By Mike Templeton
The Urban Appalachian Community Coalition invites you to join us on Sunday, November 9 from 2-4 pm for Celebrations of Home: Honoring the Past, Building the Future in the Huenefeld Tower Room at Greater Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (Downtown, third floor). This special event in connection with the Urban Appalachian Kith & Kin exhibit honors UACC’s elders while we also look to the future of UACC and urban Appalachians all over greater Cincinnati. This is a unique event that anyone who has an interest or even curiosity about urban Appalachians in Cincinnati will truly love. Also included is the opportunity to share your story in a brief Kith and Kin interview, so bring a photo or object that represents “family” to you.
At Celebrations of Home we will honor those elders who have been at the center and forefront of urban Appalachian activism and advocacy from nearly the beginning. Core UACC members Michael Maloney, Maureen Sullivan, and Nancy Laird will take center stage at this event as we recognize their work over the course of their lives to steadfastly represent and advocate on behalf of Appalachian people in greater Cincinnati. Here are only the briefest sketches of the long-serving UACC Core members who will be honored at Celebrations of Home.
Michael Maloney is our rock when it comes to urban Appalachia. Ask anyone within the orbit of UACC who to ask about just about anything, and they will immediately say Michael Maloney. Maloney grew up in Breathitt County, Kentucky, the son of a coal miner and a mother who looked after nine children, often under harsh conditions. As an Appalachian migrant himself, Maloney was a founder of both the Urban Appalachian Council (UAC) and of UACC, which began when UAC disbanded. He remains at the center of urban Appalachian advocacy to this very day.
Maureen Sullivan often explains her role as a “nuts and bolts person,” one who works behind the scenes making sure the gears are turning. Sullivan first became involved in urban Appalachian life with her early work in Over-the-Rhine. As one of those who pioneered urban Appalachian work, Sullivan met her husband Ernie Mynatt during their early days working with Appalachian migrant families in Over-the-Rhine when this was the “port of entry” neighborhood in Cincinnati. Maureen Sullivan is still working behind the scenes to this day; her quiet dedication keeps urban Appalachian advocacy and activism marching forth.
Nancy Laird began with the Urban Appalachian Council in the Price Hill neighborhoods, and has worked as a client advocate and case manager for 45 years. She recently retired after 12 years with Santa Maria in Lower Price Hill (although anyone who has met Nancy Laird knows “retire” is more of a metaphor than a fact). Laird remains our go-to person for what is happening on the ground in urban Appalachian neighborhoods. She is still making sure families find the help they need and children get fed.
Core member Elissa Yancey explains, “We are looking forward to this event, which serves two critical purposes, celebrating the decades of gifts of three of UACC’s elders: Maureen Sullivan, Nancy Laird and Mike Maloney, and to let our community members know what areas of work UACC is doing now, including Archives and Research, Community and Collaboration, Communications and Administration, and Arts and Culture. We need more folks to join our organization in these areas; and we want people to bring their creativity, passion for culture and personal skills to help move UACC forward into 2026 and beyond.”
In addition to honoring UACC’s elders, this event stays close to the Urban Appalachian Kith & Kin exhibit as a work that captures our past and looks toward our future. Just one floor down in the Library’s Story Center, the freestanding Perceptions of Home clearly documents and celebrates who we have been, while the oral history story gathering feature of Kith & Kin leaves open the world of possibilities for who we will become. There will be plenty to see and take part in for this event, and visitors should take time to really get to know people since part of what is going on is something of an invitation to others to help shape what UACC is becoming. As Elissa Yancey says. “This is sure to be a fun and interactive event, complete with a passport activity and tasty treats. We invite anyone who has ever wondered what our organization does, and who wants to play a part in shaping its future, to join us for an afternoon of connection and celebration. Plus, we’ll have story gatherers on hand—so be sure to bring a photo or artifact that represents “family” to you so we can capture your story!”
Trained Kith and Kin Story gatherers will assist anyone with an interest in sharing their stories for the Story Gathering Project, which is UACC’s ongoing project of developing an oral history of urban Appalachian life and experiences. Kith and Kin Project Director Pauletta Hansel says, “This is such a great opportunity to partner with the Library’s Story Center to help document the ongoing story of our urban Appalachian community. When choosing your photo or object feel free to define family for yourself, whether blood relatives, close friends, mentors, neighbors, or any of those with whom you share powerful bonds.”
Celebrations of Home: Honoring the Past, Building the Future will take place on Sunday, November 9 from 2-4 pm at 3 South Huenefeld Tower Room of the downtown branch of the Greater Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, 800 Main Street. Parking is on street and in nearby garages, such as the Garfield Garage on Ninth Street. This is an amazing opportunity to learn about UACC, past and present, and to explore possibilities for getting involved in our shared future.
Michael Templeton is a writer, and independent scholar. He is the author of The Chief of Birds: A Memoir published with Erratum Press and Impossible to Believe, published by Iff Books. He is also the author of Collected Apoems, forthcoming from LJMcD Communications, The Ohiomachine, forthcoming from Dead Letter Office/Punctum Books, and Nod: On Digital Exile forthcoming with Erratum Press, the Academic Division. Check out his profile in UACC’s Cultural Directory. He has published numerous articles and essays on contemporary culture and works of creative non-fiction as well as experimental works and poetry. He lives in West Milton, Ohio with his wife who is an artist.