ISSUED: 7 September 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — A 2021 book published by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities, Silas House: Exploring an Appalachian Writer’s Work, has been nominated for the prestigious South Atlantic Modern Language Association’s (SAMLA) 2022 Book Award.
The book, which was edited and co-authored by Center for Appalachian Studies Director Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt, explores the fiction and activism of Appalachian writer Silas House and utilizes the talents of Shepherd Storyteller-in-Residence Adam Booth, Anthology of Appalachian Writers editors Dave Hoffman and Natalie Sypolt, as well as several of the best scholars and writers in the region, including Pulitzer Prize nominated Appalachian poet Maurice Manning and award-winning novelist Denise Giardina.
Shurbutt is particularly pleased about the nomination and plans to attend the award presentation at the November SAMLA conference in Jacksonville, Florida.
“This was a carefully constructed critical collection, one that attempted to cover the many sides of House’s work—from his interest in LGBTQ issues to his environmental work, young adult literature, stage and theater writing, and award-winning novels,” Shurbutt said.
House was a keynote speaker in August 2021 during an open house event inaugurating the new location of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities in the Scarborough Library. He was also the visiting artist at the July 2022 Voices from the Misty Mountains Teacher Institute, funded by the West Virginia Humanities Council.
For more information, visit the Shepherd University Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities webpage.
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