Author speaks about peaks

Ann Pancake, author of this year's Common Book, "Strange as This Weather Has Been," made a visit to Otterbein Tuesday, Oct. 27, to speak with students from Integrative Studies and for the all-campus convocation.

     During the convocation, Pancake described her novel as a story of loss and hope set in the Appalachians. She spoke about her childhood and how she grew up in West Virginia near coal mines where mountaintop removal occurs frequently.

     According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mountaintop removal is "a mining practice where the tops of mountains are removed, exposing the seams of coal. The earth from the mountaintop is then dumped in the neighboring valleys."

     Pancake described how miners would remove the mountaintops by blowing them up in order to get to the natural resources quickly. This process does damage to the streams and valleys nearby. "

     Twelve hundred miles of streams have been buried," Pancake said. This affects residents' water supply and, according to the EPA, causes floods and damage to homes.

     Pancake described the passion she and her sister had against mountaintop removal. "Originally, when my sister and I traveled to the mountains, I thought I would at least write a few articles while I was there," Pancake said. "I never thought I would write a novel, but then I heard stories of those who lived there and suffered through the mountaintop removals and felt triggered to write."

     Pancake went on to explain how much she herself struggled to write the novel and find a publisher. "I felt pretty powerless at times," Pancake said, "but I would remember the people and the movement I was writing for. I kept my dream focused and it helped me move forward." Pancake explained that even quiet or small ideas can become a big movement. She encouraged students to believe now, dream now and act soon.

     Senior and Common Book Committee member Anna Haller enjoyed this year's common book. "I really enjoy reading books written in this style, likePancake's, where each chapter is a different speaker," Haller said. "I love learning about the lives of the different characters and how they piece together."

     Pancake was honored that her novel was chosen by Otterbein and pleased by the discussions she had during her visit. Pancake will now be working on smaller short story pieces while living out West.

     "As for the future, we will continue to look for books that will challenge students in new ways and open them up to new things they've never known before and that are just an overall good read," Lehman said. t&c;

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