No Moss on Us This Summer
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Tradition. Diversity. Change. No moss on us this summer ate-summer greetings, everyone. We welcomed our next NEH . L No moss has grown on us these Chair in Appalachian Studies, past few months, as a flurry of acclaimed author Silas House. Silas is changes have kept all of us busy. teaching Appalachian literature and a Entrepreneurship for the Public Good creative writing course to Berea (EPG) students have had a busy students and next semester will be . summer learning and working in teaching Contemporary Issues in Eastern Kentucky. An even more Appalachia. We all are delighted to colorful Appalachian Heritage continues have such a gifted and inspiring writer to be the venue fo r regional creative and GROW APPALACHIA and activist at Berea. nonfiction writing (the latest issue We've thanked Dr. William fearures the work of George Ella Lyon). themselves. Oh, the gardens it has Turner for his three years of teaching, Brushy Fork has just finished its sixth fostered! The produce continues to writing, and mentoring from the Annual Institute, welcoming to campus come in. You can learn more about all NEH Chair, but thankfully we've not a large group of committed leaders of these programs at had to say goodbye. Bill has been from around Central Appalachia. Chris www.berea.edu/ac. appointed Distinguished Professor of Miller has been working with summer We said goodbye to Genevieve Appalachian Studies and Regional students to plan and install new Reynolds, who retired after more than Ambassador. In addition to teaching, interactive exhibits in the Gallery. And four decades of service, and we Bill will work with the Willis D. we're just completing year one of an welcomed Sheila Lyons as our new Weatherford Jr. Campus Christian innovative new program- thanks to Administrative Assistant. Sheila is a Center, with the Admissions Office, the generosity ofJohn Paul DeJoria Berea alumna and has worked at the and the College Relations Office. called Grow Appalachia, designed to College more than 20 years; she's also an CELTS, the Center for Excellence teach and support the people of incredible gardener and quilter. We are in Learning through Service, will join Appalachia in addressing the tragedy of grateful for her experience, her in a closer relationship with the LJAC. mger in the region by learning to knowledge, and her commitment to the row their own food to feed Loyal Jones Appalachian Center (LJAC) . turn to page 2 SUMMER 2010 6-7 Health Insurance for All 8-9 BCAF Spotlight No moss on us this summer Ac;?ftjll~C~NTER continued from page 1 T radition. Diversity. ~, Although the identity of CELTS will filmmaker Mimi Pickering, and with \ remain, the coming together of the two Eastern Kentucky teachers, two will allow the centers to enhance Melody Skidmore and Hope Brown. the work already being done with We trust you will enjoy this new students, with service-learning, and attempt to bring issues and people with the Appalachian region. We are from Appalachia into public Summer 2010 grateful to Dr. Meta Mendel-Reyes, discourse. VO ~U1 m e 39 . Number 1 former director of CELTS, for her Finally, we hope you will join us leadership in establishing CELTS as a for the 37th Celebration of lLOYAUONES nationally-known center for student Traditional Music, October 14-17. AP'PAlLACHIAN CENTER STAFF and community engagement. Meta Special guests include Tim O'Brien Dr. Chad Berry, Director, Appa lachian Center; Director, CEl S; Goode Professor of has returned full time to the faculty. on October 14, and Riley Baugus, Appalachian Studi es; Professor of History We invite Kentucky residents to Gandy Dancer, Jim and Ada George Brosi, Editor, Appalachian tune in to a new program produced McCown, and Sister Lena Mae Perry by the Appalachian Center called October 15-17. We'll also pay David) Cooke, Program Coordinator, "Head of the Holler." The 30- tribute to the late Charlie Whitaker Entrepreneurship for the Public Good and i ec 0 , Berea Coll ege Appa lachi an Fund minute program began airing August with a dance called by Erin Stidham. Beth C ll r~ i n - Webe r , Administrative 1 on the networks ofKET (the See www.berea.edu/ac/ctm/ Assis ant, Brushy Fork Institute schedule is available at ket.orgl schedule.asp for up-to-date Dr. Peter H. Hackbert, Moore Chair in tvschedules/series.php?id= information. lVI anagemen and Entrepreneurs hip, EPG KHEHO) with an interview with From all of here in the LJAC, we Ja ll1l e Hig)g) ins, Program Associate, Brushy For Ins i-ute Silas House. Successive episodes will wish you a peaceful and plentiful air with Dr. Bill Turner on October autumn. :'( Peter Hliile, Director, Brushy Fork Institute 13, and later in the fall with activist beU hooks, Di sting isned Professor in esidence in Appalachian Studies and artist Pat Banks, Appalshop -Chad Berry, Director Silas HO!lse, NEH Chair in Appalachian Studies She ila lyons, Administra-ive Assistant Christopher Miller, College Curator and Associate Director, Appalachi an Center Donna Morgan, Associate Dire ctor, Brushy Fork Institute Dr. Willia m Turner, Distingui shed P -esso of Appalachian Studies and egional Ambassador Please address all correspondence to: Loyal Jones Appalachian Center Berea College, CPO 2166 Be ea, Kentucky 40404 8159.985.3140 www.be re a.ed u/ac Berea Co llege and the Appalachian Center are co:nmitted to the betterm ent of th e peopl es of .~ppa l ac ia . The unique views and perspectives of individual authors in this Newsl etter, however, do not necessarily represent the vi ews and policies of Please tune in to the new television program produced by the Loyal Jones Berea Co llege. Appalachian Center, Head of the Holler. Episode one features novelist Silas House, and forthcoming episdoes w ill highlight Dr. Bill Turner, premiering October 13, as w ell as artist and activist Pat Banks, Appalshop filmmaker Mimi Pickering, and two teachers from Eastern Kentucky, Me!ody Skidmore and Hope Brown. For a KET schedule of air times, go to ket.orgl tvschedules/series.php?id=KHEHO. Out-of-state folks can watch episode II one on YouTube at youtube.comlwatch?v=7vfF7rpHOZw. 2 LOYAL JON ES APPALACHIAN CE NTER NEWSLETTER Kara George's father Got (organic) milk (cows)? and brother (above) espit~ the shado~s, it interactive, reciprocating with each other. My are D sure IS a pretty VIew brother and I do not want to lose all this. struggling around here. But agriculture has gone far, far away from the to save Our 60 Holstein cows charming silhouettes of farmsteads portrayed on so not just their THEVIEW look poetic as they graze many supermarket products. Agriculture has FROM HERE cows, but scattered along the landscape, become a hysteria of pressure on farmers to get their farm and I feel so good after bigger, to master agribusiness with factory farms. as well. stuffing the barn with the first There are three outcomes from this. The first , Kara cutting of hay. When it's time outcome is greater power to land moguls who, !George for hay, our family and friends with their hundreds and thousands of cows, are come to pitch in, and enormously guilty of problems such as animal everyone stays for a rewarding and refreshing trip welfare and water pollution. The second outcome to the swimming hole, followed by a bonfire under is best understood by seeing our neighbor's barn: it the stars. I love our small dairy farm, and I know looks as if the construction workers just stopped that we are doing things in the right ways here. It coming one day. This is a classic example of the sounds romantic, but that's because it's rare, very bankruptcy that strikes farmers in their attempt to rare. Indeed, family farms have been a dying breed compete, and losing a farm that has been in your for decades, succumbing to the effects of subsidized family for generations can present an unbearable factory farms. weight. The third outcome is our small farm-it But our farm has stayed strong through my simply cannot compete any longer with the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. I industry like it is. It is a heartrending truth couldn't have asked for a better childhood, having looming over us, and it is an agonizing reality to a parents who were keen and dedicated to our girl that has been connected to this beautiful way family, farm, land, livestock, community, and the of life for generations. quality of our milk. When I was a toddler, my At the core, I believe there is a lack of awareness father would always bring me along in his arms as of and support for small farms, which has resulted he walked our herd to its pastures. I continue to in severe misfortunes in our moral and physical admire him as he still cares for pregnant heifers, universe. I look out to our fields and see a beautiful delivering their calves in the subzero temperatures view, but I fear that the shadows are too close. What of harsh winters. Furthermore, he knows each of is the answer for our small farm? The view from our cows by name-a testament to our cows living here has me wondering: where do I look to next? :-: lO be four times as old as factory farms ' cows. Our farm is a productive, wonderful place where oUr Kara George, who grew up on the form in southern family, land, livestock, and community are New York state, is a 2010 graduate ofBerea College.