Allegheny Echoes Report

(This report from Granny Sue Holstein, as posted to the WV Writers Roundtable)

I've posted photos and notes from the Allegheny Echoes workshops in Marlinton, WV on my blog. grannysu.blogspot.com

It was a fantastic week! I had a professional development grant that paid for half of the cost, and it was almost like being paid to party! I learned a lot, met many wonderful people, reconnected with old friends, and stayed up way too late every night to listen to the many old-time and bluegrass music jams--not to mention tasting a little 'shine too.

I was very surprised to run into Columbus area storyteller Larry Staats (who is a native of Sandyville, WV, where I live). His photo is on the blog, doing a great square-dance step. This year's liars contest winner is also in a photo on the
blog--Karen McKay from just down the road in Silverton, WV. She is one wild lady.

If you can find a way, this is the week for anyone into old-time music, Appalachian culture or creative writing. (I may be leading a storytelling week there next year--stay tuned for that.) The experience is hard to describe--it's like finding your family in the mountains. Not the place for self-promotion, but a place to connect, learn and immerse yourself in oldtime ways.

Read the blog for lots of photos!

Granny Sue
Stories from the Mountains and Beyond
susannaholstein@yahoo.com
grannysu.blogspot.com