After Coal: Stories of Survival in Appalachia and Wales
Tom Hansell - Center for Appalachian Studies
Thursday, March 21, 2019
6 p.m.
Reich College of Education, Room 124A
What happens when fossil fuels run out? How do communities and cultures survive?
Central Appalachia and south Wales were built to extract coal, and faced with coal’s decline, both regions have experienced economic depression, labor unrest and out-migration. After Coal focuses on coalfield residents who chose not to leave, but instead remained in their communities and worked to build a diverse and sustainable economy. It tells the story of four decades of exchange between two mining communities on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and profiles individuals and organizations that are undertaking the critical work of regeneration.
The stories in this book are told through interviews and photographs collected during the making of After Coal, a documentary film produced by the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University and directed by Tom Hansell. Considering resonances between Appalachia and Wales in the realms of labor, environment and movements for social justice, the book approaches the transition from coal as an opportunity for marginalized people around the world to work toward safer and more egalitarian futures.
Tom Hansell, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, is the author of After Coal: Stories of Survival in Appalachia and Wales, published by West Virginia University Press. It is a companion volume to his 2016 film of the same name. Hansell’s work has been broadcast on public television and screened at international film festivals. He began his career at the Appalshop media arts center, and he currently teaches at Appalachian State University. For more information, please visit aftercoal.com.
This event is sponsored by the Appalachian State University University Bookstore.
"The University Bookstore is interested in supporting our faculty authors and creating a forum for those with newly published works to share their insights and experiences in writing and publishing with our campus community," said John Pearce, Scholars Bookshop Manager, University Bookstore.
The primary mission of the University Bookstore is to provide students and their families, faculty, staff and alumni, with goods and services to support the educational goals of the institution. Additionally, the bookstore's purpose is to generate funds to support student scholarships. This is accomplished by offering a variety of products from socially and environmentally responsible sources.
For questions, please contact Trixie Wilkie at 828-265-8601 or email at wilkiete@appstate.edu.
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About the Center for Appalachian Studies
The Center for Appalachian Studies promotes public programs, community collaboration, civic engagement and scholarship on the Appalachian region. The center is committed to building healthy communities and deepening knowledge of Appalachia’s past, present and future through community-based research and engagement. Learn more at https://appcenter.appstate.edu.
Tom Hansell on location
Tom Hansell on location