About Shirley
Shirley Stewart Burns has been referred to as the "Bard of our Appalachian Enlightenment". A native of Matheny, Wyoming County, West Virginia, in the heart of the southern West Virginia coalfields, for generations Shirley's family has made their living as underground coal miners. Since a small child, she has had a keen interest in the people, places, histories, and stories of the coalfields.
After graduating from Oceana High School, she attended West Virginia University where she obtained three degrees. Shirley holds a B.S. in news editorial journalism, a master's degree in social work, and a Ph.D. in history, with an Appalachian focus, from West Virginia University. Her love and dedication of place and home led to the completion of a Ph.D. dissertation focused on southern West Virgnia communities and the impact of mountaintop removal mining on these communities. Shirley Stewart Burns, and her husband Matthew, live in Charleston, West Virginia.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Shirley Stewart Burns at shirley@shirleystewartburns.com
Copyright 2009 Shirley Stewart Burns. All rights reserved.
