Ann Pancake will teach courses in Appalachian literature, environmental criticism and other subjects related to her writing and research. She will also contribute to the WVU Humanities Center Community Affiliates program but will devote the bulk of her time to writing about her native state.
An interactive sculpture on display at West Virginia University’s Evansdale Library illustrates the structure and function of a particular enzyme and can charge your smartphone.
New Mountaineer Brennan Lawless is off to a fast start as a West Virginia University freshman. The Daniels native attended New Student Orientation on June 4, and won an award at National History Day just a week later. Lawless finished second in the nation for his individual documentary “Books, Bombs, and Barricades: The Kanawha County Textbook War and West Virginia’s Role in the Rise of Educational Conservatism.”
This fall, West Virginia University will again host the Women of Appalachia Project, which invites residents of all 420 Appalachian counties to submit writing to be featured in “Women Speak” a juried performance of poetry, song, short stories and essay.
West Virginia University Libraries and the West Virginia and Regional History Center will address the law and lawyers in the Mountain State to mark the 155th anniversary of West Virginia’s founding on June 20. “Justice for All; Law and Lawyers in West Virginia” will commemorate the key role the legal profession has played throughout the history of the nation’s 35th state.
It comes as a surprise to some that West Virginia and its flagship university have both produced a cavalcade of distinguished leaders in business, science, government, the arts and the military, just to name some areas.
The United States Congress is the branch of the federal government closest to the people, where representatives and their constituents most directly engage over the issues of the day. Yet many Americans view Congress with a mix of frustration, confusion, and disapproval.
When Harold M. Forbes retired from West Virginia University as curator of Rare Books in 2013, bookseller Jim Presgraves wanted to pay a proper tribute to his colleague’s long career. Rather than sending a card, Presgraves, approaching retirement himself, donated a large portion of his inventory at Bookworm and Silverfish Books in Rural Retreat, Va., to WVU Libraries in honor of the former Rare Books Curator. Library staff calculate the gift at more than 10,000 books, pamphlets, archives, maps and other materials with a value more than $500,000.
What can comedy tell us about who we are and how we think? How can popular science fiction stories teach us about our anxieties around technology? What does the Federal Reserve actually do? What does it mean to be a caring person? These are just a few of the questions that honors students will investigate in new, innovative courses designed by the next cohort of Honors Faculty Fellows at West Virginia University.
The West Virginia & Regional History Center at West Virginia University Libraries has launched a powerful new tool to assist researchers anywhere in the world who have an interest in exploring the history of the Mountain State and its region.