By Kit Cottrell

Frank X Walker coined the word “Affrilachian” in 1991 to describe people of African descent who are from the Appalachian region.  Seventeen years later, the word has taken on a life of its own; originating a new entry in the Oxford American Dictionary, producing the periodical PLUCK! The Journal of Affrilachian Arts and Culture, as well as creating a collective of writers known as “The Affrilachian Poets” whose members include acclaimed authors Frank X Walker, Kelly Norman Ellis, Crystal Wilkinson, Nikky Finney, and Bianca Spriggs. 
           
The Affrilachian Poets are in high demand and can be found at celebrated venues such as The Nuyorican Poets Café in New York, El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles, and the Appalachian Center at Berea College.  Yes, that’s right — Berea College.  Three prominent members of the collective, Frank X Walker, Crystal Wilkinson, and Bianca Spriggs were scheduled to gather on February 23rd at the Appalachian Center for a writing workshop titled, “The Affrilachian Way: How To Find The Right Words and Use Them To Change The World.”  Unfortunately, inclement weather forced Frank X Walker to withdraw due to safety concerns, however for the many brave souls who did attend the workshop; the rewards were definitely worth it. 
          
Crystal Wilkinson led one workshop on fiction, while Bianca Spriggs conducted another on performance poetry.  Wilkinson is the author of two collections of short stories; Blackberries, Blackberries and Water Street.  Bianca Spriggs is working on a manuscript, Brer Folk, which will center on converting folk narratives and rituals into poems. 
           
After much inward struggle, I decided to attend the fiction workshop with Crystal Wilkinson.  The session began with the question of where writing comes from.  According to Wilkinson its “something that haunts you, the things you are drawn to again and again—those are the things you should write about”.  She then did a series of exercises in which participants chose one or two photographs from a wide array laid spread on a table to aid in inventing a character because “inventing fiction is a birth of sorts, creating a living, breathing character with voice, body, and mind”.  After writing dialogue between two characters, participants were then asked to evoke the atmosphere through use of setting.  Afterwards, another series of exercises was intended to get to know the character intimately since according to Wilkinson, “Not until you step out of your body and step into your characters, can they rise up and take a breath”.
           
The workshop was not only informative, but interesting and refreshing as well.  I had what Wilkinson called, “the skeleton of a story”.  After speaking with participants in Bianca Spriggs session, it was apparent that they were just as pleased with the results and the process.  It was an event well worth confronting the cold and snow to attend.  In parting, Wilkinson dispensed some words of wisdom for new and aspiring writers –“As a writer, you have to say alright, here I am, and stand naked to the world”.        
           
The event was sponsored by the Appalachian Center and the Department of English, Theatre, and Speech Communication.