Welcome

This webpage is part of a website created to make it easy for all West Virginians - and anybody else - to visit with a great collection of our best storytellers and poets. They'll inspire you and give you new insights on the history and rich culture of this unique state.

These writers include children's writers, writers for adults, and people who write for all ages. Click on the "Listen" tab to listen to an hour-long visit with any of them. They offer great readings of their work, stories about growing up in West Virginia, advice about writing and insights on Appalachian culture and history.

Collectively, they have won dozens of national awards. Listen while you cook dinner, clean the house, or any other time when you might listen to radio or TV. This site is also ideal for book clubs or reading groups. Listen to a writer, then discuss!

Under the "Activities" tab, you'll find six pages of writing exercises for all ages. Scroll down on this page for notes for teachers.

Real visits with 14 of West Virginia's greatest writers!

• This website brings the national award-winning In Their Own Country series to the Web, 24/7. First broadcast on West Virginia Public Radio.
• Language arts, state history, social studies teachers: This website is a great tool for you!
• Each writer has a home page and an hour-long audio visit: readings, childhood stories, advice about writing
• Each program is divided into short, downloadable audio tracks of 3 - 12 minutes that can be played in class or presentations.
• Play or download a 58-minute program or short passages of 30 seconds to 15 minutes.
• You can download a complete script for each program, with track numbers.
• Each Table of Contents helps you locate tracks that interest you: readings, advice on writing, childhood memories, etc.
• The site gives teachers ideas for ways to weave these writers into the classroom day, to teach skills you're already teaching. See Activities page.
• Advice on Writing from all 14 writers is compiled into one "Advice on Writing" file. Fourteen-writer files are also available on "Growing up in West Virginia," and "West Virginia history."
• Teachers: You can find a list of CCR Standards here that you can cite when you use this website to teach skills, history, social studies or writing.
• See the Teachers page for classroom ideas and CCRS.

Teachers and parents:

First, enjoy these writers, yourself! Browse through the writers' home pages. Listen to some programs. Decide which writers / programs are appropriate for your students.

Use this website to let young West Virginians know they have a literary heritage to be proud of. When you show the kids the writer pages and they hear some writers' voices, you stir up pride and motivation. You give them role models. They know that real writers do come from West Virginia.

Use your judgment. This website includes material that's appropriate for kindergartners as well as material appropriate for adults and older students. Listen/read through a given writer's program to decide what tracks you feel are right for your students.

Research tells us this: People are more likely to try things they see that their people "do" well. Your child or one of your students may be the next Cynthia Rylant or Breece Pancake. Help them realize, "I come from a state where people write great stories. We do that, so that door is open to me."

Check out the learning activities: six pages of them!

Check out the Teachers Page. You'll find advice on using the web site, learning activities, and links to WVCCR standards compiled for this web site.