Mandi Fugate Sheffel

Mandi Fugate Sheffel was born and raised in Redfox, Kentucky, and is the author of “The Nature of Pain: Roots, Recovery, and Redemption Amid the Opioid Crisis.” She is the owner of the Read Spotted Newt, an independent bookstore in Hazard, Kentucky, and has been involved with the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky and the Appalachian Arts Alliance, among other organizations. Sheffel’s personal essays and opinion pieces can be found in Still: The Journal, Appalachian Journal, the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Courier Journal.