EdKarshner
@edkarshner
Homesick Hillican. Writer. Weird and dark folklore aficionado. Professor of English & Department Head of English and Media Arts at Robert Morris University.
Yesterday, I made a research trip to Braxton County West VA. The Flatwoods Monster Museum was amazing. The WVa Bigfoot Museum has an exquisite collection of Boggy Creek memorabilia. The jewel was the town of Sutton, a @hookland.bsky.social town where the land asserts itself & refuses to be ignored.
After a year of feeling less like my down on his luck folklorist self, I had a weekend that brought me back. A great turnout for my Ohio Brewfest presentation on Mothman and this gorgeous little number in the post from @cultauthor.bsky.social ! (My forward w/in). Let deep summer commence.
Giving myself a one day writing retreat before my Mothman and Mead presentation. I'm staying in a caboose in my own hills and it feels amazing.
I'm more than excited to get to represent Dutch Creek Winery for Ohio Brew Week. I'm going to look at how Appalachian Storytelling took Mothman from a "winged weirdo" to our monster. It's going to be fun! (And there's mead!)
In a few weeks, I'm giving a talk in Athens Ohio on the evolution of Mothman in place and story. It's at a winery. Not my usual venue. I was feeling skeptical. Then, I went to Dutch Creek Winery over the weekend... it's making sense now.
Yesterday I turned an academic meeting at the Pitt Archives into some archival voyeurism with this beauty. Dad and I used watch The Devil Rides Out when it was in rotation on Night Owl Theater in the late 70s. Funny how grief finds it's expression in the weirdest flashes of time and place.
Treating myself to this amazing essay by our @cultauthor.bsky.social. I'm reminded of the wide eyed joy that brought me to folklore & how it sustains me still. In the spirit, my own bit of @hookland.bsky.social of ghost soil as permissive space remembered differently-a Spud Run Rd dark memory.
You have to treat yourself to this story that's like sitting on a porch with a master storyteller I dare you to read a paragraph like this and not nod like you're listening. reckonreview.com/the-exact-mo...
Went to see Patty to check on the broken shelving unit and saw that Patty was representing @meaganlucas.bsky.social's big event next week! Meagan is everywhere! (You got the fancy paper, Meagan!)
As department head, I hit all my contractual deadlines. So, it's back to the book research. Loving this moment but needing to find some consistency.
Taking some well deserved time off as an administrator to re-discover my research nerd self. I started working on a project that comes out of the work I did for @reckonreview.bsky.social. reckonreview.com/wind-and-roo... I thought you might want to revisit it, too. Happy Wintertide!
A power outage on campus has moved my Jul break up by 4 hours. Let the fun begin!
I had the awesome experience and life long dream of being interviewed for this NatGeo article on supernatural Appalachia: urldefense.com/v3/__https:/... In the spirit of Halloween, here are some of my Haints, Boogers, and Witches
Last night, for the first time in a long time, I got to take off my department head hat, put on my whimsical folklore T-shirt & trade spreadsheets for folktales. Great Halloween fun with RMU's WLMP. (Once again, thanks to @bereaarchives.bsky.social for the Leonard Roberts material!)
As the new Jarl of English and Media Arts, I felt like a proper chair was in order. Thanks to my friends @grimfrost.bsky.social for the reindeer hide seat cushion!
Representating @robertmorrisu.bsky.social #RMUEnglishMediaArts at our Day One Event...Class of 2029, wow! Thanks to my friends @grimfrost.bsky.social for the folklorist appropriate business casual polo shirt
The thesis, for me, of @hookland.bsky.social is "ghost soil." I realized how much I didn't understand when I was in the UK and shared space with Roman walls and emperors, Norman masonry. Not buried. Not behind glass...not haunting as return but ghosts as ever present. (Plus a Scotch egg)
My first proper tea! I'm all fancy! And! Bonus! Me hanging out with fellow Ross Countians, the Adena and Hopewell effigy pipes...almost from my backyard!
Getting some @hookland.bsky.social vibes at Alnwick Castle! Gates in a garden wall are always suspect!
Well, I'm in London! Waiting on my connection to Edinburgh. Looking forward to some folklore phantasmagorical (after some real sleep).