Foxfire radio program in the works

MOUNTAIN CITY - The Rabun County-based Foxfire program is developing a radio program.<br> <br> The Foxfire Archive houses more than 2,500 hours of audio recordings gathered by students over the organization's 39-year history. <br> <br> Each recorded interview remembers a portion of the rapidly vanishing heritage and culture of Southern Appalachia - the wisdom, the memories, the stories, and the dialect of the region. <br> <br> Guided by the theme "The Power of Story," each of the planned 13 programs will highlight a different aspect of the history, culture, and traditions of Southern Appalachia - especially in the northeast Georgia mountains around Rabun County, according to Foxfire officials. The Foxfire Archive will provide first-hand tales from the residents of the region covering crafts, agriculture, medicine, food, legends, music, religion, and many other facets of Appalachian life.<br> <br> Alongside the stories themselves, each program will also reflect on the<br> medium of storytelling itself-how each story conveys its message, whether through wit, rhyme, or emotion, and what other insights can be gained by observing how the story is related, they said. <br> <br> Each program will also provide guidance to listeners about collecting the stories of their own families and communities, and distilling each of their own story's special pearls of wisdom. Extended branches of the program propose a companion website and 6th-grade level classroom materials meeting English and Social Studies curriculum requirements.<br> <br> Janet Rechtman, member of the Foxfire Board of Directors, is heading the<br> program and has established an advisory board for the project, including Daren Wang, an experienced radio producer instrumental in the development of the project; Dr. Bradd Shore, of Emory University's Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life (MARIAL); Helen Lewis, well-known scholar in Appalachian Studies; and others. The first 30-minute pilot<br> episode will be developed later this year and will be used to market the program in search of funding to complete the series.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/7/130899