Appalachian Studies Conference Presentation March 2012

35th Annual Appalachian Studies Conference

March 22-24, 2012

 "Re-Reedy: Appalachian Music, Migration & Memory Revisited"
Multi-Media Presentation by Tammy Clemons & Timi Reedy
  (Saturday, March 24, 11:00 a.m.—noon, Location TBA)

Timi and I have proposed and been accepted for another multi-media presentation at the next Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) Conference in the northern reaches of the Appalachian region at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).  This session will build on our 2010 ASA presentation on the Reedys and will focus on (1) recent findings from the Kentucky Historical Society about their early career in Harlan, Kentucky; (2) the commercial and home recordings produced in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio during their migration cycles; and (3) video footage of the Reedys’ sons, Harold and Tim, and their memories of their parents music and migration.  We are looking forward to sharing some new material from our documentary-in-progress about the musical careers and family histories of Frances and John Reedy.  

It will also be exciting to interact with other Appalachian scholars at the ASA conference again.  Timi has now attended for the past two years, and I have attended the conference the past five years in a row (and have presented five times, though not every year).  This year, I am grateful to receive support from the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center to attend.  Since I began my doctoral program in cultural anthropology this fall, I have been attending some events and interacting with various folks there as much as I can.  In fact, one of my co-advisors, Dr. Ann Kingsolver, is the new director of the center and the Appalachian Studies program, and we both recently "published" pieces in the Appalachia issue of anthropologies: An Online Collaborative Project that "seeks to highlight not only what anthropology means to those who practice it, but also how those meanings are relevant to wider audiences."

My new academic endeavor and my simultaneous return to a full-time position at Berea College have definitely impacted my productivity on this documentary, but I hope to find ways to integrate this project into my long-term dissertation research as well.  Dr. Kingsolver has encouraged me to think more broadly about my overall interest in documentation, identity, and social change, so it will be interesting to see what unfolds as I embark on my investigation on feminist media activism in Appalachia and continue to gather and present information on the Reedys' music and family.

That said, Timi and I now have a couple of exciting new opportunities to expand our vision and public reach on this and other topics.  I do not want to say too much just yet, but I can say that one of these will be a proposal for the upcoming Appalachian Research Symposium and Arts Showcase organized by the Graduate Appalachian Research Community at UK. There may also be another UK involved at some point, but that will have to remain a mystery for now...

Meanwhile, we are looking forward to attending and presenting at another ASA conference.  This year's theme is "The Wide Reach of Appalachia," and the featured keynote speaker and performer will be Si Kahn.  If you are interested in participating, they offer registration scholarships for folks who could not afford to attend otherwise.  (Timi and I were awarded scholarships to attend the past two years when I was unemployed.)  Scholarship information as well as a preliminary program with tentative session schedules should be posted on the ASA website in the coming months, so stay tuned for more on the ASA at IUP...