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Poets Read from "I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing"

Ohio's Appalachian Voices

This event will be held virtually on Zoom. Registered participants will also have the option of attending in-person at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch to watch the event on a large screen.

Come celebrate the publication of I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing: Ohio's Appalachian Voices, an anthology focused on the unique culture of Ohio's Appalachian population. This one-of-a-kind collection, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will be sent to all 732 libraries throughout Ohio and to selected Ohio Appalachian school systems.

The anthology features a lavish mix of voices—Affrilachian, Indigenous, non-binary and LGBTQ; from teens to those creatively aging; poets in recovery, some differently-abled or with 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 anthology was produced by Ohio Poet Laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour, who obtained a fellowship grant from the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Gunter-Seymour designed and edited the collection.

“People often forget, and many do not even know that nearly 1/4 of the state of Ohio rests inside Appalachia proper,” says Gunter-Seymour, “and pockets of Appalachian families who out-migrated generations ago prominently exist throughout the state, still firmly attached to their Appalachian roots. This collection is an intimate look at landscape and family from within Central Appalachia, delving far deeper than mainstream journalism.”

A meeting link will be emailed to registered participants approximately one hour prior to the start of the program. Staff will be available for help with connecting to Zoom and technical issues beginning 15 minutes prior to the program. You will need a device with audio and/or video and an internet connection to join. 

Registered participants will also have the option of attending in-person at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch to watch the event on a large screen.