Dr. Kathryn Newfont, associate professor of history and faculty chair
for the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies at Mars Hill College, has received
the prestigious Weatherford Award for non-fiction her first book, Blue Ridge Commons: Environmental
Activism and Forest History in Western North Carolina.
The award is presented annually by Berea College and the Appalachian Studies Association to the authors of one nonfiction work, one
fiction work, and one work of poetry, which in its year best illuminates the
challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South. The
conferring of this annual award in each of the three categories has come to be
recognized as a major Appalachian event.
This year, the award was presented March
24 at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, which took place at
Appalachian State University.
“I am humbled and grateful that Blue Ridge Commons received
this recognition from the Appalachian Studies Association and Berea College.”
Newfont said.
Blue Ridge Commons traces the environmental
efforts of the late 20th century spearheaded by residents of the
Blue Ridge region, and how those efforts grew out of what she called “commons
environmentalism.” Central to the book is the life
and work of Esther Cunningham, a native of Macon County who was instrumental in
the founding and the major movements of the early Western North Carolina
Alliance.
“The book began as an effort to chronicle the important work of many
remarkable mountain residents who worked tirelessly to defend our southern
Appalachian forests,” Newfont said. “This award is in many ways a testament to
what they accomplished, and to the ongoing importance of protecting our rich
forest inheritance. It means a great deal to me to have received this
award from my peers who have done so much on behalf of our magnificent
region.”
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