Local woman has collection of poetry published

Published 12:55 pm Wednesday, September 21, 2022

While the Whippoorwill Called, a poetry collection by Ann Shurgin, a native of Elizabethton, has been published by Redhawk Publications of Catawba Valley Community College in North Carolina.

Shurgin, a journalist and communications professional who worked in Southeast Texas and retired from Texas A&M AgriLife Communications, earned her Bachelor of Science degree from East Tennessee State University, where she majored in English and Journalism.

Upon the publication of her poetry, Shurgin said, “While the Whippoorwill Called will appeal to readers who have had to choose between staying in a home region they love and finding new opportunities in a completely different place. In my mid-twenties, I left a small town in Southern Appalachia for the city of Houston, Texas. These poems were inspired by life and people in Texas and by growing up in Upper East Tennessee, where I returned “home” to visit family, always making time to hike on the Appalachian Trail and along the Watauga River. It’s also about coming home to stay, after many years away. Readers who have done so — or are thinking about it — will find camaraderie here. Finally, these poems will ring true for anyone who has found and/or lost love, for people or place, no matter where they are. Writing these poems was a decades-long process. Each one came to life in its own environment, and seeing them side by side on the pages reveals a tightly drawn silver thread weaving a single narrative. While the Whippoorwill Called will take my readers on a visual and emotional journey.”

Ann Shurgin now lives in Elizabethton, and is a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative (SAWC) and the Appalachian Studies Association.

Redhawk Publications Senior Editor Robert Canipe remarked, “While the Whippoorwill Called by Ann Shurgin is an enchanting collection that will make readers feel like they’re walking through the hazy Appalachian Mountains, longing for love and wanting to experience home again.”

To purchase While the Whippoorwill Called, visit https://tinyurl.com/AnnShurgin

Redhawk Publications is an artistic initiative of the Catawba Valley Community College, publishing written works of interest for the local community and the state of North Carolina as well as the entire United States.