Huntington Times

Marshall University is set to conclude its A.E. Stringer Visiting Writers Series with a notable event featuring Kari Gunter-Seymour, the Poet Laureate of Ohio. This final session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Drinko Library Atrium. Gunter-Seymour holds an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship and is a Pillars of Prosperity Fellow for the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Kari Gunter-Seymour's literary contributions include several acclaimed collections such as "Dirt Songs" (EastOver Press, 2024), "Alone in the House of My Heart" (Ohio University Swallow Press, 2022), and "A Place So Deep Inside America It Can’t Be Seen" (Sheila Na Gig Editions, 2020). A ninth-generation Appalachian, she directs the Women of Appalachia Project, editing its "Women Speak" anthology series.

Gunter-Seymour has taught at Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and founded "Spoken & Heard," a series showcasing poets, writers, and musicians nationally. Her work has appeared in prestigious publications such as The New York Times, Verse Daily, World Literature Today, and American Book Review.

Dr. Sara Henning, coordinator of the series, remarked, "As a poet, educator, poet laureate, and community organizer, Kari Gunter-Seymour’s work exists in the necessary intersection of feminist literature, Appalachian studies, and literary activism." Henning aims for the event to foster discussions on Appalachian identity while highlighting regional community efforts.

The series benefits from the contribution of Marshall University's Department of English, the College of Liberal Arts, and University Libraries.