UVA Wise Hosts First Teaching in Appalachia Conference, Acclaimed Novelist Silas House Among Speakers
Nationally best-selling Appalachian author Silas House will headline UVA Wise's first Teaching in Appalachia Conference this month.
The daylong conference will be held on Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the David J. Prior Convocation Center. The conference is focused on providing Appalachian-area teachers with relevant resources for immediate use in their classrooms. Registration costs $20.
UVA Wise assistant professor of education Ricky Mullins created the conference because he saw a need to provide support for teachers that focused specifically on the challenges and successes of being a teacher in the Central Appalachian region.
“Sometimes, because our region is so far removed from other parts of the state, it can feel like we are alone,” Mullins said. “This conference will provide resources, strategies and ideas that not only support all learners, but also connect to the rich culture of the Appalachian region.”
UVA Wise professors will present best practices on a range of topics from Appalachian dialects, environmental issues, music innovation, mathematics, children’s literature and conflict resolution.
Two sessions that draw lessons from Southwest Virginia include:
“Building Capacities for Place-Based Environmental Education in Virginia’s Clinch River Valley” and “Teaching About Lynching: The Wise/Norton Community Remembrance Project.”
Silas House—acclaimed Appalachian novelist, professor and creative non-fiction writer—will share his insights and experience on both Friday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 22.
On Friday, the UVA Wise education department and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is sponsoring, “A Conversation with Silas House” for students, but the public is also welcome.
The talk will begin at 1 p.m. at Cantrell Hall, and a book signing will follow at 2:30 p.m. the UVA Wise library fourth floor.
House’s books will be available for purchase and attendees can also bring their own copies for him to sign.
On Saturday at the conference, House will present his talk on “Education in Appalachia.” His talk is free and open to the public from 2 until 3 p.m. at the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
He is the author of six novels including his latest book, “Lark Ascending,” released on Sept. 27. The book chronicles a “riveting story of survival and hope, set in the not-too-distant future, about a young man forced to flee the United States and seek refuge across the Atlantic.”
His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Advocate, Garden and Gun and Oxford American.
A Kentucky native and former commentator for NPR’s “All Things Considered,” House is the recipient of the Nautilus Award, an E.B. White Award, the Appalachian Book of the Year and the Lee Smith Award among others.
House was also an executive producer and one of the subjects of the film "Hillbilly," a documentary that examines Appalachian stereotypes in media and culture and the exploitation of Appalachian people.
The conference and related events are co-sponsored by the UVA Wise Department of Education, the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Center for Educational Excellence and Innovation.
For more information about the Teaching in Appalachia conference or to register, check out uvawise.edu/teaching-appalachia