Ohio Poetry Association Blog

February 22, 202 2 – The Ohio Poetry Association is pleased to announce it will host a reading featuring the anthology I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing: Ohio’s Appalachian Voices, a one-of-a-kind collection of poetry focused specifically on the unique cultural experiences of Appalachian poets located in or connected to Ohio (Central) Appalachia. The event will be held Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 2:00 PM on the campus of Otterbein College, Towers Hall Room 112, 1 S. Grove Street, Westerville, OH 43081. 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—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...

Governor John R. Kasich recently announced that Dave Lucas of Cleveland Heights has been named Ohio’s poet laureate. Lucas is Ohio’s second poet laureate, the last being Dr. Amit Majmudar, and his two-year term began on January 1. Lucas currently teaches at Case Western Reserve University. He earned his undergraduate degree in English from John Carroll University, his M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Virginia, and his Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. You can read a review of Lucas' book, Weather , here .  Lucas, originally from Cleveland Heights, is excited for the opportunities that this new position presents to foster a love and appreciation for poetry across Ohio. He already has plans in the works for a multimedia poetry project, which will be announced once plans are finalized through the Ohio Arts Council. Lucas’s interest in poetry didn’t officially begin until he was in college, but he felt drawn to langu...

Steve Abbott testifying on behalf of S.B. 84 on May 21st in Columbus [photo by Michael Salinger ] BIG news for poetry in Ohio: the State Senate is considering legislation that would create the post of Ohio Poet Laureate. The proposed law, Senate Bill 84 (SB 84), was introduced by Senator Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, (9th District). Under provision of the bill, the Ohio Arts Council would administer the selection process and provide recommendations to the Governor, who would make the final selection. Most other states have already established Poet Laureate posts. Ohio neighbors West Virginia and Indiana have two of the more successful programs. OPA Vice-President Chuck Salmons and  Common Threads Editor Steve Abbott met with Senator Kearney on April 9 to discuss the bill, offering suggestions that OPA believes will strengthen it. These included shortening the term as Poet Laureate from four years to two ...