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Energy and Appalachia: Narratives of Sustainability and Environmental Justice. South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference, Oct. 6-8, 2009.

In December 2008, a Tennessee Valley Authority retaining wall failed, spilling 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash into rivers and nearby homes. In January 2009, the Department of Interior relaxed regulations governing mountaintop removal near streams. In keeping with the conference focus on human rights and the humanities, this panel invites proposals on the politics of coal mining and energy consumption. Papers may address sustainability narratives, the social and environmental costs of coal mining, teaching sustainability, the arts and advocacy, and Appalachia’s role in sustaining the national standard of living. Please send 250-word proposals, pasted into the body of an e-mail message, by June 15 to session chair Terre Ryan at teryan@fordham.edu.