“I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing” — Ohio’s Appalachian Voices

Edited by Ohio Poet Laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour

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About the Book:

“I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing” — Ohio’s Appalachian Voices” is an anthology focused on the unique culture of Ohio’s Appalachian population. A one-of-a-kind collection, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Editor Kari Gunter-Seymour writes: “Within these pages you will find a lavish mix of voices—Affrilachian, Indigenous, non-binary and LGBTQ; from teens to those creatively aging; poets in recovery, some with disabilities or developmental differences; emerging and well established; some living in the state, others from assorted locations throughout the country—all with a deep connection to Appalachian Ohio. The work speaks honestly and proudly as it represents Ohio’s Appalachian population, providing examples of honor, endurance, courage, history, love of family, the land; and provides evidence of how even against the odds our people continue to thrive, to work hard to build awareness and overcome mainstream America’s negative response to those with a strong Appalachian heritage.”

Advance Praise:

Mark Halliday, Director of Creative Writing, Ohio University writes:

“This abundant anthology encompasses many styles and vantage points and backgrounds, creating a richly detailed tapestry of human experience in Appalachian Ohio. There is a pervasive sense of stoical courage in dealing with the rough edges of life; and many poems recognize and honor that struggle in the lives of past generations. The cumulative evocation of imaginative persistence in wooded valleys and on winding hilly roads and in hundreds of towns is seriously moving.”

Dinty W. Moore, Author of The Mindful Writer writes:

“I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing, Ohio’s Appalachian Voices brings to life the graceful rolling hills, the pockets and valleys, the generous souls, the vivid fruits and plants and birdlife that make Appalachian Ohio so entirely unforgettable. This diverse collection of precise, evocative poems sings the praises of a singular place and a people. A truly wonderful book.”

About the Editor: Kari Gunter-Seymour is a ninth generation Appalachian and the Poet Laureate of Ohio. Her poetry collections include A Place So Deep Inside America It Can’t Be Seen (Sheila Na Gig Editions, 2020), which won the 2020 Ohio Poet of the Year Award, and the chapbook Serving (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2018). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and publications including Rattle, ONE, The LA Times and The New York Times. Her work has also been featured on Verse Daily, World Literature Today and Poem-a-Day. She is the founder/executive director of the Women of Appalachia Project (WOAP) and editor of the WOAP anthology series, Women Speak. She is the founder, curator and host of Spoken & Heard, a seasonal performance series featuring poets, writers, and musicians from across the country; an artist in residence for the Wexner Center for the Arts and a 2021 Pillar of Prosperity Fellow, Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. www.karigunterseymourpoet.com

REVIEWS:

Ohioana review: http://www.ohioana.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/OQ-Winter-2023.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1VgHEjoVGyAZqfxEP-SipvCcS8NkWrxrBGu716jOJjfjxwtdnvbKpZ3P8