Erin Hudnall is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology focused on rural community research. She received a BA in sociology and a BA in psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Erin's interests include prosocial behavior, disaster volunteerism, community development, and the sociology of rural communities and organizations. She is an applied, community-engaged researcher with hopes to advance public sociology in West Virginia and within the discipline. Her current research focuses on the processes of community development and place-making in rural contexts. Erin also runs the Youth and Community Engagement Lab at the West Virginia Prevention Research Center, working full-time to support student and youth development.
In this episode we discuss Erin’s passion for trauma-informed safe spaces and her own story of religious trauma. We also discuss the connections of my book, Wonky: A Survival Guide for Following Jesus When You Hate the Church, to her own work. Erin’s article, Is West Virginia a Religious Void?, is a tremendous exploration of the religious context of West Virginia.