ISSUED: 31 October 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities will host a discussion with Emily Hilliard, West Virginia state folklorist, about Appalachian foodways, on Wednesday, November 6, at 7 p.m., at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium. Hilliard will read from “The Food We Eat, the Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables,” an anthology edited by Elizabeth Engelhardt and Lora Smith, which Four Seasons Books will have available for sale.
Hilliard has long been interested in Appalachian food as part of her cultural and folkways studies. She is one of 21 contributors to the book, which includes work from poets, scholars, fiction writers, journalists, and food professionals who paint a picture of where Appalachia has been and where it’s going through the region’s food.
“For anyone wanting to understand the region, the collection is a must read,” said Dr. Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt, director of Shepherd University Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities.
Appalachian writer Silas House has praised the book.
“Nothing else besides food nourishes us as profoundly as stories. Here we have a celebration of both,” House said “The book fairly bursts with a bounty of words. I didn’t realize how much Appalachian literature needed a book like this until I sat down and devoured the whole thing.”
For more information, contact Shurbutt at sshurbut@shepherd.edu.
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