“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu
Dr and master
I’ve been in a selfie mood the last couple of weeks. I’ve seen an awful lot of people I love, and that’s usually what does it. Emma Kiser will be hooded Dr. Kiser this coming Friday. You first met Emma back in 2019 when she and Kathryn were doing some work at the African American Heritage Center in Corbin. She was working on her doctorate in environmental history, and I was just starting my historic preservation journey. I didn’t realize we’d graduate at the same time, but it’s pretty dang awesome. She does a lot of oral history and focuses on forests. If you find her talking to trees, think nothing of it. You first met Trinity Adams, below, in 2023 when we trekked with Kathryn Engle up to Robinson Forest and on to Talcum to help build some of the strip mine houses for the 2022 flood victims. Listen, this kid is awesome; she gives me hope for the future. She’s a hard-working gal from Letcher County who finished her undergrad last year and is about to finish her first year as a grad student in psychology. She’s hoping to be a school counselor. It would take somebody as tough and compassionate as Trinity to do that kind of work. Appalachia is lucky to have her.
soon-to-be-master and master
And of course, dearest Ann Kingsolver, who ended up in my thesis (she apologized for “befalling” my thesis – hilarious), has, unbeknownst to her, also ended up being a mentor. I finally got to meet her husband, Mark, on Friday, and he’s as kind as she is. Our selfie was made when she gave me the stole. I took everyone else’s photo when they got theirs, so this was the only way I could do it for myself. She played along. That’s the thing, I haven’t had anyone yet who doesn’t think it’s fun, partly because I think they don’t believe it can be done with that big camera, and they’re always shocked to see the results. It’s a great way to break the ice, too, or get your nose broken. So far, no one has gotten mad enough to break my nose, so I must be doing something right.
Dr and master
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