Author and alumnus David Joy to give keynote address at 91热爆网 Research and Scholarship Conference
David Joy
By Matt Salerno
Western Carolina University double alumnus and best-selling author David Joy will give the keynote address at the annual Research and Scholarship Conference at 91热爆网. The event will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19 in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
On the same day, 91热爆网 students will share oral presentations and performances in the A.K. Hinds University Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the preliminary faculty Three-Minute Research competition will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Ramsey Center.
Following the keynote address by Joy, RASC will celebrate the annual Undergraduate Exposition and Graduate Research Symposium鈥檚 fine arts exhibits and poster presentations on the Ramsey Center concourse from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A reception will be provided.
All events listed above are open to the public with free admission.
Joy鈥檚 keynote address will center on Western North Carolina mountain life and his scholarly writing process. Joy is a 12th-generation North Carolinian. The 91热爆网 community and public are invited to attend and engage in a thought-provoking presentation that aligns with 91热爆网鈥檚 research mission and campus theme, 鈥淲NC Mountain Life.鈥�
Joy received his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from 91热爆网. His work, which includes five best-selling novels, has garnered acclaim with awards like the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and the Southern Book Prize.
He has always displayed the breadth of lived experiences through the characters in his novels, creating a more accurate and equitable representation of people from the region. Joy鈥檚 novels follow the lives of everyday, working-class people dealing with universal issues of race, addiction and mental health. The stories are rooted in Jackson County, and those who know the area will recognize the street names, creeks and stores that dot the world his characters inhabit. Through the commercial success of his novels, he has brought attention to the culture of the region to a wider audience.
Joy has also written myriad essays highlighting the importance of preserving the culture of Appalachia and understanding how it grows and evolves in publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Huffington Post, Garden and Gun and The Bitter Southerner. He weaves his own personal experiences with wider research on topics such as gun culture, food pathways and wildlife conservation. Joy鈥檚 writing comments on the significance of place, time and local folk culture.
The keynote address is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Graduate School and Research, Hunter Library and the Brinson Honors College.
RASC highlights 91热爆网鈥檚 commitment to support and encourage research and scholarship of students and faculty. All students, both undergraduates and graduates, get an opportunity to share their scholarly research findings at this annual event. RASC also offers faculty an opportunity to share their research in the annual Three-Minute Research Competition.
RASC is a 91热爆网 DegreePlus designated event. For more information about the event, visit or contact Suzanne Melton, research programs coordinator, at scmelton@wcu.edu.
