Rita Quillen
Rita Quillen's collection of poetry, Her Secret Dream, has been named the 2008 Poetry Book of the Year by the Appalachian Writer's Association.
To read a book review of Her Secret Dream and a article entitled "Rita Quillen Recalls the Day She Discovered Appalachian Poetry," visit www.artsmagazine.info (keyword: "Quillen"). Quillen lives in Scott County, Va., and teaches English at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap. In addition to her books of poems, she is the author of a book of critical essays, Looking for Native Ground: Contemporary Appalachian Poetry, and an unpublished novel entitled Hiding Ezra.
Her work has been included in several critically acclaimed anthologies, including Bloodroot: Reflections of Place by Appalachian Women Writers; Listen Here: Appalachian Women Writers; Appalachia Inside Out; and the Appalshop public radio series, Tell It On The Mountain.
