Berea College  

Scholars bell hooks and Bill Turner were the featured authors Friday, Sept. 19 at a celebration of the 2008 issue of Appalachian Heritage quarterly, focused on writing by and about African Americans in Appalachia. hooks and Turner are among many African American writers and photographers to have their work published in the Summer 2008 issue. They read from their own works and engaged in a conversation about African American scholarship and presence in the region. Turner also took, or contributed from his collection, many of the photographs included in the special issue. bell hooks, a Kentucky native, is Distinguished Professor in Residence in Appalachian Studies at Berea College. She is the author of more than thirty books, many of which have focused on issues of social class, race, and gender. Her latest book, to be published in November 2008 from Routledge, is titled “Belonging: A Culture of Place.” Dr. Bill Turner was the first to combine interests in the fields of African-American and Appalachian Studies, having been the first Director of African American Studies at Notre Dame (1969) and publishing a book titled simply Blacks in Appalachia (1985), along with many articles in numerous publications. Dr. Turner was appointed (Visiting) Goode Professor of Black & Appalachian Studies at Berea in 1988 and has been NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies since August 2007. He has held positions in teaching, research, and administration at several colleges and universities. APPALACHIAN HERITAGE strives to keep readers abreast of the visual and literary arts of the Southern Appalachian region by presenting a mix of well-established writers and artists as well as fresh new voices.