This free dinner series is designed to celebrate, share, and connect with what it means to be Appalachian and how we can mold the narrative of our region by connecting with others. We welcome thinkers and movers to share in a meal, discussion, and craft. Join Appalachian author and small business owner, Mandi Fugate Sheffel as she discusses how place informs identity. Mandi Fugate Sheffel was born and raised in Red Fox, Ky. She is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and is currently the Sycamore Fund Project Coordinator at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. Additionally, she owns and operates Read Spotted Newt, an independent bookstore in the coalfields of eastern Kentucky. Her personal essays and opinion pieces can be found in Still: The Journal, Lexington-Herald Leader, and the Courier Journal. Her forthcoming personal essay collection, The Nature of Pain, will be released in 2025 through The University Press of Kentucky.