By Mike Templeton
Join us on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 6:15-8:00 pm, for the third and final event associated with the Urban Appalachian Kith & Kin exhibit at Huenefeld Story Center, 2nd Floor of the downtown branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. The Urban Appalachian Community Coalitions’s Place Keepers will celebrate the Winter Solstice in this creative community happening inspired by the theme of branches. This event will include featured artist readings by UACC friends including current Cincinnati Poet Laureate Richard Hague, former Cincinnati Poet Laureate Pauletta Hansel, and Artist-in-Residence at the Carnegie Arts Center Sherry Cook Stanforth, and Place Keepers artists Froggie Leman, Matt Farley, and Kyra Liedtke, along with live folk music from Vine Street Jam. Folks are invited to bring original poems, spoken word, remembered times, short prose, art pieces, and songs for this mix of open mic and featured guests. Open mic sign-ups begin at 5:45 PM. This promises to be an exceptional evening of poetry, music, and celebration of our urban Appalachian heritage centered on UACC’s Kith and Kin: Appalachians and the Making of Cincinnati, a multi-media exhibit with photographs, audio, video and printed words documenting the lives of urban Appalachian families in greater Cincinnati. December is the final month of the exhibit’s stay at the Cincinnati Library.
The crossover of themes and artistic vision that centers on the Winter Solstice could not be more perfect for this event. Historically, the Solstice celebration has been one that is deeply tied to the natural world as we mark the end of one cycle and the beginning of the new. Many of the featured artists with Place Keepers are also deeply involved in Woven Branches projects that focus on environmental issues and ideas, inspired in part by their conservation work which has also fed into their creative work. That these themes are also inextricably linked to themes of family and kinship adds yet another layer of meaning to the kind of evening we have in store. UACC core member and the main force behind Place Keepers, Sherry Cook Stanforth said, “While we can’t have a bonfire in our cherished downtown library, we’ll hope to create the spirit of coming together from our corners for a ‘branches out’ happening that express appreciation for home places through creative performances and nature-arts, shared food, and the celebration of community heritage.” The branching out of family, kith and kin, and the natural world will all converge in poetry, music, and food.
All this takes place amidst UACC’s Kith & Kin exhibit which combines the Perceptions of Home traveling exhibit with the digitized Story Gathering Project, an oral history of the urban Appalachian experience. Together they provide an opportunity for people to learn about the history and present of Appalachian people in greater Cincinnati, and how we have transformed the cultural make-up of our city, with the ties we sustain with homeplaces all over the Appalachian region. Since this is such an important moment for urban Appalachians, we have seen fit to create a series of events to celebrate. Sherry Cook Stanforth tells us that “this Solstice Branch Fest event emphasizes the power of creative intergenerational exchange as a unique form of community harvest. When we come together from our diverse places to engage in storytelling and story-listening experiences, we’re feeding the future of our Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky community. We all come from somewhere. Branching out to experience cultural curiosity and share a table, bonfire, or creative circle reminds us that together, we’ll make a bountiful future.” The ways Place Keepers works to cross generations and the ways this exhibit presents the crossing of geography, years, and experiences all converge in this, the final event for this exhibit.
In addition to the open mic, participants can contribute to a collaborative community tree sculpture by adding their own word or image branch. The event will also include food in keeping with the season, including seasonal treats such as popcorn, cranberry snacks, and warm wassail. FYI—popcorn and cranberries are fitting for a Cincinnati event since use of these as a decorating tradition is often associated with 19th century German immigrants and Victorian families. We are talking about Cincinnati here, and the presence of Appalachian culture has never excluded Cincinnati’s deep German heritage.
The UACC Place Keepers Winter Solstice Branch Fest, the third and final event to mark the opening of the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition Kith & Kin exhibit, will be Wednesday, December 3, 6:15-8 pm in the Huenefeld Story Center, 2nd Floor of CHPL’s downtown branch. For this event, we are focusing on the winter solstice as a theme for branching out, making connections across the spaces of kith and kin, and across generations to celebrate our urban Appalachian heritage. Join us for poetry, music, and food. Feel free to bring original poems, spoken word, remembered times, short prose, art pieces, and songs for this mix of open mic and featured guests. All are welcome!
Michael Templeton is a writer, and independent scholar. He is the author of The Chief of Birds: A Memoir published with Erratum Press and Impossible to Believe, published by Iff Books. He is also the author of Collected Apoems, forthcoming from LJMcD Communications, The Ohiomachine, forthcoming from Dead Letter Office/Punctum Books, and Nod: On Digital Exile forthcoming with Erratum Press, the Academic Division. Check out his profile in UACC’s Cultural Directory. He has published numerous articles and essays on contemporary culture and works of creative non-fiction as well as experimental works and poetry. He lives in West Milton, Ohio with his wife who is an artist.