
Storyteller
and folklorist Anndrena Belcher entertained music teacher Cathy
Qualls' classes at Powell Valley Primary School last
Thursday.
Belcher, who lives in Scott County, enlisted students
and teachers to help bring her skits to life.
Belcher calls her
presentation of folk tales, personal narrative, poems and original
and traditional songs "Anndrena Belcher for Old Time's
Sake."
Belcher is a child of the 1950s migration of people
from the Appalachian region to northern industrial cities, and her
tales reflect her familiarity with two worlds.
"My family
migrated from east Kentucky (Pike County) in the 1950s when the
coalfields were mechanized," Belcher said in an interview before
her presentation at Powell Valley Primary. "Three million people
moved out. We wound up in uptown Chicago, which at that time was
considered one of the nation's most diverse, multi-ethnic ghetto
communities."
"Out of 90,000 people, 70,000 of us were
from Appalachia and the rural Deep South," Belcher said. "It
was called 'Hillbilly Heaven.' We were one of the families that came
home to these mountains once a month on a weekend."
"A
lot of what I ask about is what it means to live in two worlds, and
to have the power of a personal story to help define a human
experience and give a positive identity," she said. "That's
why I do what I do."
Source:
Glenn Gannaway, The
Post,
December 15, 2011.
Dear
Anndrena,
Thank
you for coming to our class and telling us stories about your
upbringing! It really made me think about how alot of people come
from the same background, even though it's different countries or
areas. It also was a great example of how hardships bring people
together. I hope it helped some people realize why it's not okay to
judge others. It was very enjoyable.
Kayla
Miller, Eastside High School.