From little town poet Cheyanne Leonardo comes her first community-based collaborative writing project, Hometown Poems: A South Fork Country Anthology of Poetry. Featuring poetry and photography from over 100 authors and artists in and around the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, this anthology captures a portrait of small-town life in the Appalachian Mountains, created by and for the people who call these woods home.
Each poem and photograph included in Hometown Poems has been carefully placed, piece by piece, to construct an uninterrupted narrative - a poetic reverie comprised of our shared stories of love, loss, beauty, heartache, healing, darkness, and unwavering faith. The result is a wholly original work of art that will preserve our memories, values, and ways of life for generations to come.
More than anything, this anthology proves that art and spirit are alive in our hills, that each and every one of us has something special to contribute toward the greater project of being human - here, all together, in this mystifying place and time. This symphony of voices echoing together from every nearby holler and hillside reveals that we have something valuable, remarkable, and even magical to offer this world. In other words, our stories matter, and they are ours to tell.
Hometown Poems: A South Fork Country Anthology of Poetry is a gift to our contributing small-town communities, and to you - whoever you are, wherever you're from - as you will undoubtedly see your own heart reflected in these words. We are all one, as much as we are each unique: this is our hillbilly anthem! Together, let us imagine a world in which such truth is our guiding light.
Contributing authors and artists: Abbie Duncan, Ace Glaspy, Adelynn Rivera, Alise May, Allie Wall, Allison Baker, Amanda Massengale, Amber Sparks, AmyLynn Arrington, Angelia Ross, Annie A, Anonymous, Artemis Moon, Ashlee Glaspy, Banner Ritchie, Betty A Hathcock, Betty Shreffler, Blue Heron, Bobbie Foster, Brooklynn Miles, Caden Chaney, Cari Lynne King, Carl Shafer, Charlotte Marlow, Cheyanne Leonardo, Chris Boyatt, Codie Lackey, Colton Cordell, Courtney King, Courtney Pratt, C. Turner, Dan Saint Dan, Debbie Stansberry Faires, drdeb, Dylan Ayers, Earl Rash, Eli Morrow, Eric Faires, Erilynn Griffith, Felicity Nelson, Flossie King, Fox, Gabriel Valladares, Ginger King, Grant Swain, Hannah Nelson, Harmony Elizabeth, Holly Daugherty, Jacelynn Sexton, Jacob Byrd, Jade Foster, Jaelyn Phillips, Jesse W. King, II, Jessica Rash, Jessi Carling, Jessy Morrow, Joseph Thomas Baker, JP Schuffman, Justice Glaspy, Kaitlyn Russ, Katherine Cross, Kerrigan Hart, Kristen Kilby, Kristen Reid, Kristian Obrusanszki, K-Roo, Laura A. Clift, Lisa Cotton, Makayla Sexton, Mark Hargis, Melissa Capps, Mellisa Pascale, Micah Keeton, Michelle Ayers, Moriah Bowling, Patricia Chace, Paula Leftwich, Presley West, Pyper Anderson, Railey Smith, R.A. Reynolds, R. Clift, Ricky Lee Jeffers, Robert Queener, Roland Russelburg, Rubyann Melton, Rylan Duncan, Sadie Bell Price, Sandra Tritt, Shane Gilreath, Sharon Leonardo, Simon Poe, Stephanie Duncan, Stephen Phillips, Tiffany Kimbrell, Trinity Smith, Ty Humble, Vega Rochat, Whitney Swain, Zack Smith, Zeke Harness