Swallow Press, Hindman Settlement School to launch Hindman Seedbed Series in 2027

Swallow Press, the literary imprint of Ohio University Press, is partnering with the Hindman Settlement School to launch the Hindman Seedbed Series, a new publishing initiative celebrating the depth and diversity of Appalachian writing.

Founded in 1902 on the banks of Troublesome Creek in southeastern Kentucky, the Hindman Settlement School has long supported education, cultural expression and community well‑being in central Appalachia. Its Appalachian Writers’ Workshop has become one of the region’s most influential literary programs, nurturing generations of writers through mentorship, encouragement and a strong artistic community.

The inaugural volume in the Hindman Seedbed Series will be a collection reflecting on the 50‑year history of the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop. The anthology will bring together an impressive list of contributors from across the landscape of Appalachian literature, offering personal reflections and a celebration of the workshop’s transformative influence.

The Hindman Seedbed Series will continue this tradition of nurturing voices by publishing original fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry shaped by Hindman’s creative environment and reflective of the region’s nuance, complexity and range. Hindman’s Literary Arts Director Melissa Helton, will serve as the series editor. 

“This series will publish writers with ties to the Settlement School’s writing community and focus on work that explores and documents the nuance of Appalachia past, present and future,” said Helton.

“Thousands of writers have become part of the Settlement School’s creative family over the decades,” said Helton. “We are delighted this series will be another contribution we can make to the Appalachian and regional literary ecosystem and another way we can serve and celebrate our writers and readers.”

The Hindman Settlement School provides educational, social and cultural programming throughout central Appalachia. Its Appalachian Writers’ Workshop, established in 1977, brings together emerging and established authors from across the region and the nation.

Swallow Press, an imprint of Ohio University Press, is committed to literary excellence and to amplifying distinctive regional and national voices.

“Ohio University Press, together with its literary imprint Swallow Press, has a rich history of publishing Appalachian literature and scholarship,” said Beth Pratt, director of Ohio University Press. “We are excited to partner with Hindman in highlighting the writers that have been nurtured through their workshops and programs.”