Liars Thieves And Other Sinners On The Bench

Haunting and funny' full of folk wisdom and unflinching honesty. Publishers Weekly' on the work of Jo Carson She is a quintessential community artist with a true ear for the way people talk and what they really mean to say. Her work has inspired i...

Ethnotheatre transforms research about human experiences into a dramatic presentation for an audience. Johnny Saldaña, one of the best-known practitioners of this research tradition, outlines the key principles and practices of ethnotheatre in this clear, concise volume. He covers the preparation of a dramatic presentation from the research and writing stages to the elements of stage production. Saldaña nurtures playwrights through adaptation and stage exercises, and delves into the complex ethical questions of turning the personal into theatre. Throughout, he emphasizes the vital importance of creating good theatre as well as good research for impact on an audience and performers. The volume includes multiple scenes from contemporary ethnodramas plus two complete play scripts as exemplars of the genre.

To be from Appalachia—to be at home there and to love it passionately—informs the narratives of each of the sixteen storytellers featured in this work. Their stories are rich in the lore of the past, deeply influenced by family, especially their grandparents, and the ancient mountains they saw every day of their lives as they were growing up.

“I’ve spent about 15 years plus some working with people’s stories in a series of communities in this country. I write plays from oral histories for those communities. Just finished my 30th. I’m watching people’s lives and communities literally change, sometimes drastically, for the work. Spider Speculations is the beginning of trying to understand the hows and whys of all the changes.”—Author Jo Carson Jo Carson lays bare her personal investigation into her own creative process after a spider bite on her back begins a series of life-altering events. Spider Speculations applies cutting edge mind-body science, quantum physics and ancient shamanistic techniques to describe how stories work in our bodies and our lives, and what happens when real stories are used in a public way. Carson, whose ability to capture the spoken word hallmarks her community-based work, sets down this story in her own distinctive voice, interspersing the journey with examples of her performance work. This truly original American book will speak to anyone thinking about art and community or engaging with people’s stories. Jo Carson is a writer and performer living in John City, Tennessee. She has published award-winning plays, short stories, children’s books, essays, poems and other work. Her play Whispering to Horses and solo show If God Came Down…premiered at Seven Stages in Atlanta. She currently performs Liars, Thieves, and Other Sinners on the Bench, made up of selected stories from her oral history plays, which will be published by TCG in 2007.

"The Encyclopedia details subjects traditionally associated with Appalachia - folklore, handcrafts, mountain music, food, and coal mining - but goes far beyond regional stereotypes to treat such wide-ranging topics as the aerospace industry, Native American foodways, ethnic diversity in the coalfields, education reform, linguistic variation, and the contested notion of what it means to be Appalachian, both inside and outside the region." "Researched and developed by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University, this 1,864-page compendium includes all thirteen states that constitute the northern, central, and southern subregions of Appalachia - from New York to Mississippi. With entries on everything from Adventists to zinc mining, the Encyclopedia of Appalachia is a one-stop guide to all things Appalachian."--BOOK JACKET.