“Movable: Narratives of Recovery and Place,” is an interactive community website that collects narratives about recovery in West Virginia. It is being developed by faculty from Marshall’s College of Liberal Arts, including Dr. Kristen Lillvis, associate professor of English and director of digital humanities; Dr. Hilton Córdoba, assistant professor of geography; Dr. Stefan Schoeberlein, assistant professor of English; and Kristin Steele, a visiting professor in the Department of English. They are collaborating with Amy Saunders, director of Marshall’s Center of Excellence for Recovery.
The site will feature a collection of recovery stories from West Virginia and Appalachia at large, with the funds from the Humanities Council supporting compilation of text, images and videos to highlight the importance of place in stories of recovery and to foreground West Virginia’s place in the recovery movement.
“Research shows that one of the best ways to combat stigma and promote recovery is for individuals in long-term recovery to share their stories,” Lillvis said. “We believe that the site will work in conjunction with other recovery efforts to combat substance use disorders while also providing data that will prove beneficial for researchers.”
Lillvis, Steele and Saunders collaborated on the “Addiction in Appalachia: Our Stories” event that took place Sept. 7, 2016, at Marshall University. It brought together 10 stories from local writers, both those in recovery and those affected by a family member’s substance use disorder. Participants workshopped their stories prior to the event and then shared them with the community at a public performance.
The new website will bring stories from that event together with new ones to show how West Virginia is a center for recovery from substance use disorders. Developers hope to have the site available by early 2019.