About LMU

The Mountain Heritage Literary Festival
June 15-17, 2012

Pre-conference Teacher Workshop

Native Soil: Discovering Place with Appalachian Writers
Instructors: Tasha Thomas and Dawn Mitchell from the Spartanburg Writing Project
June 15, 2012
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Room 124
Business-Education Building, LMU Campus
Cost: $50
($25 if also attending MHLF/$15 for students)
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

The Spartanburg Writing Project is a professional development organization committed to the mission of improving writing and the teaching of writing by providing services and resources to the teachers, students, schools and school districts in our service area. Founded in 1982, the Spartanburg Writing Project is a collaborative effort of Spartanburg County School Districts 1-7, the Union County School District, and the University of South Carolina Upstate. Unlike other programs in education which have a 3-5 year life span, SWP is 28 years strong. We provide professional development programs offering: research-based methods in the teaching of writing, standards-aligned professional development; intensive support for improving student achievement and preparing students for standardized tests, and assessment-driven designs for comprehensive, effective reading and writing curriculums.

Professional Development Providers:

Workshop Description: Eudora Welty once said: "One place understood helps us understand all places better." Having studied and used the works of Ron Rash for nearly ten years, instructors with the Spartanburg Writing Project have come to know and understand his passion for place, especially the foothills of Western North and South Carolina. In crafting his vision of the South he creates for all readers a sense of what it means to hail from this magical place. Featuring selections from his poetry, One Foot in Eden and Serena, this session will explore techniques Appalachian authors employ to capture an authentic sense of place in their writing. Because the idea of home and what it represents is such a prevalent theme among many Appalachian writers, presenters will also draw examples from works by Rick Bragg, Silas House and Lee Smith. Participants will be introduced to Katie Wood Ray’s craft study/close study methods in order to notice how various Southern writers weave geographical, cultural, and social elements to create such vivid representations of place. Working in small groups, participants will practice “reading like writers” and before the close of the session will have the opportunity to “write under the influence” of one of the featured authors, crafting their own visions of place and home using tried and true techniques gleaned from masters like Ron Rash.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes:
  • Participants will understand the importance of home and place as recurring themes in the works of Southern and Appalachian writers
  • Participants will draw conclusions regarding the impact of writer’s craft on the reader
  • Participants will understand and apply Katie Wood Ray’s “close study” method and “reading like a writer” in order to explore the various choices writers make
  • Participants will “write under the influence” by creating original place-based writing inspired by a variety of Southern authors, applying techniques explored through “close study”
  • Participants will discuss classroom applications for “close study” of mentor texts
Intended Audience:
  • Methods and mentor texts (literary selections) appropriate for all teachers and students in grades 6-university level
  • Methods and strategies appropriate for all teachers and students kindergarten through university level
    (workshop can be modified for various audiences by varying the mentor texts provided, but the process and best practice theory remains the same)

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Lincoln Memorial University
Cumberland Gap Parkway
P.O. Box 2005
Harrogate, TN 37752

Phone:
423.869.6432 or 800.325.0900, ext. 6432