The Story Teller

Ann Pancake, Reedsville

West Virginia fiction writer, Pushcart Prize winner, Whiting Award recipient, and writer in residence at the WVU Humanities Center

ONCE UPON A TIME

“I wanted to be a writer since before I knew how to write. I’ve always been telling myself stories. Growing up in West Virginia, the richness of the language and the storytelling tradition were completely integral to me becoming a writer. My style of writing is somewhat poetic, but it also is really influenced by and draws on dialect in West Virginia. A lot of my writing is driven by sound.”

BEAUTY IN CONFLICT

“In West Virginia we have tremendous beauty, and we have a real conundrum because we’re so dependent on extracting natural resources for the economy, which is in conflict with the natural beauty of the place. And I think a renewed connection to the outdoors can help people with mental health issues, especially in Appalachia and especially after what we’ve gone through in the last year and a half.”

APPALACHIAN LEGACY

“The Humanities Center is supporting Arthurdale Heritage as they sponsor a Smithsonian exhibit in early 2022. This fall, I’ll be team-teaching an honors class that’s about the history of Arthurdale and the connection of Appalachians and place.”

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