The cover of "Southern Voices: 50 Contemporary Poets" is pictured.
A very unusual installment of the Oswald Writers Series is planned for Oct. 1. That night, on the main stage of the Etherredge Center, five writers will be talking about and reading from their work. All five are included in a unique anthology published this fall by Lamar University Literary Press.
"Southern Voices: 50 Contemporary Poets" is a rare publishing phenomenon. Never before in a single genre-focused volume has a publication covered so much literary territory. Indeed, poets from all 15 states in what has been labeled the "Greater South," from Virginia to the Ozarks, from the Texas hill country to the Florida coast, are included in this attractive volume.
Each poet contributed about a half dozen poems, covering such diverse topics as geography, flora, fauna, cultural idiosyncrasies and distinctive cuisines. It's a wonderful book to dip into periodically, perhaps reading one poet per day, thus exploring over time all parts of the contemporary South.
The free event on Tuesday, the first of October, will highlight five South Carolina contributors to this landmark volume. All three regions of our state will be represented.
From the Upstate will be John Lane, a 2014 inductee into the South Carolina Academy of Authors, our state's literary hall of fame. Both a poet and novelist -- I highly recommend his new novel "Whose Woods These Are" -- Lane is a professor emeritus of environmental studies at Wofford College in Spartanburg. Focusing on our human interaction with the natural world, the University of Georgia Press has published a number of Lane's highly informative and entertaining nonfiction works, including "My Paddle to the Sea" and "Coyote Settles the South."
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Representing the Low Country will be Marcus Amaker, the first poet laureate of Charleston. Like Lane, Amaker is also a man of many talents. The author of 10 books, he is also a graphic designer, teaching artist, and musician. In fact, he has contributed to over 40 electronic music albums. Just this year, Marcus Amaker was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors.
Finally, from the Midlands, three poets will grace the Etherredge Center stage: Jo Angela Edwins from Florence and Amanda Rachelle Warren and Roy Seeger from here in Aiken. A professor at Francis Marion University, Edwins is the poet laureate of the Pee Dee Region; her latest publication titled "A Dangerous Heaven" was published just this year; Both Warren and Seeger teach in USCA's unique BFA program in professional and creative writing. Warren's new book is titled "Rituals for to Call Down Light," and Seeger's most notable publication is "The Boy Whose Hands Were Birds."
On sale after the program will be not only copies of "Southern Voices" but also books by individual poets. Thus, if audience members are partial to one poet's sampling of his or her work from the anthology, there will be an opportunity to explore more of that writer's work by investigating their individual volumes.
The one-hour program starts at 7:30 p.m., and each poet will read for approximately 10 minutes. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact Dr. Andrew Geyer, USCA Department of English, at ageyer@usca.edu or 803-641-3498.