Celtic Clanjamphry
Jack’s wife Wendy
Dr. Wendy Welch (Jack’s wife of 11 years) is an award-winning journalist
who holds a M.Ed. and a Ph.D. in Ethnography. She teaches Cultural Studies
(including, among others, Anthropology, Human Geography and Appalachian
Performance) at the University
of Virginia’s College at
Wise. She has published one book and many academic articles on various aspects
of Folklore and Culture. She is currently completing two “how to” books – one
on running a used-book store and the other on fund-raising.
Wendy’s work as a consultant on fundraising has taken her to non-profits
across the UK, as well as in
Florida, Tennessee,
Virginia and South Carolina. Known for an outside-the-box
approach to self-sustaining fundraising for smaller non-profits, her personable
approach to training boards on how to fundraise without social fear has been
used by the American Red Cross, among others.
Wendy and Jack regularly perform as a singing and storytelling duo. They
teach these skills in many venues, including John
C. Campbell
Folk School,
Swannanoa Celtic Week and Common Ground on the Hill in Scotland and the United States. Wendy teaches
workshops and in-services in education and interpretation for state park
services and educational institutions throughout the Eastern
United States.
Wendy is a cheerful world traveler and has visited too many countries to
list here. She has organized and led youth arts exchanges to Germany and Romania,
and conducted her PhD studies and fieldwork in Newfoundland,
Scotland, England and Ireland.
A past board member of the board of directors for the National
Storytelling Network in the United States,
and the Scottish Storytelling Forum’s Board of Directors in the UK, Wendy holds
the distinction of being the only storyteller to serve on national storytelling
boards in these two nations.
She is a committed believer in supporting her local community and was a
prime mover in setting up a Farmers’ Market in Big Stone Gap. Wendy also
organizes a host of monthly and special events for the community, held in the
bookstore that she runs with Jack.