Publishers Place, Inc.

WILD SWEET NOTES: 50 Years of West Virginia Poetry (1950-1999). With insights into Japanese flower gardening and hog butchering, into mother-daughter relations and horse trading, in verse that is wistful or bright or drenched in rural beauty, “Wild Sweet Notes: Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry” surprises and delights. . . . This varied collection of remarkably high poetic quality will enchant readers throughout the English-speaking world. Over 300 poems from more than 110 living poets and approximately 20 deceased poets are featured.

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WILD SWEET NOTES II follows WILD SWEET NOTES: FIFTY YEARS OF WEST VIRGINIA POETRY, 1950-1999, published in 2000, representing 50 years of West Virginia poetry from 1950 through 1999. The first volume was placed in all West Virginia public libraries and secondary schools. It has been used as a text in numerous poetry, creative writing, and Appalachian studies courses at colleges and universities. WILD SWEET NOTES II will feature 60 poets not included in the first book and approximately 200 poems, and we expect this book will be equally as successful in its representation of West Virginia’s literary talent.

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Father’s Troubles – This novel, by Carter Taylor-Seaton, was a finalist for “Best Historical Fiction of 2003″ in the ForeWord magazine awards. “Carter Taylor Seaton’s Father’s Troubles is a rousing good story of the wildcatting days of the nineteen twenties in the Appalachian mountains. Fortunes were made overnight–but often at the expense of honesty. Lawrence Burgher is the main character of this novel of four generations; he is a poor boy with that All-American zeal to succeed. He is determined to buy, sell, and cut corners on his way to a life with servants, big cars, and bis deals. He is also the lifelong lover of one woman, his wife, and the story of their love affair is the most poignant part of the book.

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We’re All Here Because We’re Not All There

Betty Sue Abshire

The comedy club welcomes to the stage a colorful cast. All have some kind of dementia; they come to us from a skilled nursing facility and three adult day care centers. each performer shares his or her own special brand of humor. Some are funny, some poignant. Everyone, especially past and present caregivers and Alzheimer’s family members, are invited to the show.

“These winsome vignettes prove that the human spirit lasts long after the mind and body are gone. Betty Abshire’s cast of charactersand their helpers remind us that in the long valleys of life, we cannot continually weep–sometimes  we just have to laugh!”

Dr. Jane McKee

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To Love Mercy, a novel by Frank S. Joseph, has won finalist or notable status in six national award. Click here to learn more.

“A charming first novel laced with humor and grace.” — Tim Junkin, award-winning novelist and author of Bloodsworth, The Waterman, and Good Counsel

A fable of hope in a new and unique narrative voice. If you like Chicago you’ll love TO LOVE MERCY. — Prof. Peter M. Rutkoff, Kenyon College

A pulsating tour of mid-20th-century Chicago and of racial and ethnic divisions. Innovative and enjoyable. — James Squires, former Editor-in-Chief, The Chicago Tribune, and author, A Horse of a Different Color

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Light that Splits the Dark: The Solitude Papers II – A second volume featuring more prose and poetry from West Virginia high school seniors.

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RIVER FOG RISING: The Solitude Papers, From the High Schools of Mason County, West Virginia. Edited by Fay Thompson, Introduction by John Patrick Grace. Publishers Place, Huntington WV 1996. Softcover 66 pages.

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Send in the Poets is a thought-provoking work in which the reader is encouraged to become aware of his or her own cognition and is inspired to ‘think outside the box.’ This collection clearly illustrates how everyday experiences can be transformed into creative works of art and will speak to the poet in all of us. –Tracie Drain Price, Teacher, Point Pleasant, West Virginia

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Pauline Mueller’s debut novel, West Virginia Belle, is the story of an unlikely romance blooming amidst the trying, arduous era of the 1920s-early ’30s Appalachia. Having lost a husband and two children, Alice Ida Belle Anderson finds herself with the difficult prospect of being a single mother. Seeking help from the local Salvation Army, she meets Dr. Gordon Cranford, and finds a community different from what she’s come to know – one composed of people concerned for the welfare of its own, who reach out to help those in need. West Virginia Belle is more than a simple love story; it’s a story of human struggle and survival, and the strength needed to overcome tragic circumstances.

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In The Beveled Mirror , Wanda Willis weaves stories of Appalachian heritage and tradition, memories of Sunday dinners with black raspberry pies, catching lightning bugs at night, and riding on homemade sleds in the winter time. With an emerging theme of “God’s Amazing Grace,” Willis shares with us all the highs and lows of growing up in Appalachia and the importance of family through hard times. She highlights the struggers she and her husband, Ray, went through to establish a new funeral home in a small, tight-knit community.  The couple’s compassionate touch with grieving families won them a devoted following.

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