Priest, Joy: Once a City Said

Priest, Joy: Once a City Said

Regular price $19.95 Sale

Sarabande Books, paperback

Publication Date: June 20, 2023

Publisher Marketing: A Louisville Poets Anthology edited by Louisville native and acclaimed Horsepower poet Joy Priest. In this multi-generational anthology, thirty-seven living poets from Louisville archive the traditions and icons, landmarks and spirits, portraits and memories most personal to this shared place. Once a City Said takes the River City's narrative out of the mouths of politicians, news anchors and police chiefs, and puts it into the mouths of poets. What emerges is an intimate report of the socioeconomic circumstances of a city misshapen by segregation, a growing tourism industry, and subsequent ruptures in the public trust. In this collection of versifiers--ranging from Mitchell H. Douglas to Erin Keane and Ryan Ridge to Hannah Drake--each voice contributes to a community choir singing neglected stories and new visionary songs.