Fortuitous Flashpoint: How an Appalachian-Carpathian Mountain Conference Transformed my Life
Fortuitous Flashpoint: How an Appalachian-Carpathian Mountain Conference Transformed my Life

Summary/Abstract: Documenting her unexpected deep connection to Romania, the Appalachian author shares her transformational experiences in this Eastern European country she embarrassingly knew nothing about prior to 2015. A conference call for proposals, co-authored submission on a whim, and subsequent conference acceptance changed her life in profound ways, both professionally and personally. The author’s scholarly dedication to Romania over these brief years led to a 2021 Fulbright Teaching & Research grant. From teaching Appalachian literature at Transilvania University-Braşov, to conducting ethnographic research and interviews in the Jiu Valley, Romania’s coalmining region, the author documents the depth of her professional and personal change after that fortuitous flashpoint of the 2015Appalachian-Carpathian Mountain Conference.

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