Karen Vuranch is a professional storyteller, an actress, and a writer from Fayetteville, WV. She is widely known for her traditional storytelling, her plays based on oral history that she has collected, and living history presentations of famous American women such as Clara Barton and Mother Jones.
She combines both storytelling and drama to create an exciting and educational presentation. With a Master's degree in Humanities from the West Virginia Graduate College, she teaches Appalachian Studies, Speech, and Introduction to Theatre at the Concord College campus in Beckley, WV.
In addition to her demand as a storyteller, she also gives workshops on a variety of topics including the techniques of storytelling and ways to gather oral history and turn it into a performance. In addition to her role as a featured teller at many festivals throughout the state, her work has been honored by a number of organizations over the years.
In 1996 she was awarded the Spirit of West Virginia Tourism Commission, and in 1994 she and her husband, Gene Worthington, gave a storytelling performance at the White House.
She is most well-known for her storytelling drama Coal Camp Memories, which chronicles the life of a woman in the West Virginia coal fields of the 1920's and 30's. Karen wrote this play based on oral history she collected from people who lived in the coal camps of West Virginia. In the performance, she is accompanied by traditional musicians.
Coal Camp Memories is also available on DVD. The DVD features a performance of the storytelling drama performed on the Tamarack stage along with the music of Julia Adams, Tom and Michelle Warner and Beth and Jon Kemper. Historic photographs are woven into the production. The DVD is available for $20 plus postage and is available at Tamarack or by contacting Karen Vuranch directly.
Contact Karen Vuranch
WV Enterprises
P.O. Box 383
Fayetteville, WV 25840
1 (304) 574- 4840
email: karen@wventerprises.com
For more information on Karen Vuranch: www.wventerprises.com
When Danny's four year old son, Patrick, pulled the heads off of all the tulips lining the back walk, and gravely explained to his mother that, "John did it." Danny knew that Patrick was the third generation destined to carry on the Appalachian tradition of storytelling. For you see, Patrick knew nobody named John, nor did his mother. The family tradition begun with Danny's Grandpa Adkins' fanciful talks of his boyhood in the late 1800s.
Danny McMillion has managed several public libraries around the state and is currently the Director of Raleigh County Public Libraries.
Contact Danny McMillion:
125 Quesenberry Street
Beckley, WV 25801
(304) 255-0511
email: mcmillid@yahoo.com
fax: (304) 255-9161*2
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Fred M. Powers was born in McDowell County, WV. He tells of his raisings in a coal mining community and the vivid experiences he encountered in the twenty years he worked full and part-time underground.
He has taught in the public schools of McDowell and Mercer Counties for nearly twenty-five years and is a retired UMWA miner as well. He is married to his lovely wife, Sharon, and they both teach at Bluefield Middle School. They reside in the Bluefield area. They are proud parents of three children and four precious grandchildren.
Fred began work in the coal mines full-time at twenty with a young family to support. He attended BXC College for several years while working in the mines and completed his student teaching in 1981. He was laid off from the coal mines in 1983 and began to work part-time for a mining outfit retrieving underground mine equipment out from under roof falls until 1992.
For three seasons, he has played a variety of minor roles in the coalfield dramaTerror of the Tug, written by Jean Battlo. The past two years his oldest grandchildren were involved in the play as well.
In September 2006, Fred and two of his grandchildren participated in the filming of the Coal Mining segment of Hillbilly: The Real Story that was broadcast on the History Channel. The filming involved the Matewan Massacre (where ten men were killed), the Murder of Sheriff Sid Hatfield and Deputy Ed Chambers in Welch, and the Battle of Blair Mountain (where 10,000 coal miners fought against the coal operators).
Fred currently performs his theatrical one-man drama for various groups. His fervent hope is to convey an understanding of the coal mining incidents that he encountered during his lifetime. His experience are only are only a small reflection of many untold stories of the coal miner in WV.
His one-man drama, Buried Alive: A Coal Miner's Story, has been performed across WV at many venues, including WVU's Mountaineer Week and Miner's Day celebrations.
Bill Hairston
Since his teenage years, Bill Hairston has been fascinated by the folklore and culture of Coal River near St. Albans , West Virginia
As a result of those interests, he listened and learned the stories and music that was a part of the rich Appalachian culture that he was exposed to as a child.
During his years as a student at Glenville State College, he began to study and interpret the contributions of African Americans to Appalachian history and culture. As a musician and storyteller, he has taught and performed throughout West Virginia
Bill is well known as the person in West Virginia
Sue Atkinson
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