Dear POV Community,

We are so glad you are facilitating a discussion inspired by the film Portraits and Dreams! Before you begin, we’d like to encourage you to prepare yourself for the conversation as this film invites you and your community to discuss the experiences of people and their families who generously share stories about their lives and offer personal revelations about childhood abuse, hunger, experiences with substance use, incarceration, and generational poverty. Additionally, people living in Appalachia have – in recent history – been subject to popular representations that would have us believe that an entire class of rural people can be classified by harmful, flattened, and unimaginative stereotypes that fail to account for historic and systemic issues that impact communities across the nation. This guide, and our additional resources, offer educational materials that reflect and celebrate the remarkable diversity of the mountains and rural America. We encourage you educate yourself as much as possible. Our Delve Deeper Reading List is a great place to start! Additionally, in the Resources section of this guide, we provide a wealth of documentary films, historical and contemporary texts, and links to organizations actively shaping Appalachia and the Southeast. As a facilitator we hope you will take the necessary steps to ensure that you are prepared to guide a conversation that minimizes harm, while maximizing critical curiosity, growth, and connection. We invite you to share some insights with us about how your conversations foster connection and transformation in your own community!