Southern Circuit tour of independent filmmakers presents “Hillbilly”

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Featuring bell hooks, Ronny Cox and Billy Redden from Deliverance, director Michael Apted, activists and writers Frank X Walker, Crystal Good, and Silas House, and musicians Sam Gleaves and Amythyst Kiah, hillbilly arrives at a crucial moment, confronting depictions of Appalachian and other rural people on a broad, national level.

It introduces audiences to a nuanced, authentic Appalachia that is quite conscious of how it has been portrayed and the impacts of those portrayals. The documentary deconstructs mainstream representations while asking crucial questions: Where did the hillbilly archetype come from and why has it endured on-screen for more than a hundred years? How does it relate to the exploitation of the land and people who live there? How do Appalachian and rural people view themselves as a result of these negative portrayals, and what is the impact on the rest of America?

Q&A with producer Sam Cole afterwards.

 

Contact Warren County Public Library at 270-781-4882

Morehead 2017 Mountain Workshops Exhibition Opens

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Images and short-form narratives from the 2017 Mountain Workshops will be on display at the Morehead Conference Center, 111 E First St, Morehead, KY 40351 September 9 – 14. The Center is open 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. each day.

Morehead, a small town nestled in the shadow of Kentucky’s Appalachian foothills, became the host in October of 2017 to Western Kentucky University’s Mountain Workshops. More than 90 journalism students and young professionals from around the world spent five days expanding their skills under the watchful eyes of experienced teachers and renowned experts in visual storytelling. All the while they were creating intimate documentaries about the people and places of Rowan County.

The region revealed itself to be a surprising mix of minds and cultures, nature and industry, but above all a friendly place where neighbor helps neighbor. The headlines here often revolve around Morehead State University and its nationally recognized Division I men’s basketball team. The university takes great pride in its $15.6 million Ronald G. Eaglin Space Science Center. The future is happening at Morehead State. But most folks here love their history, and they have plenty of it. The area is nearly as old as the United States itself. The first settlers came here from Virginia in 1783, after the end of the American Revolutionary War. In 1854, Morehead became the third community settled in the county and named after James T. Morehead, governor of Kentucky from 1834 to 1836. Mayor Trent said folks here pride themselves on their hospitality, and visitors have been known to find the town so welcoming that they decide to make Morehead their home. “Morehead is really a melting pot for this area,” he said. “From the international students and staff at the hospital to our homegrown population, it all works together. It’s really a testament to the high quality of people we have here.”

The exhibition is made possible by Canon, USA and Western Kentucky University School of Journalism and Broadcasting.

For more information contact Jamie Breeze, Director of the Morehead Conference Center, 606-780-9694 or Miranda Pederson, Mountain Workshops logistics coordinator, 270-745-4206

Posted in: Gallery, Mountain Workshops, Student Work

An Evening with Carol Guzy

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Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Carol Guzy of The Washington Post will present a lecture, Bearing Witness: Photojournalism and Emotional Aftershocks, at WKU on Aug. 29 during the opening of a new photo exhibition, Women Photojournalists of Washington, D.C.

Guzy is one of four people to win the Pulitzer Prize four times and the only journalist with that achievement. The lecture and presentation of her work will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall Auditorium. Her visit to WKU is sponsored by Nikon.

Guzy also will attend the opening reception for Women Photojournalists of Washington, D.C., at 6 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall Gallery. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.

The exhibition will present 21 of the top-ranked images of 2017 taken by women photojournalists who reside in the Washington, D.C., area. The juried exhibition will feature storytelling images depicting women’s issues selected by Diána Markosian, Jenn Poggi and Maggie Steber.

Women Photojournalists of Washington, D.C., will be open through Nov. 27. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

For information about the exhibit or Guzy’s presentation, contact Tim Broekema at tim.broekema@wku.edu.

Contact: School of Journalism & Broadcasting, (270) 745-4144

https://vimeo.com/286786980
Posted in: Guest Speakers

Stephanie Sinclair lecture

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Internationally acclaimed documentary photographer Stephanie Sinclair will be presenting her work at Western Kentucky University on Wednesday, September 12 in Jody Richards Hall auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Ms. Sinclair has photographed a wide range of subjects, but her 15-year “Too Young to Wed” project has focused particular attention on young women throughout the world who are being forced into marriage. One of Ms. Sinclair’s most recent projects, “A Story Half Told,” is about women and men battling metastatic breast cancer.

We are especially grateful to Mary Mannix and Canon for sponsoring this event. Please join us for a compelling evening of visual exploration and discussion! The event is free and open to the public.

 

 

Carol Guzy reception and lecture

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Carol Guzy is an American news photographer for The Washington Post. She has won the Pulitzer Prize four times—one of four people to do so, and the only journalist with that achievement. You can meet her in person at the opening reception for the Women Photojournalists of Washington, D.C. photo exhibition which starts at 6:00 PM and a presentation of her work will follow at 7:30. This event is brought to you by the kind folks at Nikon and organized by the Western Kentucky University Photojournalism sequence.

PJ Majors & Minors Mixer Meeting

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Otherwise known as PJM&MMM will be at the DSU Night Class garage at the WKU student center. Free food and drinks! Come and meet your new classmates. Learn about upcoming events, this year’s Mountain Workshops, new gear in our checkout room, the NPPA student chapter, working for student publications, how you can become one of our famous labbies, maybe get some free stuff and much more! All declare PJ majors and minors are expected to attend. If you are interested in joining our program, this is a great chance to visit and see what it is we do.

Mountain Workshops now accepting applications

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WKU’S PHOTOJOURNALISM PROGRAM’S MOUNTAIN WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCES NEW DIGITAL STORYTELLING WORKSHOP AND MT. STERLING, KENTUCKY AS THIS YEAR’S EVENT LOCATION

The Workshops, which are now in their 43rd year, are an internationally recognized collection of simultaneous Photojournalism, Video Storytelling, Picture Editing workshops. In addition to our existing workshops, we are offering a newly created Digital Storytelling workshop. This new masters class workshop will give like-minded professionals who have skills in photo, print design, video-storytelling, time-lapse, writing and data visualization a perfect opportunity to team together and produce a single, goal-oriented project. The Mountain Workshops will be held Oct. 23 – 27.

Unlike our other courses where participants are guided by a single coach and work as individuals, this workshop is built around collaborative cooperation. Each participant in the Digital Storytelling Workshop will play to their strengths, but be closely engaged with their team and multiple coaches. Together they will build a story on a selected topic.

In what started as a class project to document one-room schoolhouses in Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, the Mountain now hosts roughly 100visual storytellers each year as they explore a different Kentucky community. The Digital Storytelling Workshop is a perfect opportunity to learn from industry-leading storytellers and innovators in the historic context of the workshops.

Participants typically have journalistic training and come from a variety of journalism schools and professions, but it is not limited to those in the newsgathering business. Attendees come from various storytelling backgrounds and sometimes come back to the workshop several times. “As a working professional wedding photographer with a journalism background, Mountain Workshops has reminded me why I got into this business – storytelling,” said Jennifer Tai, a wedding photographer based in Washington state. “It’s also added a layer to my wedding work, … a kind of meaningful documentary storytelling that photojournalism can bring to the table. This business has changed tremendously in the last 25 years and continues to do so, and Mountain Workshops with its multi-layer panel of mentors and coaches, has enabled me to think deeply and broadly about where I can go with my photography, not just professionally but personally as well. I’m a workshop junkie and have attended plenty in the last decade. I am sad to miss Mountain Workshops this year because of work, but cannot wait to apply again in 2019 and be with my Mountain Workshops family again!”

Texas based visual storyteller Michael Cirlos, who attended the 2015 photojournalism workshop, created a project inspired by Humans of New York. Cirlos’ book “Humans of San Antonio” was released this summer with several book signings and showings. “I learned so many valuable storytelling lessons and skills at the Mountain Workshops that I’m using everyday as Staff Photographer and Videographer for Centro San Antonio. Rick Loomis was my coach in 2015, and one of the lessons he taught me was to always challenge your position as you want to be in the best spot possible. Keep in mind of a better shot because it’s usually just around the corner.”

About 160 participants, faculty and staff gathered in Morehead, a community on the border of the Appalachian Mountains, and produced documentary shorts, still images, visual graphics and time-lapse photography that are presented on-site. They will also be featured in a book and a traveling gallery. This year, the neighboring community of Mt. Sterling will host the workshops.

Watch last year’s wrap-up of the week, feel the inspiration and come join us for a great week of learning, discovery and fellowship.

Click here for a direct link to our application page.

For further information, please contact: mountainworkshops@wku.edu

 

Posted in: Mountain Workshops

WKUPJ wins Hearst Intercollegiate Championships in photojournalism and multimedia

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We are a proud group of WKUPJ faculty, staff and alumni and are always amazed by the dedication and talent of our students. Once again, WKUPJ has won the Hearst Intercollegiate Championship in Photojournalism and Multimedia. This is the 24th time WKUPJ has won in Photojournalism and this is our 7th year in a row that we have won Multimedia.  So many people to thank… and since we are visual people, it might be easier to show than tell.  Congratulations to all, and for a full rundown with links to their work, please visit http://www.hearstawards.org/competitions/2017-18/

Posted in: Grants and Contest Information, Industry News