UVa-Wise to Host Conference on Appalachian Women in Transition
August 30, 2000

On Sept. 11, The University of Virginia's College at Wise will be the location for an important event intended to begin a community dialogue about domestic violence, its causes and ways it can be prevented.

"Strength in Numbers: A Conference on Appalachian Women in Transition" will bring together a diverse audience including victims of domestic violence, members of the mental health community, members of local churches, civic leaders, parents, school teachers, representatives from local government and students and faculty from Virginia college and universities.

"We hope this conference will be a first step toward strengthening our sense of community," said Mary Darcy O'Quinn, associate professor psychology at UVa-Wise. "We want to enter a dialogue with the public about the experiences of abused women, discuss how violence toward women is dealt with in the community, and begin to collaborate across the region with an eye toward strengthening our families."

O'Quinn, who received grant funding for the conference from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy, coordinates the College's Appalachian studies program and is the author of many articles on Appalachian women and a recent manuscript on domestic violence and neglect. Funding for the conference also comes from the Bell Atlantic Foundation.

Speakers will include: Judith V. Jordan, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School; Brent Kennedy, Vice Chancellor for Development and College Relations at UVa-Wise; Hilary M. Lips, professor of psychology at Radford University; Pilar Monero, a psychologist and Jungian analyst in private practice in San Francisco; Mary O'Quinn, associate professor of psychology at UVa-Wise; and Anita M. Puckett, associate professor of anthropology at Virginia Tech.

The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. in the College's Chapel of All Faiths. Boxed lunches will be provided and an Appalachian dinner, featuring the talents of bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley and Appalachian author Jo Carson is planned for the evening meal.

Although the conference is free, pre-registration is required by Friday, Sept. 8.

For more information, or to pre-register, contact the Office of College Relations at 540-328-0130.

A complete schedule of events follows:

8:30 a.m.		Welcome Mary O'Quinn
9:00 a.m.		Greetings UVa-Wise Chancellor L. Jay Lemons
9:30 a.m.		Anita Puckett "Family Place and How Not to Ask: How Appalachian Women Make their Needs Known"
10:30 a.m.		Hilary Lips "Power and Gender in Families"
12:00 p.m.		Brent Kennedy "The Hidden Ethnicity of the Appalachian People"
1:00 p.m.		Mary O'Quinn "Transcending Deception: Describing Recovery"
2:00 p.m.		Pilar Montero "Riding the Winged Horse: Staying Poised at the Center of Transition"
3:00 p.m.		Judith V. Jordan "Women's Growth in Connection: New Models of Women's Development"
4:30-5:30 p.m.		Small group discussion with presenters
6:00-8:00 p.m.		Appalachian Dinner Grace will be sung in the Old Regular Baptist style by legendary bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley. Following dinner, Jo Carson, a well-known Appalachian author, will read from her latest work, "Liars, Thieves, and Other Sinners on the Bench."