoorwill Festival - Skills for Earth-Friendly Living
  • Vernon Haltom, Coal River Mountain Watch
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Music and Musicians
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 201
Convener: Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University
  • "From China to Appalachia: Forging Sustainable Dynamics in Intercultural Music Collaboration and Cultural Diplomacy," Chao Tian, Boston University
  • "Embodied Appalachian Geography in the Wiggle Room," Kendall Loyer, Independent
  • "‘Seven Bridges Road': Singer-Songwriter Steve Young and the Power of Regional Identity," Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University

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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

New Directions in Twentieth Century Appalachian Labor History
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 304B
Convener: William Hal Gorby, West Virginia University
  • "Worker Perspectives in the 1977-78 Coal Strike," Christian Rowe, West Virginia University
  • "Digging the Hawk's Nest Tunnel: The Racial Construction of Disaster," Cat Harless, West Virginia University
  • "White Paper and Black Water: Environmental Control of Labor in Appalachian Paper Mill Communities," Matthew Powell, West Virginia University
  • "Patriotism and Patriarchy: Working Women at an Appalachian Paper Mill during World War II," Heidi Buchanan, Western Carolina University

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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

The Flooding in Appalachian Streams and Headwaters (FLASH) Initiative: Building and Sustaining Strong Transdisciplinary Partnerships to Foster Positive Change
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 205
Convener: Mary Brydon-Miller, University of Louisville
  • Mary Brydon-Miller, University of Louisville
  • D. Tyler Mahoney, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Louisville
  • Sheri McGuffin, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation
  • Andrea Drayer, University of Kentucky Water Research Institute
  • Nathan Alexander, Kentucky Division of Water, Watershed Management Branch
  • Jason Immekus, University of Louisville
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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Tourism
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 117
Convener: Audrey Nidiffer, Appalachian State University
• "Made for the Tourists: Searching for Sustainable, Economic Development in Sevier County, Tennessee," Mazdyn Miller, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• "‘Above it All’: A Rhetorical Analysis of Second-Home Billboards in Appalachia," Audrey Nidiffer, Appalachian State University
•  "The Black Appalachian Cultural Center: Building an African American Cultural Heritage Tourism Sector in Southern West Virginia," Cicero Fain III, Marshall University
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

9:30am CDT

Traditional & Independent Research in Smyth County, Virginia
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 307A
Convener: Matt Prater, Florida Atlantic University
  • "Institutions, ‘Intellectualism,’ and the Rural Citizen," Matt Prater, Florida Atlantic University
  • "Bridging the Research Divide: Democratic Access to Legal Knowledge in Rural America," Ryan Comer, Appalachian School of Law
  • "A Glimpse into the Past (Paleoart and Scientific Illustration in Southwest VA)," Cody Rex-Allen Stevenson, Independent
  • "On Research, Official and “Independent,” in the Life of an Appalachian Writer," Tracy Prater, Independent

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Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Community Remembrance Projects in East Kentucky and Southwestern Virginia" Convener: Eric Fields, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 308
Convener: Eric Fields, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
• "EKY Remembrance Project," Darryl "Dee" Parker, EKY Remembrance Project, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and The Alliance for Appalachia; Emily Hudson, Executive Director of Southeast Kentucky African-American Museum and Cultural Center, EKY Remembrance Project
• "Wise County Remembrance Project," Terran Outsey, Wise County Remembrance Project, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards; Josh Outsey, Appalshop, Wise County Remembrance Project; Jared Hamilton, Appalshop, M.A.R.S. Collective, Kudzu Media, EKY Remembrance Project; Tiffany Pyette, The Appalachian Rekindling Project, KFTC, Appalachian Community Fund, EKY Remembrance Project
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

The Mountain Fiesta: Cultivating Comunidad in Central Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 308
Convener: Sophia Enriquez, Duke University
  • Sophia Enriquez, Duke University
  • Roderico Yool Diaz, Iximche Media
  • Emily Gibson Rhyne, Iximche Media
  • Zachary Green, Lincoln Memorial University, The Mountain Fiesta
The Mountain Fiesta is a vibrant festival that celebrates Latino-Appalachian culture each fall in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Over the years, the festival has cultivated a community of students, artists, and community members dedicated to building relationships across different cultural backgrounds, languages, legal statuses, and beliefs through music and art. This session features a streaming of a documentary film that captures the Mountain Fiesta.
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

Barking Up the RighTree: How to Implement a Therapy Dog Reading Program in Rural Appalachian Schools
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 114
Convener and Presenter: Brittany Beeker, Clemson University

Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Embodied Making: A (Re)Considered Narrative of Place and Identity
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 205
Convener and Presenter: Christi Camper Moore, Ohio University
Friday March 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

10:00am CDT

Morning Snack Break
Friday March 21, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
RUC Upstairs Lobby
Friday March 21, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

11:00am CDT

Plenary 1
Friday March 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
STONECIPHER 113 & 126
“Teaching Affrilachia: Cultivating Community and Culture,” Zanice Bond, Kristine Yohe, and Frank X Walker
Friday March 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Stonecipher Hall 125 Wings Up Way, Cookeville, TN 38501

11:00am CDT

Y’ALL WORKSHOP
Friday March 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
RUC TECH PRIDE ROOM
STEM: Education in Appalachia: Perspectives from Y'ALL Members
The purpose of this workshop is to promote awareness of Appalachian history and stem education in the Appalachian region. At the workshop, video clips about undergraduates’ perspectives on STEM education will be presented to the audience, followed by a brief discussion.
Friday March 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

12:15pm CDT

Lunch on your own
Friday March 21, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT
Lunch on your own
Friday March 21, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT

12:15pm CDT

Camp Happy Apalachee
Friday March 21, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 204B
Friday March 21, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:00pm CDT

Featured Panel: “Latino Influence on Country Music"
Friday March 21, 2025 1:00pm - 2:15pm CDT
FARR 309
Friday March 21, 2025 1:00pm - 2:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

1:00pm CDT

Teaching African American Music History in High School and Postsecondary Classrooms across Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
BART 307
Convener and Presenter: Bryan Pierce, National Museum of African American Music.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE SPONSORED SESSION.
Friday March 21, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

1:30pm CDT

Agricultural History and Science
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Farr 308
Convener: Brittany Beeker, Clemson University
• "Configuring an Agricultural Appalachia: Agrarian Rural Development in Central Appalachia from 1960s-Present," Natasha Shannon, UC Berkeley
• "Daily Light Integral I Implications in Appalachian Controlled Environment Agriculture," Casey Byrd, University of Kentucky
• "Agritech and Appalachia: Central Tensions in Industrial Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as Economic Development," Jimmy Robinson, University of Kentucky
• "Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog: An Examination of Traditional Appalachian Dog Breeds and Purposes," Brittany Beeker, Clemson University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

1:30pm CDT

All About Moonshine
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
BART 117
Convener: Caroline VerMeulen, Indiana University
• "Bottling Tradition: The Appalachian Imaginary and Craft Moonshine in Indiana," Caroline VerMeulen, Indiana University
• "Moonshine and the Environment," Arshiya Jeelani, University of Kentucky
• "Moonshine Cosmology," Emelie Peine, University of Puget Sound
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

1:30pm CDT

Exploring Appalachia through History, Performance, Belief, and Storytelling
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 307A
Convener: Mari Ramler, Tennessee Tech University
  • “Performing Appalachia: Identity Construction and Knowledge Production as Transformative Pedagogy,” Mari Ramler, Tennessee Tech University
  • “Believing Appalachia: Religion and Science as Dialectical Partners,” David Womack, University of Tennessee
  • “Embracing Co-Intelligence: Innovating the Creative Writing Process in Appalachian Storytelling through AI,” Heather Richmond, Tennessee Tech University
​​​
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Fascism and Anti-Fascism in Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 004
Convener: Amelia Kirby, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
• "Devolution and the Restructuring of the Local State: A Case Study from Eastern Kentucky," Jack Norton, Governors State University
• "Violence Work in Appalachia: The Role of the Police in Perpetuating Fascism," angie luvara, Frostburg State University
• "Carceral Conjuncture: Prisons, Jails, and the Anti-Fascist Fight for Abolition in Central Appalachia," Judah Schept, Eastern Kentucky University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Jappalachia: The Oft-Neglected Intersections Between Appalachia and Japan
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 216
Convener: Kennedy Alex Sloop, Appalachian State University
• "Haiku Appalachia: The Thematic Parallels of Wabi-Sabi in Japanese and Appalachian Literature," Kennedy Alex Sloop, Appalachian State University
• "Finding Furusato in Appalachia," Yoko Nogami, Independent
• "Making Jappalachian Music in 2024: Audibilities in Two Homes," Maako Shiratori, Duke University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Jean Ritchie Memoir, Ron Rash Works by a Fiddler, Cultural Exchange Between Zuni Sacred Mountain and App State's Grandfather Mountain, and Live Music
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 108
Convener: Cecelia Conway, Appalachian State University
• "Jean Ritchie’s Singing Family of the Cumberlands," Sierra Focazio, Appalachian State University
• Grace Buckner, Appalachian State University
• Cecelia Conway, Appalachian State University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Justice and Memory on the Landscape: Examples from Community Organizations in Kentucky
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Farr 305
Convener: Kathryn Engle, University of Kentucky Appalachian Center, Sunup Corbin
• "Maps, Laws, and Memorial Sites: Updates from the Monument Workshop at the University of Kentucky," Rachel Noble-Varney, University of Kentucky College of Law; Mary Beth Forester, University of Kentucky College of Law
• "The Corbin Expulsion: A Story of Displacement and Resilience," Madison Thacker, University of Kentucky Appalachian Center, Sunup Corbin; Kathryn Engle, University of Kentucky Appalachian Center, Sunup Corbin
• "Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation: Railroads, Memory, and Economic Development in Estill County, Kentucky," Ren Kelley, University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Appalachian Center, Kentucky Steam Heritage Corps.; Joe Darby, Kentucky Steam Heritage Corps
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

1:30pm CDT

Schools and Health Care
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Farr 201A
Convener: Florence M Weierbach, East Tennessee State University
• "School Nurses in Central Appalachia: Tobacco and Health," Florence M Weierbach, East Tennessee State University; Rebecca Adkins Fletcher, East Tennessee State University; Jean Swindle, East Tennessee State University; Kendrea Todt, East Tennessee State University; Alisa Hearl, East Tennessee State University; Kelly Strickland, East Tennessee State University
• "Qigong in the Classroom: Addressing Student Mental Health in Southern Appalachia through Academic Standards and Physical Movement," Gary Padgett, University of North Alabama
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

1:30pm CDT

Student Health Coalition —Taking Measure of Student Activism, 50 Years Later: What is the Long-Term Impact of Short-Term Student Involvement and Service in Appalachia?
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
BART 111
Convener: Polly McArthur, Independent
  • "Reflections on Community-Based Partnerships as Students and Our Perspectives 50 Years Later," Nancy Raybin, Independent; Diane Lauver, Independent; Dale Strasser, Independent; Polly McArthur, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

1:30pm CDT

Teaching Appalachia Beyond Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 214
Convener: Sarah Craycraft, Harvard University
• "Harvard’s ‘Hill Williams’: Appalachia’s Relevance to Ivy League Students and Scholars," Sarah Craycraft, Harvard University
• "Bridging Pedagogies from Latino and Appalachian Studies," Sophia Enriquez, Duke University
• "Appalachia/South in the Classroom: Environmental Storytelling and Regional Intersections," Jordan Lovejoy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• "Learning and Teaching through the Contradictions of ‘Traditional’ Craft at the John C. Campbell Folk School," Kelley Totten, Memorial University at Newfoundland
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

What the Water Reveals and How We Heal
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 205
Convener: Erica Abrams Locklear, UNC Asheville
• Erica Abrams Locklear, UNC Asheville
• Meredith McCarroll, Independent
• Jim Minick, Independent
• Denali Nalamalapu, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Howdy Ya'll: Voices from the Hills a Video Documentary
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Ann Andaloro, Morehead State University
• "Howdy Ya'll: A Video Documentary about Dialect and Language in Appalachia," Ann Andaloro, Morehead State University; Zander Mack, Morehead State University; Heather Parks, Morehead State University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Transitions and Representations: Women Rewriting the Rural Landscape
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Farr 203
Convener: Karen McElmurray, Spalding University Low Residency MFA
• "Leaving," Karen McElmurray, Spalding University Low Residency MFA
• "The Confluence of People and Place," Cat Pleska, Marshall University
• "Fire's the Color of Georgia Dirt," Sara Henning, Marshall University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

1:30pm CDT

Writing Appalachian Women’s History
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HEND 305
Convener: Pauletta Hansel, Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative
• Pauletta Hansel, Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative
• Joyce Compton Brown, Independent
• Patricia Hudson, Independent
• Marianne Worthington, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

A Classroom for the Community: The UT Appalachian Justice Research Lab
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HEND 307A
Conveners and Presenters: Michelle Brown, University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center and Wendy Bach, University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center.
Michelle Brown and Wendy Bach, University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Environmental Injustices and Community Resilience in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Farr 205
Convener: Caleb Brown, Appalachian State University
• Caleb Brown, Appalachian State University
• Katie Rodriguez, Appalachian State University
• Nina Nicholson, Appalachian State University
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

1:30pm CDT

Sacred Places and Historical Preservation: The Central Appalachia Churches Project
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
H 114
Convener: Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University
  • "Directing the Central Appalachia Churches Project," Emily Sajdak, Partners for Sacred Places
  • "Assessing the Central Appalachian Churches Project," Carroll Van West, Middle Tennessee State University
​​​
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

1:30pm CDT

Who Owns the Land? Addressing Heirs’ Property in Rural Tennessee and Beyond
Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 106B
Convener: Wendy A. Bach, University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center
  • Scottie McDaniel, University of Tennessee School of Landscape Architecture
  • Lindsay Shade, University of Tennessee Department of Sociology
  • Gabe Schwartzman, University of Tennessee Department of Geography and Sustainability
  • Eric Amarante, University of Tennessee College of Law

Friday March 21, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

POSTER SESSIONS
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
RUC first and second floor lobbies
  • “Addressing Areas for Improvement from a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Programs Onsite Evaluation: Shawnee State's Approach to AFIs,” Douglas Sturgeon and Karen Koehler, Shawnee State University
  • “Social Determinants of Substance Use Recovery and Mental Health Outcomes in Rural Appalachian Communities: From the Perspectives of Kentuckians with Lived Experience,” Maria Rockett, University of Kentucky
  • “How Appalachian Culture Impacts Views of Crime,” Lauren Gaal, Marshall University
  • “Follow The Food: Sustainable Economy, Environment, and Community in Southeast Ohio,” Tiffany Arnold, Phoebe Giordano, Julia Harmon, Chloe Partlow, Kalli Teeters, and Rachel Terman, Ohio University
  • “Evaluating the Impacts of Amenity-Based Tourism in Appalachian Ohio through the Community Capitals Framework,” Skyler Goody, Ohio State University
  • “Place-Keeping and Resistance in Appalachian Local History Practices,” Blaise M. Reader III, The Ohio State University
  • “Biomedical Innovations Guided by the Foundry for Rural Appalachia: An ECMO Case Study,” Steffano Oyanader Sandoval, Andrea Arce-Trigatti, Pedro E. Arce, and Joshua Ashworth Tennessee Tech University
  • “Mountain Voices: Strategic Communication for Healthier Appalachian Futures,” Sean Bulger, Eloise Elliott, and Emily Murphy, West Virginia University
  • “The WV Physical Activity Plan: How Population Sectors Can Collaborate Effectively to Promote Physical Activity,” Eloise Elliott, Sean Bulger, and Emily Murphy, West Virginia University
  • “Learning Histories of Kentucky's Cumberland River Waterscape through Multiple Ways of Knowing,” Ann Kingsolver, University of Kentucky; Kathryn Engle, University of Kentucky Appalachian Center; Edward Lo, Georgia Southern University; and Grace Yi, University of Kentucky Appalachian Center
  • “Langston Community Health Survey,” Rebecca Adkins Fletcher, Jeffrey Banks, Codi Clark, Thomas Alan Holmes, Grace Jonas, Tashi Litch, and Grace Shoun, East Tennessee State University
  • “Race & the Railroad: Estill County KY Expulsions & Black Industry,” Ren Kelley, University of Kentucky, Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation; and Kathryn Engle, University of Kentucky; Mariel Gardner, Dragon Slayer; Jess Stevens, RUX
  • “Exploring Appalachia: Podcasting with The Serpent King,” Megan Hladis, Murray State University and Midway High School
  • “Redefining Home and Purpose in the Country,” Luke Anderson, Tennessee Tech University
  • “Rural Crime in the Upper Cumberland Region of Appalachia,” Troy D. Smith, Olivia Howell, Chloe Alto, Samuel Hartmann, and Alexia Young, Tennessee Tech University
  • “Mountain Drinking Water Project,” Madison Mooney, LiKEN Knowledge
  • “Middle Grades in Southern Appalachia: Developing a Thanksgiving-themed Cross-Curricular Approach to Teaching the International System of Units,” Cheney Westbrook, Jonghan An, Seongwoo Kim, Mollie Vick, Yire Soo, Helen Yu, University of North Alabama
  • “Hidden No More: Improving the Discoverability of the West Virginia Feminist Activist Collection,” Lori Hostuttler and Abigail Moncus, West Virginia University
  • “Race, Income, and Environmental Injustice: A Comparative Study of Marginalized Communities in times of Disasters,” Kara Fisher and Maliah McCann-Coles, University of Charleston
  • “An Act of Resiliency: Wild Foods of Appalachia,” Nina Nicholson, Appalachian State University
  • “The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Its Revitalization, and Its Effects Within the Community,” Ian Simonton, Ohio University
  • “Wake of the Flood: Cultural Arts and Heritage Organizations Response to Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina,” Trevor McKenzie, Center for Appalachian Studies, Appalachian State University 
  • “Creating Educator Pipelines through School District Partnerships in Light of the Extraordinary Teacher Shortage in Eastern Kentucky,” Michael D. Eicher, Ohio Northern University 
  • “Uplifting a Just Transition in Southwest Virginia,” Emma Kelly and Kara Dotten, Appalachian Voices 
  • “Sustainable Methodologies for Degradation of PET-based Microplastics along the Tennessee River,” Kyle Murphy, Tennessee Tech University 
  • “Faults Associated with the Cumberland Plateau Overthrust, Spencer, Tennessee,” Juan Baez Trevino and Michael Harrison, Tennessee Tech University 
  • “Interrelation of Insect Herbivory & Paleoenvironment to Holocene Climatic Change as Seen via the Middle Eocene Claiborne Formation,” Margaret Hobbs, E.K. Vigil, and Lauren Michel, Tennessee Tech University 
  • “Assessing Severe Weather Readiness of the Upper Cumberland Region of Tennessee,” Davis C. Roberts and Lauren Michel, Tennessee Tech University; and Brandon Smith, Putnam County Emergency Management 
  • “Assessing Flood Risks and Modeling Flood Events in Indigenous and Rural Communities in Western North Carolina,” Creek Anderson, Tennessee Tech University
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

3:00pm CDT

Academic Histories
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 114
Convener: James Leonard, Marshall University
• "History of the Geography Department at Marshall University (1837-2024)," James Leonard, Marshall University
• "The Development of Regional Private High Schools around 1900 into State Supported Institutions to Train Teachers in North Carolina," Doris Stam, Independent
• "‘African Student Grants Sought’: An Examination of Kenyan International Students at West Virginian HBCUs," Abigail Smith, Simmons University
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Academic Kinship: Reviving Appalachian Studies with Interdisciplinary Connection
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 316
Convener: April J. Asbury, Radford University and Highland Summer Conference
  • "Reviving the Highland Summer Conference," April J. Asbury, Radford University and Highland Summer Conference
  • "Appalachian Arts and Studies: Still in the Schools," Tim Thornton, Radford University
  • "Ain't Nothin' Wrong with Gettin' Too Big for Your Britches: Empowering Students of Appalachia through Education," Dan Woods, Radford University
RADFORD UNIVERSITY, ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBER SPONSORED SESSION. 

Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Appalachian Identity: Us
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 305
Convener: Joshua Cody Ward, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• "What’s Appalachia to Appalachia is Me: Exploring Black Identities and Experiences in Appalachian Virginia," Jacob Robinson, Virginia Tech
• "Articulating Appalachia," Joshua Cody Ward, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Appalachian Life in Fiction and Film
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Farr 201A
Convener: Monica Miller, Middle Georgia State University
· “Gen X and Appalachian Literature,” Monica Miller, Middle Georgia State University
· “Redheads in Water: Ron Rash’s The Cove and The Risen,” Sharon Colley, Middle Georgia State University
· “A Nation in Turmoil: How Silas House’s Eli the Good is an Elegy for America’s Current Political Culture War and its Effects on Familial Relationships,” Billy Wooten, Middle Georgia State University
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

3:00pm CDT

Film Studies
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 004
Convener: Lindsey Martin, Ohio University
• "Appalachian Gothic Film: The Threats from Within and Without," Walter Squire, Marshall University
• "Developing Authentic Stories through Rural Appalachian Settings: Strategies, Challenges, and Successes," Lindsey Martin, Ohio University
• "Blanket Town: The Rise and Fall of an American Mill Town," Rebecca Williams, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Imaginary Appalachia and the Assumed Rural Experience of the Appalachian Woman: Challenging the Idea of a Homogenous Female Experience in Appalachia
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Farr 106
Convener: Rachael Fortune, Independent
• "Icons Stuck in an Imaginary Appalachia: Exploring Representations of Rural Women in Pop Culture," Rachael Fortune, Independent
• "Herrenvolk Beats: Country Rap, the Alt-Right, and [Not So] Creeping Fascism," Paul Robertson, Marshall University
• "Paranormal Profits: Appalachia's Dark Folklore and its Effects on Tourism," Jaden Mullins, Tennessee Technological University
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

3:00pm CDT

Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Food-Energy-Water Nexus: Empowering Appalachian Communities
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
BART 327
Convener: Andrea Arce-Trigatti, Tennessee Tech University
  • Facilitator: Troy Smith, Tennessee Tech University
  • Pedro E. Arce, Tennessee Tech University
  • J. Robby Sanders, Tennessee Tech University
  • Dipendra Wagale, Tennessee Tech University
  • Jessee Griffiths, Tennessee Tech University
  • Diane Glasglow, City of Cookeville

Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

3:00pm CDT

Land & Livelihoods in Transition: Mapping Dispossession and Resistance
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 108
Convener: Kevin Slovinsky, LiKEN Knowledge
  • "A Martin County, KY Land Study: Contexts for a Large-Scale Solar Site," Kevin Slovinsky, LiKEN Knowledge; Karen Rignall, University of Kentucky; Jacob Johnson, University of Kentucky
  • "The Role of Land in (Resisting) Carceral Expansion," Lindsay Shade, University of Tennessee Knoxville; Sylvia Ryerson, Yale University
  • "Who Owns the Land? Prospects and Challenges of Forest Carbon Management for a Just Transition in Central Appalachia," Dylan Harris, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs
  • "Who Owns West Virginia? A New PART of Understanding Land Ownership," Zane Hornbeck-Buseman, West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation; Savannah Reese, West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation

Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Politics and Policy
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Farr 203
Convener:
• "The Scourge of Appalachian Nationalism: Unpacking, Disavowing, Redirecting," J. M. L. Whittington, University of Central Florida
• "The Politics of the Appalachian Story: Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide," Kristin Kanthak, University of Pittsburgh
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

3:00pm CDT

Recovering the History of Resistance to Slavery in Appalachia: The Greenup County Slave Revolt of 1829 and the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 304
Convener: Cicero M. Fain, III, Marshall University
· "Finding the Greenup County Slave Revolt in David Walker’s Appeal," Andrew Feight, Shawnee State University
· "Researching Slavery in Eastern Kentucky and the Mystery of Dinah's Execution," Marlitta Perkins, Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative
· "Thinking about the Greenup Slave Revolt in Terms of Environment," Chris Leadingham, University of Kentucky
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Rural Imaginary
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
FARR 106
Convener: Paul Robertson, Marshall University
  • Herrenvolk Beats: Country Rap, the Alt-Right, and [Not So] Creeping Fascism," Paul Robertson, Marshall University
  • "Paranormal Profits: Appalachia's Dark Folklore and its Effects on Tourism," Jaden Mullins, Tennessee Tech University.
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

3:00pm CDT

A Reading from Women Speak, Volume Ten
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Farr 205
Convener: Kari Gunter-Seymour, Women of Appalachia Project
• Christina Fisanick, Pennsylvania Western University
• Danita Dodson
• E.J. Wade, Independent
• Jessica Cory, Appalachian Journal
• Karen Salyer McElmurray, Spalding University
• Kristi Stephen Walker
• Elaine Palencia
• Lacy Snapp, East Tennessee State University
• Linda Parson, Madville Publishing
• Megan Krupa
• Odana Chaney
• Sara Henning, Marshall University
• Anna Kline
• Roberta Schultz
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

3:00pm CDT

The World We Live in and the Words We Write: Life and Art in Eastern Kentucky
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 216
Convener: Amelia Kirby, Sycamore Project
• "Reading," Wes Browne, Independent
• "Reading," Willie Carver, Jr., Independent
• "Reading," Mandi Fugate Sheffel, Independent
• "Reading," Robert Gipe, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Veins of Controversy: The TVA Pipeline and Appalachia's Future?
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 106B
Convener: Sabrina Buer, Tennessee Technological University
• Olivia Campbell, Tennessee Technological University
• Claire Myers
• Daphni Engle-Wetzlich
• Dipendra Wagle
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

AppalAsian Musicians Gathering
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 205
Convener: Maako Shiratori, Duke University
• Maako Shiratori, Duke University
• Chao Tian, Boston University
• Yoko Nogami, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Building a Community Safety Toolkit for Family and Domestic Violence with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Appalachian Justice Research Center
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
HEND 307A
Convener: Michelle Brown, Co-director, University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center
· Sunshine Parker, Associate Judge of the Cherokee Court, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
· Freida Saylor, Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Services, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority
· Maggie Jackson, Senior Executive Assistant, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority||We Are Resilient podcast host
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

3:00pm CDT

Transforming Education for First Generation, Low Income and Rural Students: The First2 Network Approach
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
BART 111
Convener and Presenter: Samantha Mitchell, High Rocks Educational Corporation.
Friday March 21, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

4:00pm CDT

Afternoon Snack Break
Friday March 21, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
BRYAN FINE ARTS LOBBY
Friday March 21, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Bryan Fine Arts Building

4:00pm CDT

Rachel Rodriguez Latin Country Music Performance
Friday March 21, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
BRYAN FINE ARTS
WATTENBARGER AUDITORIUM
Friday March 21, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Bryan Fine Arts Building

4:30pm CDT

A Reading from Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel Volume 27: Appalachian Fusion
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
FARR 205
​​​​Convener: Sherry Cook Stanforth, Founder/Director of Originary Arts Initiative
  • Michael Henson
  • Wesley R. Bishop, Jacksonville State University, Alabama
  • Jeanne Bryner, Independent Artist
  • Pam Campbell, Independent Author
  • Teresa Cox, Independent Author
  • Hilda Downer, Independent Author
  • Pauletta Hansel, Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative
  • Jim Minick, Independent Writer/Farmer
  • Elaine Palencia, Independent Author
  • Linda Parsons, Independent Author and Editor
  • Gary Phillips, Former Poet Laureate of Carrboro, North Carolina
  • Amy Le Ann Richardson, Community Farm Alliance
  • Alissa Sammarco, Independent Author
  • Roberta Schultz, Independent Author
  • Sherry Cook Stanforth, Originary Arts Initiative
Dana Wildsmith, Lanier Technical College
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

4:30pm CDT

Appalachian Englishes
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
BART 111
Convener: Paul Reed, University of Alabama
• "The Mountain South Versus the Deep South — Surprising Similarities Between Two Storytellers from Each Region," Jeremiah Farmer, Clemson University
• "An Individual View of Appalachian Englishes: A Lifetime of Change," Paul Reed, University of Alabama
• "The Traditional “Grass” Vowel in Appalachian English," Bridget Anderson, Old Dominion University
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

4:30pm CDT

Appalachian Identity: New Media
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 214
Convener: Robert Ellison, Marshall University
  • "Upper Cumberland Blues: Podcasting and Autoethnography as Archive, Storytelling, and Counter-Narrative," Tony VanWinkle, Guilford College; Erin Eldridge, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • "HillbillyTok: Storytelling, Counternarratives, & (Re)Constructing Identity on Social Media," Emily Colleen Cobb, Clemson University
  • "Reimagining Religion in WV: Encountering Underrepresented Faith Traditions through YouTube and Facebook Sermons," Robert Ellison, Marshall University
​​​
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

4:30pm CDT

Appalachian Identity: Others
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 114
Convener: Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand, Middle Tennessee State University
  • "The ‘Othering’ of Appalachia: The Exploitation of West Virginia," Kevin Murphy, Shepherd University
  • "Clean Workboots and Northern Banjos: White Country Aesthetics and Metronormative Politics," Hannah Krull, Independent
  • "Stereotyping Appalachia: Hillbillies, Serpent Handlers, and the Enduring Captivation of the Other," Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand, Middle Tennessee State University
  • "Evaluating Resilience Research in Appalachia through an Intersectional Lens: A Review," Mary Jo Hedrick, East Tennessee State University; Tess Simpson, Maryville College
​​​​
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

4:30pm CDT

Archiving and Storytelling
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Farr 201A
Convener: Jessica Johnson, University of Tennessee Knoxville
• "Archiving as Activism in Appalachia," Jessica Johnson, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

4:30pm CDT

Celebrating and Sustaining Appalachian Foodways: AConversation with the 2025 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellows
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
FARR 203
Convener: Candace Mullins, Grow Appalachia
  • Marcus West, 2025 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellow
  • The New Opportunity School for Women – Sam Cole, 2025 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellow

Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

4:30pm CDT

Dark Skies in Appalachia Part II: People and the Sky
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HEND 307A
Conveners: Jane Eastman and Brett H. Riggs, Western Carolina University
  • “Cornish Nocturnal Landscapes as Template for Preserving Night Skies,” MJ Sharp, Independent 
  • “The Sun and Horizon at Watauga,” Jane Eastman and Brett H. Riggs, Western Carolina University
  • “The Night Sky at Watauga,” Brett H. Riggs and Jane Eastman, Western Carolina University
  • “Roots in the Stars: Reconnecting Cherokee Heritage through Land and Sky,” Chi Shipman, Eastern Band Cherokee – EBCI; Madison Long, EBCI & Muskogee Creek
​​​​
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

4:30pm CDT

STEM Education
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Beth Nardella, West Virginia University
  • "Exploring Teamwork and Communication in the BioFoundry Initiative Applied to Appalachian Communities," Dipendra Wagle, Tennessee Tech University; Andrea Arce-Trigatti, Tennessee Tech University; Pedro Arce, Tennessee Tech University; Robby Sanders, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Technology and Academic Progress: Do College Students from Appalachia Profile Differently?," Kristi Barnes, Marietta College
  • "The Development and Implementation of a Rural Health Curriculum for Undergraduates," Beth Nardella, West Virginia University

Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

4:30pm CDT

A Way to Dance: A Reading and Discussion with Cathryn Hankla and Her Students
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
FARR 106
Convener: Annie Woodford, Wilkes Community College
• Cathryn Hankla, Professor emerita, Hollins University
• April J Asbury, Radford University and the Highland Summer Conference
• Mike Good, Independent
• Natasha Oladokun, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Julia Johnson, University of Kentucky
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

4:30pm CDT

Swannanoa and Blanket Town: The Rise and Fall of an American Mill Town
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HEND 004
Convener and Presenter: Rebecca Williams, Independent
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

4:30pm CDT

Networking Technological Gaps in Academic and Activist Endeavors
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 216
​​​​Convener and Presenter: J. M. L. Whittington, University of Central Florida
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

4:30pm CDT

Using the Future Creating Workshop Method to Engage Communities in Utopian Thinking
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
HENDERSON HALL 305
Convener: Mary Brydon-Miller, University of Louisville
  • Mary Brydon-Miller, University of Louisville
  • Jacinda Dariotis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Friday March 21, 2025 4:30pm - 5:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

5:00pm CDT

Appalachian Center Directors’ Meeting
Friday March 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
FARR 305
Friday March 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

6:30pm CDT

Keynote: John Gaventa- “Rural Appalachia in Global Context: Reimagining a Just and Sustainable Future”
Friday March 21, 2025 6:30pm - 7:45pm CDT
Stonecipher 113 & 126
Friday March 21, 2025 6:30pm - 7:45pm CDT
Stonecipher Hall 125 Wings Up Way, Cookeville, TN 38501

8:00pm CDT

The Bilbreys Performance
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00pm - 10:00pm CDT
First Presbyterian Church, 20 N. Dixie Avenue
The Bilbreys, a local family Bluegrass group, has been performing around Middle Tennessee for about 45 years. They incorporate  different styles of music in their shows, from Bluegrass/ Bluegrass Gospel to Country/Western to original songs and instrumentals.
Friday March 21, 2025 8:00pm - 10:00pm CDT
Off Campus
 
Saturday, March 22
 

7:00am CDT

Appalachian Collegiate Research Meeting
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Farr 305
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

7:00am CDT

Education Committee Meeting
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
HENDERSON HALL 216
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Henderson Hall

7:00am CDT

Journal of Appalachian Studies Editorial Board Meeting
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Henderson 214
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Appalachian Musicians and Influence
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
FARR 201A
Convener: Jim Clark, Barton College - Emeritus
  • "The Voices Behind a Voice: Tracing African American Influence in the Singing Style of Frank Proffitt," Olivia Phillips, Indiana University - Bloomington
  • "A Fiddlin' Fit: Frazier Moss, Master Fiddler of the Upper Cumberland," Jim Clark, Barton College - Emeritus

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

8:00am CDT

Creating Change for Resilient Community Water Systems in Central Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 214
Convener: Deborah J. Thompson, LiKEN Knowledge
  • "Creating Spaces of Mutual/Social Learning and Action, Undoing Entrenched Inequities through a Collaborative Research Project on Community Water Systems in Two Counties of Central Appalachia,” Maria Bareli, LiKEN Knowledge
  • “Water Inequalities and Extractive Developmental Pathways: Analyzing Water System Challenges in Two Central Appalachian Communities," Madison Mooney, LiKEN Knowledge
  • "Toolkits for Community Engagement and Water Resilience in the Face of Climate Change," McKensi Gilliam, LiKEN Knowledge
  • "Toolkits for Community Engagement and Water Resilience in the Face of Climate Change," Natasha Moore-Howell, LiKEN Knowledge
  • "LiKEN’s Theory of Change and Points of Leverage for Disrupting Vicious Cycles," Deborah J. Thompson, LiKEN Knowledge

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Environmental Sciences
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
BART 117
Convener: Alexander Miele, LSU
  • "Geographic Variations in U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Incidents: Misalignment Between Administrative Boundaries and the Appalachian Region," Jacob Hileman, West Virginia University
  • "Linking Streamflow Trends with Land Cover in a Southern USA Water Tower," Alexander Miele, LSU
  • "Sustainable Methodologies for Degradation of PET-based Microplastics along the Tennessee River," Kyle Murphy, Tennessee Tech University

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Bartoo Hall

8:00am CDT

Faith Histories
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
BART 307
Convener: Summer King, University of Mississippi
  • "The Potential of Religion in Appalachian Sustainability Transitions: The Case of Bethlehem Farm," Julius Malin, University of Basel
  • "Hearing from Our Own Home: Reading the Pastoral Letters of Catholic Committee of Appalachia as a Model for Synodality," Abigail Rosys, Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry
  • "He Shall Take Up Serpents: The Spread of Pentecostal Snake Handling through Southern Appalachia, 1909-1932," Summer King, University of Mississippi

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Bartoo Hall

8:00am CDT

Folklore
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 305
Convener: Rebecca Proffitt, East Tennessee State University, Reece Museum
  • "Ritual Remembrance: Material Culture as Historical Document," Rebecca Proffitt, East Tennessee State University, Reece Museum
  • "Captivity, Myth, and Memory: Examining the Origins and Cultural Significance of Hungry Mother State Park," Elise Johnson, Appalachian State University
  • "‘Around the Old Ore Knob Today’: Exploring Labor, Environment, and Memory in a Western North Carolina Ballad," Trevor McKenzie, Appalachian State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Future Places
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
BART 111
Convener: Marti Wagnon, Virginia Tech
  • "'This Place Knows How to Dream': King Coal as Thirdspace Vision of Appalachia's Future," William Nash, Middlebury College
  • "Between Heaven & the High Country: Constructing Religious Space in the Southern Appalachian Landscape," Ella Adams, Appalachian State University
  • "Beyond the Tall, Tall Trees: Reimagining Technology, Digital Literacy, and the Physical Landscape of Rural Appalachia," Marti Wagnon, Virginia Tech
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Bartoo Hall

8:00am CDT

Gas Build Outs in the Tennessee River Valley: A Continuing of Exploitation of People and Land in Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 114
Convener and Presenter: Brig Ortner, SAGE TN
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Leveling the Playing Field: To be Heard and Seen
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 004
Convener: Cat Pleska, Marshall University
  • "I'll Always Be That Georgia Girl: Burn," Sara Henning, Marshall University
  • "She is Among so Many Silent Heroes," Cat Pleska, Marshall University
  • "Billie Lee," Nathan Rucker, Marshall University

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Sites of Memory: History, Storytelling, and Undermining the Erasure of BIPOC in Northern Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Kenton Butcher, Bucknell University
  • "Outside the Mainstream: Black Self-Publishing in Appalachian Ohio," Kenton Butcher, Bucknell University
  • "‘Eww, these apples suck, de donde son?’: Latinx Storytelling in Rural Pennsylvania," Elena Perez-Zetune, University of Texas at Austin/Bucknell University
  • "Race and Reputation: Black Appalachian Soldiers in the United States Colored Troops," Alexandra Finley, University of Pittsburgh
​​​​
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Women’s History
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
FARR 203
Convener: Allen Fletcher, University of Kentucky
  • "Beyond ‘Fotched-On’ Women: School Reform and Gendered Politics in Progressive Era Appalachia," Allen Fletcher, University of Kentucky
  • "Schooling Us: Generations of Educating Appalachian Women," Leslie Cook, Appalachian State University
  • "Carrie Buck and the Ongoing Fight for Reproductive Freedom," Karen Spears Zacharias, Independent
  • "Recipes and Remedies of Rural Appalachian Midwives and Families: Examination through the Lens of Racism and A Superstitious Belief System," Kristen Montgomery, East Tennessee State University
SPONSORED BY TENNESSEE TECH WOMEN’S CENTER
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

8:00am CDT

Montañitas Reimagined
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
FARR 309
Convener: Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech
  • Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech
  • Estela Diaz Knott, Lua Project
  • Dave Berzonsky, Lua Project
  • Luna Berzonsky, Lua Project

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

8:00am CDT

The Brownsville Project: Recovering Remnants of an Appalachian African-American Community
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
FARR 205
Convener: Clory Jackson, The Brownsville Project
  • Clory Jackson, The Brownsville Project
  • Caroline Hann, Creative Partner, The Brownsville Project

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

8:00am CDT

Voices of Nature: Creative Writing Among Appalachian Students
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
FARR 106
Convener: Heather Richmond, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Held in the Howl," Heather Richmond, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Relinquished," Christopher Fairchild, Tennessee Tech University
  • "The Water Wept as the Ducks Said Goodbye," Jaden Mullins, Tennessee Tech University

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

8:00am CDT

Coalition Building through the Arts in Rural Appalachian Communities
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 108
Convener: Krystal Brooke Carter, Independent Scholar
  • Krystal Brooke Carter, Independent Scholar
  • Lacy Snapp, East Tennessee State University
  • Becks Lipshultz, Appalachian State University
  • LB Prevette, Independent

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Rooted, Resilient, Rising: Women Growing Food across the Mountains Writing Workshop
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
HEND 316
Convener and Presenter: Amy Le Ann Richardson, Independent
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am CDT
Henderson Hall

8:00am CDT

Exhibit Hall, Registration, Posters, Editors’ Showcase, Silent Auction Open
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 5:30pm CDT
RUC Multipurpose Room, first and second floor lobbies 
Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 5:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

9:30am CDT

iMakerSpace Open House
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
VOLPE LIBRARY, Third Floor
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Volpe Library 1100 N Peachtree Ave, Cookeville, TN 38501

9:30am CDT

Affrilachia: Testimonies - A Visual, Poetic, and Historical Journey through Southern Appalachia's Black Communities
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 308
Convener: Maia A. Surdam, Partnership for Appalachian Girls' Education
  • Chris Aluka Berry, Independent
  • Kelly Elaine Navies, Independent
  • Maia A. Surdam, Partnership for Appalachian Girls' Education

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

Appalachian Health Disparities are a Local Expression of Global Worsening of Health Disparities
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Robert Miller, Mayo Clinic
  • "Worsening Disparities in Cancer Outcomes in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky," Robert Miller, Mayo Clinic; Kennedy Sabharwal, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
  • "Disparity as a Manifestation of Environmental Destruction: The Impact of Mineral Extraction on Cancer Care Across the Globe," Elijah Baker, Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee
  • "Excess Smoking Related Cancer Deaths in Eastern Kentucky Continue to Persist Despite Improving Survival Rates Elsewhere in The United States," Lauren Slone, Asbury University; Robert Miller, Mayo Clinic

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Appalachian Queer Pedagogy as Space of Resistance and Resilience: Creativity, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent in Rural Spaces
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 114
Convener: Clint Whitten, Virginia Tech
  • Clint Whitten, Virginia Tech
  • Josh Thompson, Virginia Tech
  • Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech
  • Daniel Vandeberg, Roanoke City Public Schools
  • Justin Smith, Farm to Feed (Nonprofit)

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Art: Retrospectives
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 305
Convener: Joy Gritton, Morehead State University
  • "A Retrospective of the Art of Bonita Skaggs-Parsons," Joy Gritton, Morehead State University
  • "Sullivan’s Universe: Appalachian Folk Culture, Art, and Infinite Systems of Worlds and Wonders," Ali Printz, Temple University/Smithsonian American Art Museum
  • "Quilting for Community Recovery: A Trauma-Informed Textile Mapping Approach for Post-Hurricane Appalachia," Fabio Andres Tellez, North Carolina State University; Isabel Arteaga-Arredondo, Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia)
  • "‘Everything is different, but it’s all the Same’; Arts-Based Graduate Projects After Helene," Robert McCormac, Indiana University; Matt Groce, Wake Forest University
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

Carceral States and Criminality
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 309
Convener: William Hal Gorby, West Virginia University
  • "Addressing the Problems at Moundsville: The Expansion of West Virginia's Corrections System During a Period of Economic Restructuring," William Hal Gorby, West Virginia University
  • "Of Prisons and Place: Abolition & Education in Appalachia," Meghan Moore-Hubbard, Clemson University
  • "Constructing ‘Legality’: Comparing and Contrasting the Evolution and Economic and Cultural Legitimization of Appalachian Moonshiners and the Mexican Cartels," Lucy Coleman, Appalachian State University
  • "The History of Opioids in Appalachia: Just What the Doctor Ordered, Cultural Rebellion, or State-Corporate Crime?" Carl Root, Eastern Kentucky University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

College Transitions
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 117
Convener: Africa Hands, University at Buffalo
  • "‘My Grandmother Recommended I Apply’: College Information Seeking among Appalachian Students," Africa Hands, University at Buffalo
  • "Rank Strangers: Using Liminality to Conceptualize College Transition for Rural Appalachian Students," David Adams, University of Cincinnati
  • "The Influences That Facilitate the Development of a Sense of Calling among Undergraduate Women Raised and Educated in Appalachia," Lindsay Monihen, Shawnee State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

9:30am CDT

Gender and Other Intersections
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 203
Convener: Thomas Alan Holmes, East Tennessee State University
  • "Trans Banjos and Gay Guitars: LGBTQ+ Resilience in Contemporary Appalachian Music" Cassie Dawn Ball, Graduate Center, City University of New York
  • "‘Here I Am’: The Prosthetic Memory of Dolly Parton in Dumplin," Travis Rountree, Western Carolina University
  • "Discussing and Confronting Stereotypes: Narratives of Appalachian Fathers," Aran Garnett-Deakin, Virginia Tech
  • "‘Oh, that I Could Have Lived Like I Wanted to—’: A Small-Town Diarist's Isolation," Thomas Alan Holmes, East Tennessee State University
SPONSORED BY TENNESSEE TECH WOMEN’S CENTER.
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

Literary Outsiders and Canon-Making
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 106
Convener: Matthew D. Sutton, Morehead State University
  • "The Rhetoric of Subversion in Mountain Path by Harriette Simpson Arnow," Gisele Sigal, Pau University - UPPA - France
  • "Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!: The Great Lost Appalachian Novel?," Matthew D. Sutton, Morehead State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

Pipelines, Pathways, and Potential: Workforce Development as a Positive Force for Thriving People and Communities in Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 214
Convener: Maribeth Saleem-Tanner, High Rocks
  • "Introduction to the High Rocks Theory of Change," Maribeth Saleem-Tanner, High Rocks

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Power of Stories
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 216
Convener: Karen Spears Zacharias, Independent
  • "The Devil's Pulpit and Other Mostly True Scottish Misadventures," E.J. Wade, Independent; Karen Spears Zacharias, Independent
  • “Muriel Rukeyser’s Book of the Dead and the Discourse of Disaster in Appalachia,” Jeannie Dalporto, University of Charleston
  • “Tell Me about Your Bad Guys: Fathering in Anxious Times,” Michael Dowdy, Villanova University
  • "Acorns and Atoms: Nuclear Weapons, Exploitation, and Erasure in Appalachia," Emily Strasser, Tufts University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

After the Flood Documentary Short Screening
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 004
Convener and Presenter: Ali Gautier, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

High Water is Hell, Brothers and Sisters!
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 327
Convener and Presenter: Jared Hamilton, M.A.R.S. Collective
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

9:30am CDT

Writing the New Appalachia: A Reading and Discussion with Appalachian Memoirist Jennifer McGaha
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 111
Convener and Presenter: Jennifer McGaha, Independent
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

9:30am CDT

Abolition Now: A Digital Participatory Project for Images of Study and Struggle
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 201A
Convener and Presenter: Vivian Swayne, University of Tennessee Department of Sociology
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

African American History and Culture in the Upper Cumberland
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 316
Convener: Megan Atkinson, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Black Union Soldiers of the Upper Cumberland," Troy D. Smith, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Cookeville's Historic West End," Linda Irby, Northeast School Retired Teachers and Putnam County NAACP
  • "West End Oral History Project," Krystal Akehinmi and Megan Atkinson, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Race Relations in Cookeville," Carl Owens, Tennessee Tech University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Community-Based Participatory Archiving with Historic Brownsville Descendants
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 205
Convener: K. Melchor Hall, SAEDi Collective
  • K. Melchor Hall, SAEDi Collective
  • Clory Jackson, The Brownsville Project
  • Cheryl Jefferson Page, SAEDi Collective
  • Teniqua Pope, SAEDi Collective

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Embracing and Celebrating Appalachian Heritage through Storytelling, Art, & Place-Based Reflection
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 106B
Convener: Emily Colleen Cobb, Clemson University
  • Brittany Beeker, Clemson University
  • Emily Colleen Cobb, Clemson University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Publishing in Appalachian Studies
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 308
Convener: Meredith McCarroll, Journal of Appalachian Studies
  • "Publishing in Journal of Appalachian Studies," Meredith McCarroll, Journal of Appalachian Studies
  • "Getting Published in Appalachian Journal," Jessica Cory, Appalachian Journal
  • "Publishing with West Virginia University Press," Marguerite Avery, West Virginia University Press
  • "Publishing with University Press of Kentucky," Abby Freeland, University Press of Kentucky
  • "Publishing with University Press of Kentucky," Margaret Kelly, University Press of Kentucky
  • "Publishing in Literary Journals," Marianne Worthington, Still: The Journal

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Rebellious Educators: P-12 Educators Sharing Stories of Joy as Resistance in the American South and Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 307A
Convener: Adam Jordan, College of Charleston
  • "Making the Road: Clarifying ‘Rebellious Education,’" Adam Jordan, College of Charleston
  • "Authenticity as Resistance: The Case of Two Teachers from Southern Appalachia," Carrie Rogers, Western Carolina University
  • "To Dare Mighty Things: A Pedagogical Reflection on How Student-Driven Affirmative Communities Led to Joyful Learning and Amplifying Identities," Pete Locher, American University
  • "Loving Coalitions: Teaching and Forming Intergenerational LGBTQ+ Community in the Classroom," Carrie Hart, University of North Carolina School of the Arts
  • "Outcries of the Silent Voices: A Resistance against ‘Bless Your Heart’," Allison Jones, Forsyth County Schools, Georgia

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Reimagining the Small Press in Appalachia: The Red Branch Review
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 108
Convener: Nicole Drewitz-Crockett, Carson-Newman University
  • "Red Branch Review: Background & Goals," Noah Soltau, Carson-Newman University
  • "The Red Branch Review: Literary Arts," Wesley Scott McMasters, Carson-Newman University
  • "The Red Branch Review: Visual Arts," Heather Hartman Folks, Carson-Newman University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

The Online Encyclopedia of Appalachia Project
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
HEND 305
Convener: Ron Roach, East Tennessee State University
  • "Overview and Update on the Online Encyclopedia of Appalachia Project," Ron Roach, East Tennessee State University
  • "Update to the Online, Open-Access Encyclopedia of Appalachia, Part 2," Jeremy Smith, East Tennessee State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Henderson Hall

9:30am CDT

Wielding and Disrupting Power: The Emotional Labor of Collaborative, Restorative Relationships with Dispossessed Community Partners for #MoreMountainStories
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
FARR 205
Convener: Emily Satterwhite, Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Virginia Tech
  • Sarah Plummer, Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Virginia Tech
  • Emily Satterwhite, Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Virginia Tech
  • Marti Wagnon, Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Virginia Tech
  • Jacob Robinson, Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Virginia Tech

Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

9:30am CDT

Never Been out of the County: Short-Term Study Abroad Programs for Appalachian Students at Two-Year Colleges
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
BART 307
Convener and Presenter: Jeff Wallace, Southern State Community College
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Bartoo Hall

10:00am CDT

Morning Snack Break
Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
BRYAN FINE ARTS LOBBY 
Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Bryan Fine Arts Building

10:00am CDT

Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dancers Performance
Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
Bryan Fine Arts
Wattenbarger Auditorium
Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
Bryan Fine Arts Building

10:00am CDT

Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dancers
Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
BRYAN FINE ARTS WATTENBARGER AUDITORIUM
Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
Bryan Fine Arts Building

11:00am CDT

Appalachian Community
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 106B
Convener: Vonnia Davis, Independent
  • "Monuments in Black Appalachia: Community Engagement for Memory and Growth," Gregory Galford, Virginia Tech; Vonnia Davis, Independent
  • "There Was a Solid Community Here: The Development and Effects of Huntington, West Virginia’s Segregated Public Housing, 1938-1950," Jillian Kendall, West Virginia University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

Appalachian Music
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Randal Williams, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Authenticity Meets the Sacred and Profane: Focus on Country Music," James Akenson, Tennessee Tech University; Randal Williams, Tennessee Tech University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

Art: Community Legacies
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 203
Convener: Katie Rodriguez, Appalachian State University
  • "Breaking the Mold: Clarifying Indigenous Appalachian Identities along the Upper New River," Katie Rodriguez, Appalachian State University
  • "Land Art in Appalachia: Maya Lin’s Open-Air Peace Chapel (1988-89) and Input (2004)," Heather Stark, Marshall University
  • "Public Art and Critical Literacies of Place: The Case of the Petrila Coal Mine in Romania’s Jiu Valley," Kai A. Schafft, Penn State University (co-authors, non-presenting, Iulia Salca, Transilvania University of Brasov, and Emelie Peine, University of Puget Sound)

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

Authors-Meet-Critics: Power and Just Transition: The Struggle for a Post-Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 106
Convener: Gabe Schwartzman, University of Tennessee
Presenters:
  • Barbara Ellen Smith, Emerita
  • Philip Lewin, Florida Atlantic University
  • Rebecca Scott, University of Missouri
  • Cathy Kunkel, Independent
Authors’ Response 
  • John Gaventa, Institute for Development Studies
  • Gabe Schwartzman, University of Tennessee

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

Constructions of Whiteness
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 305
Convener: Meghan Moore-Hubbard, Clemson University
  • "Rural Appalachian Social Studies Teachers Grappling with Whiteness," Meghan Moore-Hubbard, Clemson University
"Flotilla: Interrogating My White Ancestry," Melissa Helton, Hindman Settlement School
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

Gender, Race, and Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 307A
Convener: Alana Anton, Radford University
  • "In Search of the Woman Robert Burns Plagiarized," E.J. Wade, Independent; Karen Spears Zacharias, Independent
  • "Exploring Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Appalachia," Alana Anton, Radford University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

Health Outcomes
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
BART 117
Convener: Michelle Roberts, University of Kentucky
  • "Insuring Health, Ensuring Limits: A Praxiographic Approach to Health Insurance and Care Delivery for People with Disabilities in Appalachian Kentucky," Michelle Roberts, University of Kentucky
  • "Diabetes Fatalism in Appalachia: A Concept Analysis," Karen Carver, East Tennessee State University
  • "‘It’s Generational Trauma’: The Importance of Historically Contextualizing Drug-Related Suffering Amongst Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Appalachian North Georgia," Anna Mullany, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

11:00am CDT

Historic Events
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 316
Convener: Carson Benn, Lincoln Memorial University
  • "Nixon in the Mountains: A History of Twentieth-Century Conservatism through Two Kentucky Visits," Carson Benn, Lincoln Memorial University
  • "The Tennessee Valley Authority v. Appalachia: Exploring the Complicated and Exploitive History of the Tennessee Valley Authority within East Tennessee and Beyond," Madeleine Howe, University of Tennessee Knoxville
  • "To Be a Good Soldier, Citizen, and Patriot: How Southern Military Tradition at UNG Upheld the Lost Cause in Post-Civil War Appalachia," Ariana Mohr, University of North Georgia

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

History and Higher Education
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 205
Convener: Douglas Sturgeon, Shawnee State University
  • "Remembering Mountain State College in Parkersburg WV," Douglas Sturgeon, Shawnee State University; Karen Koehler, Shawnee State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

Knowledge Access
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 216
Convener: Kathryn Wisinger, Putnam County Library
  • "Johnson's Unfulfilled Promise: Accessibility to Higher Education in Appalachia during the War on Poverty," Zoe Davin, Connecticut College
  • "Rural Libraries and Their Influence in Appalachian Communities," Kathryn Wisinger, Putnam County Library
  • "Cyber Possibilities: Making Higher Education Accessible for Rural Appalachian Students," Kristen LeFevers, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

Perspectives on Appalachia with the University Press of Kentucky
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
BART 327
Convener: Laura Leigh Morris, Furman University
Reading and Discussions with:
  • Laura Leigh Morris, Furman University
  • Chris Aluka Berry, Aluka Stories
  • Kelly Elaine Navies, Independent
  • Karen Salyer McElmurray, Spalding University
  • Rae Garringer, Country Queers

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

11:00am CDT

Pop Culture: Representation
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 114
Convener: J. M. L. Whittington, University of Central Florida
  • "Navigating the History and Evolution of Professional Wrestling in Appalachia," Caleb Brown, Appalachian State University
  • "From Carpet Capital to Soccer Town USA: ‘Monday Night Fútbol’ in Dalton, Georgia," Michael Dowdy, Villanova University
  • "Introducing Appalachian Game Studies: Fallout 76, Imaginative Geography, and Extractive Tourism," J. M. L. Whittington, University of Central Florida

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

Re-writing the Appalachian Family: Households of Necessity, Households of Choice
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 004
Convener: Doug Van Gundy, West Virginia Wesleyan College
  • Doug Van Gundy, West Virginia Wesleyan College
  • Jamey Temple, University of the Cumberlands
  • Sara Henning, Marshall University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

Youth Engagement
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 201A
Convener: Newlin Humphrey, University of Alabama
  • "Battling Brain Drain: Perspectives of Public Library Youth Engagement in Rural Southern and South Central Appalachia," Newlin Humphrey, University of Alabama; Griffin Anderson, University of Alabama

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

A Reading from Appalachian Lit Authors
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
BART 111
Convener: Damian Dressick, Appalachian Lit
  • "Wesley Scott McMasters Reads His Work," Wesley Scott McMasters, Carson-Newman University
  • "Laura Jackson Reads Her Work," Laura Jackson, Autumn House Press
  • "Willie Carver Reads His Work," Willie Carver, Independent
  • "Patrick McGinty Reads His Work," Patrick McGinty, Slippery Rock University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

11:00am CDT

We Dwell on These Mountains: Diverse Voices of Appalachia Showcase
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
FARR 308
Convener: Justin Wymer, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
  • Justin Wymer, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
  • Sarah Einstein, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
  • Torli Bush, Independent

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

11:00am CDT

Higher Education in an Appalachian Context
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 305
Convener: Michelle Boettcher, Clemson University
  • "The Rural Educators Academy: A Community Colleges of Appalachia Initiative," Michelle Boettcher, Clemson University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

Investigating Retail Theft in Sullivan County Tennessee - A Project of the Appalachian Justice Research Lab
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 108
Convener: Wendy A. Bach, University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center
  • Imani Mfalme-Shu’la, Community Defense of East Tennessee
  • Kyra Martinez, Lecturer, University of Tennessee Department of Sociology

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

11:00am CDT

From Appalachia to the Andes: Virtual Field Trips, Language Learning, and Making Place-Based Connections
Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
HEND 214
Convener: Emily Colleen Cobb, Clemson University
  • Sharon Jackson, Clemson University
  • Emily Colleen Cobb, Clemson University

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CDT
Henderson Hall

12:00pm CDT

Close of Silent Auction; Winning Auction Items Pick Up
Saturday March 22, 2025 12:00pm - 6:15pm CDT
RUC Multipurpose Room 
Close of Silent Auction. Pick Up Items by 6:15 
Saturday March 22, 2025 12:00pm - 6:15pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

12:15pm CDT

Lunch on Your Own
Saturday March 22, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT
Lunch on Your Own
Saturday March 22, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT
Off Campus

1:00pm CDT

Plenary 2
Saturday March 22, 2025 1:00pm - 2:15pm CDT
Stonecipher 113 & 126
Neema Avashia and Ann Pancake
“We're All We've Got: Fighting for Appalachia When Institutions Fail Us”
A conversation between Neema Avashia and Ann Pancake, who have produced major literary works advocating for the region.
Saturday March 22, 2025 1:00pm - 2:15pm CDT
Stonecipher Hall 125 Wings Up Way, Cookeville, TN 38501

2:30pm CDT

Literature: Genre and Style
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
BART 117
Convener: Moriah Silvers, University of Georgia
  • "New Critical Edition of Appalachian Novel This Day and Time by Anne W. Armstrong," Linda Behrend, Independent
  • "A Genre Reimagined: An Exploration of Rhetorical Style in Contemporary Appalachian Literature," Moriah Silvers, University of Georgia
  • "A Hotel Perched on a Hill: The Grove Park Inn in Recent Appalachian Fiction," Jimmy Dean Smith, Union Commonwealth University

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 2:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

2:30pm CDT

Community Legacies
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 216
Convener: Kopana Terry, University of Kentucky
  • "Peck’s Addition Revisited: Exploring Southwestern Ohio’s Appalachian Legacy through Public History," Matthew Smith, Miami University-Hamilton; Ashley Hopkins, Miami University-Hamilton
  • "Invisible Appalachia," Kopana Terry, University of Kentucky

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Death Traditions
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 214
Convener: Clint Whitten, Virginia Tech
  • "Cemetery Language in Western North Carolina," Bridget Anderson, Old Dominion University; Craig Winkelmann, Independent
  • "Appalachian Cultural Traditions Regarding Death, Dying, and Funerals," Adeline Rosenberger, University of North Georgia

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Disaster
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 309
Convener: Caleb Brown, Appalachian State University
  • "Possibilities and Challenges of Rural Disaster Response and Relief," Erin Eldridge, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Seth Hawkins, Wake Forest University
  • "Applying Environmental Justice Lessons from Non-Appalachian Natural Disasters to the Appalachian Context," Caleb Brown, Appalachian State University
  • "The Role of Public Educators in Climate Related Disaster Resilience: A Literature Review," Adam Jordan, College of Charleston; Kasey Jordan, College of Charleston
  • "Interacting Disasters: A Western North Carolina Case Study," Megan E. Hall, University of Kentucky

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Displacement
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 305
Convener: Katherine Everhart, UVA Wise
  • "Rural Displacement: Public Housing in Rural Southwest Virginia," Anngel Gallihar, UVA Wise; Katherine Everhart, UVA Wise
  • "Remember Me: Addressing Displacement and Collective Trauma Following the Construction of Fontana Lake," Ryan Floyd, Lander University
  • "The Death of the Hillbilly Ghetto?," Michael Maloney, University of Cincinnati

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Ecocriticism
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 203
Convener: Catherine Wilbur, University of Charleston
  • "Louise McNeill, Paradox Hill: From Appalachia to Lunar Shores," Catherine Wilbur, University of Charleston
  • "‘Insane and Acceptable all the Time and all the While, Hainted’: Postnatural Travel Narratives at the End of the World," Shelby Roberts, University of Kentucky
  • "...If the Crick Don’t Rise: Ann Pancake’s and Barbara Kingsolver’s Speculations of Flood Catastrophe Amid the Anthropocene," Danara Wallace, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Education: Resources
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 308
Convener: Megan Krupa, East Tennessee State University
  • "Developing Multidisciplinary Teachers: Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers in Southern Appalachia," Hongxia Zhao, University of North Alabama; Gary Padgett, University of North Alabama
  • "Narrative(s) of Appalachia: A Poststructuralist Examination of English Education Practices in a Southern Appalachian School District," Megan Krupa, East Tennessee State University
  • "Appalachian Dialects as a Tool for Student Engagement," Jenny Crisp, Dalton State College

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Labor
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 108
Convener: Meghan Moore-Hubbard, Clemson University
  • "Mountain Mothers, Summer Gardens, and 100 Years of West Virginian Food Preservation," Sarah Trautwein, Marshall University
  • "Whose Labor History?: A Counterstory of Labor History in Appalachia," Meghan Moore-Hubbard, Clemson University; Brandon Beck, Clemson University
  • "‘Come to Me, All You Who Labor, and I Will Give You Rest’: Post-Coal Industrial Identity in Appalachia as Shown through the Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial," Jane M. Harris, Independent

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Mining Perspectives
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
BART 307
Convener: Barry Whittemore, University of North Georgia
  • "An Historical Perspective on Mining in the Southern Appalachians and its Effects," Barry Whittemore, University of North Georgia
  • "Health and Extractivism in Central Appalachia," Meghan Albritton, Virginia Tech
  • "Stories from the Mines: Historical Memories of Westmoreland Coal," Adam Dean, Lincoln Memorial University; Stephanie Holyfield, Lincoln Memorial University
  • "The Social Lives of Energy Regimes," Nadia Smiecinska, UC Davis

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

2:30pm CDT

Nature and the Economy
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 305
Convener: Tom Hansell, Appalachian State University
  • "El Corazon del Arbol de Navidad (The Heart of the Christmas Tree)," Tom Hansell, Appalachian State University; Yolanda Adams, Appalachian State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Pedagogy: Approaches
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 201A
Convener: Ada Haynes, Tennessee Tech University
  • "Uplifting Appalachia-Exploring a Place-Based Pedagogy that Integrates Critical Thinking and Foundry-Guided Approaches," Ada Haynes, Tennessee Tech University; Andrea Arce-Trigatti, Tennessee Tech University; Gideon Eduah, Tennessee Tech University; Anna Doralies, Tennessee Tech University
  • "‘I was Appalachian Before it Was Even a Thing’: Raising Appalachian Awareness in Older Than Average Students," Henry Wilson, Independent
  • "Memoir Writing in English Composition=Power through Connection," Jill Anderson, Washington State College of Ohio

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Psychology
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 307A
Convener: Mary Jo Hedrick, East Tennessee State University
  • "Low-Cost Intentional Inclusionary Practices?: Evaluating Effectiveness of Recruiting Appalachian Caregivers for a Developmentally Focused Psychological Study," Tess Simpson, Maryville College; Mary Jo Hedrick, East Tennessee State University

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Writers of Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
BART 327
Convener: Sylvia Shurbutt, Shepherd University, Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities
  • "Changing Landscapes, Changing Scholarly Approaches: The Work of Robert Gipe," Peter Thompson, University of New Brunswick; Timothy Di Leo Browne, Carleton University
  • "Historical Remembrance & Appalachian Identity in Ron Rash's The World Made Straight," Grace Buckner, Appalachian State University
  • "Fluidity and Found Family in Carter Sickels’ The Prettiest Star," Atticus Mason, University of North Carolina at Asheville
  • "Poetry All Around Us: The Work of West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman," Sylvia Shurbutt, Shepherd University, Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

2:30pm CDT

Dark Skies in Appalachia Part III: Musical Star Streams
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 004
Convener: Lee Bidgood, East Tennessee State University
  • "Dark Skies and Songwriting: Tim Stafford," Tim Stafford, East Tennessee State University
  • "Dark Skies and Songwriting: Danny Schmidt," Danny Schmidt, Independent
  • "Dark Skies and Songwriting: Wild Ponies," Wild Ponies, Independent

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Local History
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 205
Convener: Skye McFarland, McKinney Center
  • "Living Here: A Portrait of Jonesborough Tennessee," Skye McFarland, McKinney Center

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Night Skies
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 304B
Convener: Cassandra Wade, Independent
  • "Star-Sown: Creative Explorations in Ecological and Astrological Confluences: Moon in the Thighs, the Undertakers’ Almanac," Leslie Bohn, Independent
  • "The Soil, the Spirit, and the Stars," Cassandra Wade, Independent

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Roundtable on Disability in Appalachia
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 307A
Convener: Mack Thompson, University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology
  • Mack Thompson, University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology
  • Justin-Ray Dutton, Wake Forest University
  • Courtney Johnson, Just Keep Stimming, Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities
  • Alexandria Knipp, Mountain Association
  • Michelle Roberts, University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology
  • Rachel Stallard, Care Collective of Southwest Virginia, Cumberland Mountain Mutual Aid, Patchwork Kinfolx

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Agency, Fiber Work, and the Appalachian Woman
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 205
Conveners: Carlee Bradbury, Radford University; Morgan Gilbert, Southwest Virginia Community College
  • Morgan Gilbert, Southwest Virginia Community College
  • Carlee Bradbury, Radford University

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Community Stories to Policy Action: A Digital Storytelling Workshop
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 114
Convener: Bishop Marcia Dinkins, Black Appalachian Coalition
  • Bishop Marcia Dinkins, Black Appalachian Coalition
  • NitaJade, Black Appalachian Coalition
  • Milan Bush, Black Appalachian Coalition
  • Shana Goggins, Black Appalachian Coalition

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Envisioning Appalachia: Defining Ourselves for Ourselves
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
FARR 106
Conveners and Presenters:
  • Mary Linscheid, Independent
  • Torli Bush, Independent

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
T.J. Farr Hall 11 William L Jones Dr, Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

2:30pm CDT

Preserving Rural Voices: Engaging Preservice Teachers in Oral History Projects in East Tennessee
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
HEND 106B
Convener: Melissa Comer, Tennessee Tech University
  • Kristen Pennycuff Trent, Tennessee Tech University
  • Melissa Comer, Tennessee Tech University

Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Henderson Hall

2:30pm CDT

Regional Appalachian Perspectives on Narrative Fictional Film Strategies
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
BART 111
Convener and Presenters: Chet Pancake, Temple University
Saturday March 22, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Bartoo Hall

3:30pm CDT

Afternoon Snack Break
Saturday March 22, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
RUC Upstairs Lobby 
Saturday March 22, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

4:00pm CDT

Appalachian Center for Craft Tour
Saturday March 22, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Meet Shuttle Bus at RUC, Dixie Ave. Entrance 
Join us for a hands-on experience at the Appalachian Center for Craft Offsite Excursion!
Guests will have the chance to see skilled artists demonstrate traditional and contemporary craft techniques, including:
  • Woodturning – Alexandra Mavrikis
  • Coil Built Pottery – Darby Lewis
  • Rag Rug Weaving – Bethany Larson
  • Glass Blowing – Sarah Montrond
  • Enameling on Copper – Talia Tax
This is a great opportunity to engage with artists and explore Appalachian craftsmanship in a unique setting!


Saturday March 22, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

5:00pm CDT

Newcomer’s Reception
Saturday March 22, 2025 5:00pm - 6:30pm CDT
RUC, Tech Pride Room
Steering committee members will be in attendance for a meet and greet. Visit the publisher’s reception and book signing while you are here which will be ongoing at the same time and place.
Saturday March 22, 2025 5:00pm - 6:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

5:00pm CDT

Publishers Reception and Book Signing
Saturday March 22, 2025 5:00pm - 6:30pm CDT
RUC, Tech Pride Room
Sponsored by the University Press of Kentucky
Mingle, enjoy light refreshments, and get your books signed. All conference attendees are welcome.
Saturday March 22, 2025 5:00pm - 6:30pm CDT
Roaden University Center (RUC)

7:00pm CDT

Memorial Gym Memories Community Event
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00pm - 8:30pm CDT
James Akenson, Megan Atkinson, Dan Ealey, and Randal D. Williams
Saturday March 22, 2025 7:00pm - 8:30pm CDT
Memorial Gym W 8th St, Cookeville, TN 38501
 
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