Launching Worthy Ground Book Club
We are excited to be introducing the Worthy Ground Book Club!
Each month, we’ll invite a guest from across our regional ecosystem to recommend a piece of reading that has shaped how they think about Appalachia, resilience, and long-term recovery. These selections won’t just be books- they may also include articles, essays, or journal pieces that help us reflect more deeply on the histories, relationships, and ideas shaping our region.
Our first recommendation comes from Lauren Sowers, Communications Manager at Invest Appalachia, who selected Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle.
Lauren’s choice reflects something central to the mission of Worthy Ground: understanding the layered histories and lived experiences that shape Appalachia today. Recovery and resilience are not only about rebuilding infrastructure- they are also about acknowledging the stories, cultures, and truths that have long defined this place.
Here’s why Lauren chose this book:
“This story breathes life into an untold history of our region. Through the eyes of Cowney, a young Cherokee man, we see a vignette of WWII that would otherwise be invisible to us- when the Grove Park Inn served as a sort of internment camp. As a young man whose circumstances seemed to progressively abandon him, he builds bonds that transcend boundaries. Part stirring mystery, part historic accountability, part soul-searching journey across cultural divides, the book is a testament to human courage in staring one's circumstances in the eye and choosing to hold onto dignity even when the world seems designed to strip it away.”
Lauren is the Strategic Communications Manager at Invest Appalachia. Before joining IA, Lauren provided strategic communications and mediation services to corporate and nonprofit clients in Asheville and beyond. With an emphasis on conservation and place-based nonprofit work, Lauren has fostered community-based change through creative communication, collaborating closely with business owners and team leaders to enhance strategy and improve mission alignment. Lauren thrives on projects deeply rooted in community, paving the way for people to share their stories and make authentic connections.
Stories like these help us better understand the people, histories, and relationships that shape how Appalachia rebuilds and moves forward.
Stay tuned as we continue the series and invite new voices each month to share the readings shaping their work.
More About Lauren:
Lauren holds an M.S. in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding from The Carter School at George Mason University with a concentration in Media, Narrative, and Public Discourse. While at The Carter School, she was a fellow in the Narrative Transformation Lab focusing on Conflict Ecology, with a research focus on migration, identity, and narrative construction in conflict zones. She earned a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from The College of Charleston.
Before a career shift to peacebuilding and communications, Lauren spent over a decade as an investigator and open-source intelligence analyst. She also served as Editor for the Council of International Investigators. Lauren is a SHRM-SCP and certified as a Superior Court mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission.
A passionate education advocate, Lauren is a board communications advisor for The Clemente Course in the Humanities. She and her family live in Asheville, where she spends her free time biking, reading, playing music, and tending to too many plants and pets.
