ISSUED: 12 September 2013
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Storyteller and musician Adam Booth, who is also adjunct faculty member at Shepherd University, is scheduled to discuss the creative process behind his new CD “The Mountain Came Alive: Creating Contemporary Music and Stories Rooted in Traditional Appalachia” at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 17, in Reynolds Hall as part of Shepherd’s Common Reading Program.
Aimed at young people and their family communities, Booth’s latest tale is an interwoven tapestry of story and music that tells the last year in the life of an Appalachian mountain.
The album draws upon traditional musical styles and folklore to create a contemporary Appalachian perspective of community and place.
Topics include conceiving the story, structural design, creating the music, and working with the community to record it, all based on observations made living and working in Appalachia.
The presentation will include live performances of music and story from the album.
Booth is a multiple award-winning young Appalachian storyteller and musician. He is a four-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest and winner of storytelling competitions in three other states. His first storytelling album, “The Mingo Black,” received honors at the 2013 Storytelling World Awards and was juried into Tamarack, the Best of West Virginia. He is recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s J.J. Reneaux Mentorship Grant to work with Dovie Thomason. He has appeared at festivals and venues around the country including the National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place, The National Storytelling Conference, and New Mexico’s Ghost Ranch.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information go to www.shepherd.edu/commonreading or call 304-876-5461.
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