Participation Type
Performance
Session Title
Appalachia Here: New & Recent Work by Poets in the Greater Cincinnati Area
Session Abstract or Summary
The Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky region is home to many Appalachian migrants, both those who arrived as pioneers in the late 18th century, and others who arrived as job seekers in the 20th century. If we think of Appalachia as a river that runs wide and deep emotionally, historically, and geographically, what effect does distance, in place or in time, have on descendants who feel feel compelled to write about their Appalachian heritage? What forms of continuity and/or struggle exist? Where are the intersections of reality and imagination? What might lead them to, in the words of bell hooks, "solidarity with Appalachia"? Reading from their recently published works and new work, four Cincinnati area poets offer a range of responses to these issues, and in doing so challenge conventional thoughts about, and expand our sense of regional identity. All are members of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative.
Presentation #1 Title
Riding the Wave Train & Other Poems
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This reading of poetry will explore two aspects of Appalachian experience. The first set of poems imagines the lives Amos and Milly Pettit who left the Virginia Piedmont to come to Kentucky in the late 18th century, settling in the deeply ridged farm land of Pendleton County near the Licking River. Another kind of connection to Appalachia by way of concern for habitat and headwaters is explored in the second set of poems. Both creative expression and an understanding of regional and national experiences are demonstrated. 15 min.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Rhonda Pettit is a professor of English and author. She teaches literature and writing at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, where she is editor of the Blue Ash Review, and hosts a range of poetry programs.
Presentation #2 Title
The Dead Singing & The Way the World Is
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Drawing on knowledge gained from his experience as a community organizer and substance abuse counselor in Cincinnati, Michael Henson captures both physical and psychological landscapes that transcend geographical regions. He will read poems from The Dead Singing, and an excerpt from his book of linked stories about opiate addiction in Appalachia, The Way the World Is: The Maggie Boyland Stories. Both creative expression and regional experiences are represented here. 15 min.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Michael Henson is a musician, song writer, and the author of several books of poetry and fiction. He lives in Cincinnati and is a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative.
Presentation #3 Title
Songs from the Shaper's Harp & Outposts
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
This reading includes poems from two books that capture the landscape and lives of rural and urban Northern Kentuckians, challenging the region's "urban" reputation while echoing the sensibilities of mountain life. Music is another theme that threads through these poems, in terms of both subject and sound. Both creative expression and regional experiences are represented here. 15 min.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Roberta Schultz is a poet, song writer, and musician, and has facilitated therapeutic drum circles. She is a member of the trio Raison D'Etre, which performs in a range of venues in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Presentation #4 Title
Drone String & Other Poems
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
In family narrative and voice poems laced with song, sass, and pathos, Sherry Cook Stanforth explores her heritage from the Madisonville and Tellico Plains region of Tennessee, and from North Georgia. We hear the voices of relatives who were anxious to head north, and from others who endured whatever hardships home gave place to. She also brings the reader closer to her immediate home and family, where music and story-telling deliver meaning and complexity. Both creative expression and cross-regional perspectives are represented here. 15 min.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Sherry Cook Stanforth is a poet, musician, song writer and professor of English at Thomas More College. She is founder and director of the Creative Writing Visions Program there.
PLEASE NOTE: Sherry is involved in another Performance session involving musical performance. This performance session is for literary writing /reading performance only, so please allow us to include her in this session as a writer.
Riding the Wave Train & Other Poems
This reading of poetry will explore two aspects of Appalachian experience. The first set of poems imagines the lives Amos and Milly Pettit who left the Virginia Piedmont to come to Kentucky in the late 18th century, settling in the deeply ridged farm land of Pendleton County near the Licking River. Another kind of connection to Appalachia by way of concern for habitat and headwaters is explored in the second set of poems. Both creative expression and an understanding of regional and national experiences are demonstrated. 15 min.
