61st Annual meeting

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Join us September 19-21, 2025, for our 61st Annual Meeting in Morgantown!

Keynote Speaker and Thought Leader: Courtney Balestier

Courtney will help us explore the deep connections between us as West Virginians, the food that draws us together, and the politics that keep us apart. Throughout the weekend we will explore how we can use creative strategies based on our shared culture to improve our communications with voters.

A native of Morgantown, Courtney Balestier is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of place and identity, particularly in her native Appalachia. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in publications including Joyland, The New Yorker online, and the New York Times, as well as several anthologies. Her writing has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award and a Pushcart Prize. Courtney holds a bachelor's degree in news journalism from West Virginia University and a master's degree in magazine journalism from New York University. She is currently at work on a novel set in her home state of West Virginia. She lives in Pittsburgh.

Annual Meeting Site:

Holiday Inn - University Area,   

1188 Pineview Drive

Morgantown, WV 26505

Hotel Reservations: https://bit.ly/4lqrkot

Registration: Only register one way.

Includes: meetings, workshops, materials, Friday reception, Saturday breakfast, lunch, banquet, Sunday breakfast. Hospitality suites on Friday and Saturday nights.

Registration Form: Download to mail in with check or money order. https://bit.ly/4eMDwxo

$70

OR

Register Online to pay with credit or debit card: https://donorbox.org/events/782565

$76 to cover DonorBox and card processing fees.

Draft Agenda (more details will be added): https://bit.ly/41kg0Tb