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Horror, electronic music and Russian politics: Brittany Roberts connects them all [faculty featured]
Oct 19, 2026

Brittany Roberts, an assistant professor with the App State English department, gave a talk on how Russian electronic music duo IC3PEAK uses horror im...

Dr. Melissa Birkhofer and Dr. Paul Worley at Sanford Hall Oct. 8. Photo by Isabella Castillo

‘People need to know about this’: App State professors champion Indigenous voices [faculty featured]
Oct 16, 2026

On a trip to the ancestral Catawba town of Joara with students in fall 2019, App State professors Paul Worley and Melissa Birkhofer heard from a colle...

Watercolor of a playful, bearded man in sunglasses and a red bandana, giving a thumbs-up in an autumn forest; his Bigfoot shirt adds humor.

English professor Mark Powell reflects on Halloween, folklore, and wonder in WNC Magazine
Oct 15, 2026

There’s nothing quite like autumn in the mountains. The air crisps, and by September, you can feel fall in the deeper shade. By October, the forests...

Dr. Zackary Vernon

App State professor's new book asks: Can you eat outside the industrial food system? [faculty featured]
Sep 28, 2026

BOONE — Zackary Vernon spent years asking whether a normal small town could feed him without the industrial food system. Boone became his test case ...

Dr. Jessica Cory

Appalachian floods force hard choices about home [faculty featured]
Sep 21, 2026

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The animals needed fire, but the water stood between them and the warmth that could change their world....

A man with short hair and a beard, wearing bright yellow glasses and a collared shirt patterned with large orange flowers and green leaves, smiles against a solid black background.

App State's Leonardo Flores leads MLA framework on AI and the humanities
Sep 18, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Leonardo Flores, chair of Appalachian State University's Department of English, led a national effort resulting in the publication...

Four smiling adults in a 2x2 portrait collage: one man and three women, dressed professionally against black, purple, and textured backgrounds.

CAS faculty share 2026 summer grant outcomes
Sep 16, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Each summer, Appalachian State University's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) awards $5,000 grants to untenured, tenure-track faculty...

Two people stand outdoors in front of a brick academic building. The man on the left wears glasses, a brown blazer, light blue shirt, tan pants, and a cream-colored scarf with fringe. The woman on the right wears glasses, a gray blazer, dark jeans, and a multicolored scarf in shades of red, purple, and orange. Both are smiling, and the background shows a tree, grass, and a walkway.

Edited collection by Drs. Melissa Birkhofer and Paul Worley receives ASAIL Honorable Mention
Sep 9, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Two Appalachian State University faculty members — Dr. Melissa Birkhofer, assistant professor in the Department of English, and Dr. ...

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Dr. Sarah‑Beth Long delivers TEDx talk on writing and healing
Aug 14, 2026

Dr. Sarah‑Beth Long, professor in the Department of English, recently delivered a TEDx Johnson City talk titled “Can writing be medicine?” at th...

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App State professor's new book highlights Boone's role in ethical eating
Jun 29, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — A new book by Appalachian State University professor Zackary Vernon places Watauga County at the heart of a national conversation abou...

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