To celebrate National Poetry Month, today’s story features poets from the Ozarks. Organized in 1941, the Gasconade Writers’ Guild was founded by West Plains native Carl B. Ike. The group was composed primarily of authors from Phelps County, but also included members from Waynesville, Republic, Bolivar, and Carthage. Notable members were Herb Duncan, E. A. Witmer, and “hillbilly poet” Hazel Dagley Heavin. Along with monthly meetings, the group also hosted special events where attendance would reach close to 300 people. The Guild published an anthology of poems written by members between 1941 and 1942, including a poem titled “Missing at Pearl Harbor.” Written by Heavin, the poem was in honor of Guild member and Navy fireman, James Monroe Blake, who was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
As part of the Gasconade Writers’ Guild Collection, the anthology contains poems, biographical sketches, and photographs of the authors.
To explore this collection and more, visit the Springfield Research Center inside MSU’s Meyer Library or find us online at SHSMO.org. Thanks for joining me for “Stories from the Archives.” I’m Haley Frizzle-Green.