Welcome

Conjuring is a type of folk healing practiced in the Appalachian Mountains. Healers have gifts to “draw” fire, buy warts, stop blood, cure “Thrash”, and heal poison oak. This is a very private and secretive practice. Gifts are passed down orally from one generation to the next. It has been practiced for as long as settlers have been in the Appalachian region. However, with each generation it is being practiced less and less. Soon it may completely disappear without a trace or record of its existence.

This is their story, and it has been my honor to help tell it.

-Lucy Groves

2020 Update

Since conducting my first interviews, several of my subjects have passed away. I am grateful for the opportunity to include them in my work as their legacy will live on through it. I have received numerous comments from people all over the country who watched my film on YouTube sharing stories of their own about conjuring. This is exactly the impact I hoped my film would have.  Appalachian culture is disappearing as small communities become tourist attractions and suburbs of large cities. I feel both a sense of urgency and responsibility to preserve these stories and share them with the world before they too disappear. I continue interviewing people who will talk to me and adding their narratives to my website and documentary. As long as I am able to do this work, there will be a accessible and reliable place for people to learn about this culture and all its wonder.

Embracing Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech