Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Appalachian St. to host symposium about future of coal

The future of coal in Appalachia will be the subject of a three-day symposium hosted by Appalachian State University Oct. 14-16. The keynote address will be given by journalist Jeff Biggers, author of The United States of Appalachia and Reckoning at Eagle Creek. Other speakers include Hywel Francis, labor historian and Member of Parliament representing the former mining communities in South Wales, and Helen Lewis, considered the "grandmother of Appalachian Studies," who has coordinated exchanges between the Welsh and Appalachian coalfields since the 1970s.

Appalachian State, located in Boone, N.C., is located 50 miles from the nearest coal mine, and even farther by road. During the symposium "a range of scholars, artists, and activists will provide an interdisciplinary view of how issues relating to how coal, climate change, economy and technology have shaped the coalfields of South Wales and Appalachia," ASU writes in a news release. All of the events at the symposium are free and open to the public. A complete schedule can be viewed here.

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