Appalachian Literary Arts & Storytelling Festival

Kaleigh Cox moved to the hills of Athens in 2012 and hasn’t looked back. She graduated from OHIO with two degrees in education and has been teaching English in southeastern Ohio ever since. She was recently awarded a Growing Home Fellowship through the Foundation of Appalachian Ohio, and she is working to cultivate a multigenerational culture of learning and loving storytelling through this festival initiative as well as creating a district literary anthology publication through Logan-Hocking School District where she is finishing up her seventh year teaching.

Brianna Johnson is a Hocking County native passionate about Appalachian culture and its connection to literature and performing arts. Brianna is a fellow through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s Growing Home Fellowship program. Brianna has a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in English education from Ohio University. She has been teaching middle school language arts to children in Appalachia for ten years.

A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and recipient of the James Boatwright III Poetry Prize, Jane Ann Devol Fuller was born and raised in the Hocking Hills of southeastern Ohio. Her poetry manuscript Half-Life (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2021) was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards. Jane Ann taught creative writing at Hocking College for many years and her poems appear in several literary journals, including Shenandoah, Still:The Journal, I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing, Women of Appalachia Project, Verse Daily, The Pikeville Review, Calyx, SWWIM and elsewhere.

Lia Silver Birnbaum is a librarian and writer who has loved living in Appalachian Ohio for the past twelve years.  She is the branch manager of the Nelsonville Public Library, the main branch of the Athens County Public Libraries system.  She holds an MLIS from Kent State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Washington University in Saint Louis, from which she also received a Writer in Residence fellowship.  Her short fiction has been published in the Michigan Quarterly Review, The Journal, and Joyland. 

Casey Cox lives in Nelsonville, Ohio with his wife, Kaleigh, and two kids, Tanner and Cooper. He teaches English, Appalachian Literature, and Creative Writing at Nelsonville-York High School, where he also coaches JV basketball. Appalachia has always been home to Casey and he considers himself blessed to live in, teach about, and contribute to the rich community that has made him into the person he is today. 

Jami Koons is a small business owner in Nelsonville and a retired social worker. Born in Cincinnati and raised in Vinton/Athens Counties Jami loves the community pride and family heritage that comes with being from Appalachia. Jami is a 4th generation Athens County resident and is so excited to see her new grandson -6th generation-raised here as well. Jami particularly likes the rich story telling and history of the area and incorporates this into her small business, repurposing and refinishing lost treasures of Appalachia into art.

Jennifer L’Heureux has cultivated her unique career path and connections through her work as an artist, entrepreneur, and educator.  From being a small business owner to growing her community involvement through events and numerous local boards, Jennifer likes to stay engaged. Jennifer is from Cleveland, Ohio and came to Ohio University for Journalism then worked to complete her Master’s of Art in Education.   She is currently the Career Coach at Nelsonville-York City Schools working to connect students with workforce opportunities at a local, regional and state level.  Art is all around us and Jennifer strives to promote the diversity and development of art in our community. It is an honor to be part of the literary legacy and storytelling traditions in Appalachian Ohio. 

Emily Prince graduated from the inaugural Leadership Athens County class and serves on the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education board. She can sometimes be seen performing with poet Wendy McVicker in the group 'another language altogether.' She has dedicated her over 20-year career to celebrating, cultivating, listening to, and upholding Appalachian Art & Artists, from her documentary Appalachian Quilt Highway (2007) to her founding of Humble Play: Appalachian New Play Festival (2007-2012). When not administrating the arts, she can be found crafting, writing, and spending time with her husband and sons on their Athens County farm.

Ruby Smart is a librarian and Ross County native. As the Outreach Manager, she works to remove barriers and provide library services throughout Ross County. Ruby holds a BS in Communications Studies and an MS in Library Science. She credits her papaw, who was born and raised in the hills of eastern Kentucky, for her appreciation and love of Appalachia.

Mary

Alicia Wright is a lifelong West Virginian. She holds an MFA from BGSU, and has worked for Mid-American Review and Rabble Lit. Her writing has appeared widely in regional and national journals, and she is currently based in Parkersburg, where she manages an adult literacy program and runs Pictura Journal.

As a lifelong resident of Gallia County, Aaron Walker is devoted to educating high school students and providing them authentic opportunities to engage with their Appalachian culture and identities. He designed a course in Appalachian Studies that has facilitated students’ interaction with their own culture outside the classroom and within the local community. This class has become the foundation for classes just like it in other area schools. He graduated from OSU with a BA in English and earned an MA in Education from OHIO. He has been teaching for 18 years. Aaron was on the committee in its first year and was instrumental in developing its founding principles.