Once a city said : a Louisville poets anthology

A Louisville Poets Anthology edited byLouisville native and acclaimed Horsepower author Joy Priest. Conceived in the aftermath of city-wideprotests in 2020, Once a City Said showcases the polyvocal communitiesof Louisville, Kentucky, a city celebrated for its bourbon, basketball, andhorseracing, but long fraught with racial injustice, police corruption, andsocial unrest. Priesttakes the city’s narrative out of the mouths of politicians, news anchors, andpolice chiefs, and puts it into the mouths of poets.

What emerges is anintimate report of a city misshapen by segregation, tourism, and ruptures inthe public trust.

Featuring thirty-seven acclaimed and emerging poets—includingMitchell L.

H. Douglas, Erin Keane, Ryan Ridge, and Hannah L. Drake—Once aCity Said archives the traditions and icons, the landmarks and spirits, theportraits and memories of Derby City. This publication is supported by individual donors who gave to the 2021 Fund for the Arts ArtsMatch campaign.

Matching funds were made possible by Fund for the Arts in partnership with LG&E and KU Foundation.