On Dec. 10, more than 100 of you gathered via Zoom for Mountain State Spotlight’s inaugural virtual storytelling event.
Produced in collaboration with Back Pocket Media, Local Live(s) is a show that brings together journalists and community members for a night of entertainment and conversation by and for West Virginians.
Over the course of an hour-and-a-half, participants heard:
- Live music from the fabulous Marion County-based singer/songwriter, Maria Allison (which unfortunately wasn’t captured on video);
- The story behind the story from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Mountain State Spotlight co-founder Eric Eyre;
- A thoughtful and provoking tale about lessons learned and experiences had during a stint as a “Black hippie” turned camp counselor in rural West Virginia from W.I. “Bill” Hairston;
- The story behind the story from Mountain State Spotlight reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely, who came home to West Virginia to cover hunger and poverty in our state;
- An account from Roark Sizemore about how a small school project founded as a high school student in Morgantown has snowballed into a county-wide feeding program.
- A surprise performance from Mountain Stage’s Larry Groce.
We’ll have at least one more of these events in the coming months, and we’d love to see you there. Click here to sign up for our newsletter, so you’ll be sure to be in the loop.