Marc Harshman reads from Dispatch from the Mountain State

Join West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman for an evening of poems that speak to the heart of contemporary Appalachia. In his new collection, Dispatch from the Mountain State (WVU Press), Harshman moves through our shared crises and small salvations with a steady, clear eye. The poems look head-on at the forces shaping daily life in the region, from public health to industry, while finding surprise, tenderness, and grit in the moments that hold us together. Introductions by Steve Scafidi.

About the book​
This collection gathers more than forty poems that balance intimacy with witness. Harshman’s lines feel both dreamlike and familiar, turning toward race and community, the long tail of the pandemic, and the scars of extractive work, including a searing long poem on mining titled “The Breach.” The result is a voice that dazzles with vivid images and rings true to the lives of contemporary Appalachians, never sentimental, always attentive.

About the author
Marc Harshman serves as Poet Laureate of West Virginia. He has published eight collections of poetry, including Woman in Red Anorak and Believe What You Can, and is the author or coauthor of fourteen children’s books. He was named the Appalachian Heritage Writer for 2024 by Shepherd University’s Appalachian Studies program. Harshman studied at Bethany College, Yale Divinity School, and the University of Pittsburgh, and lives in Wheeling, WV.

Event details

• 6:00 PM reading and conversation
• Audience Q&A to follow
• Book signing on site with copies of Dispatch from the Mountain State available for purchase

Free to attend with RSVP. Seating is limited. To request ADA seating or other accommodations, please email us and we will make it work. Buying your book at Four Seasons Books supports this event and helps us keep bringing authors to Shepherdstown.