Episode 73: Bobi Conn: It’s not too often the Jam comes to you with this much accent. But author Bobi Conn stopped by the Bunker to talk with Brad about her book, In The Shadow of the Valley, a memoir about her life growing up in Appalachia, her escape from her violent upbringing, and her building a life outside of her small, rural town. There’s a little bit of humor. A bit of down home storytelling. And a lot of wrangling with the legacy of Appalachia.
About Bobi Conn
Bobi Conn was born in Morehead, Kentucky, and raised in a nearby holler, where she developed a deep connection with the land and her Appalachian roots. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at Berea College, the first school in the American South to integrate racially and to teach men and women in the same classrooms.
After struggling as a single mother, she worked multiple part-time jobs at once to support her son and to attend graduate school, where she earned a master’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing. In addition to writing, Bobi loves playing pool, cooking, being in the woods, attempting to grow a garden, and spending time with her incredible children.
