CURRENT COURSES:
Appalachian Literature
Language and Society
Rhetorical Theory
Public Speaking
Theory and Practice of Teaching Writing (graduate and undergraduate levels) 

CURRENT RESEARCH

Quiltin', Cookin', and Testifyin': Appalachian Women Writing Their Lives
This manuscript is based on a qualitative research study of 21 central Appalachian women in multiple generation families who agreed to be interviewed and shadowed over a period of two years. I examined their writing lives--specifically, the ways in which they used non-academic reading and writing on a daily basis. I read their notes, journals, and letters, as well as any literacy artifact that they used in their homes and communities. The research suggests that these women were drawn more frequently to the kind of reading and writing that fed them spiritually, allowed them to teach, and enabled them to create social and familial bonds. The social, historical, educational, and economic variables that affected each age cohort proved to be a determining factor in their literacy practices, which travel both up and down the generations. Ultimately, the study suggests that although most of the women do not identify with the word "writer," they are "writing their lives" in such a way that it gives them a voice for many generations. For example, the study includes a 93 year-old participant who designed a crazy quilt that includes her entire life's history on both sides in fabric, picture, and text; she also writes letters and keeps a daily journal. Though her formal education ended at the fifth grade, she studies the writings of Benjamin Franklin and Confucious, traveled to Israel in her eighties, and takes community college classes.  As the dominant literacy broker in her home, her literacy practices impacted both her husband and her children and grandchildren in many positive ways. The manuscript includes in-depth portraits of three multiple-generation families of women.

CODE-SWITCHING: I am currently working on a research study that will determine how the pedagogical practice of teaching code-switching to rural Appalachian students may impact both learning and self-perception. Code-switching is the practice of learning to transition between a standard and vernacular dialect (such as Appalachian English). For speaker of stigmatized dialects such as Appalachian English, code-switching is a necessary tool for negotiating multiple audiences. Research suggests that teaching this skill--as opposed to teaching students that their dialects are "bad" or "incorrect" English--empowers students to retain the language of their culture and homes and may alleviate the identity crisis that some teaching methods may create.

THE APPALACHIAN WRITING PROJECT:
The AWP was created in 2001 on the campus of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Funded by UVA’s College at Wise, the National Writing Project, and the support of local public schools, the AWP serves far southwest Virginia educators with year-long programs that are designed to provide cutting-edge research and resources in the teaching of writing.  The AWP’s core beliefs are that:

• Working as partners, universities and public schools can create positive reform in the teaching of writing;
• Teachers are the best teachers of other teachers;
• Writing is fundamental to learning in all subjects;
• Teachers of writing should be writing regularly and recognize themselves as writers;
• Teachers can become researchers of writing pedagogy using their own classrooms.

The AWP offers professional development programs and inservices for educators, as well as an annual writing retreat with acclaimed authors for the entire community. For more information about the Appalachian Writing Project and its programs, visit the following website: http://people.uvawise.edu/awp