Bold, Marvelous

Bold, Marvelous won the 2026 Grayson Books Chapbook Contest. The poems in this collection focus on the photographer Doris Ulmann and her subjects, especially Appalachian craftsmen, musicians, and ordinary folks, people often overlooked by the rest of society. Ullmann worked in the early part of the 20^th century, often accompanied by John Jacob Niles, who collected ballads and folksongs from country people. The photographer's curiosity and unflinching gaze, as well as her empathy and humanity, are evident in the poems. The same can be said of the author.