The Boom Project: Voices of a Generation (Ohio River Valley Edition)

The Boom Project started with a grumble. Two baby boomer writers, Kimberly Garts Crum and Bonnie Omer Johnson, were frustrated that literary journals, anthologies, and writing contests wanted writing that was edgy, fresh, experimental, and modern. As Crum writes in the introduction, "We are not fresh, edgy, or experimental. And we are not modern, unless you consider the term 'mid-century modern.'"

Crum and Johnson put out a call for submissions across the Ohio River Valley for a new kind of collection — one that celebrates baby boomer experiences and perspectives. The result is an extraordinary anthology, filled with writing that is provocative, lush, witty, accessible, and universal. Contributors write about the river, home, cultural events, coming of age, and the coming of aging. These stories, essays, and poems are relatable to anyone who has ever searched for identity, connections, and a place to call home.

About the Editors

Kimberly Garts Crum has often lived near rivers, including the James, Rhine, Thames, Mississippi, and Iowa. In 1986, she and her husband adopted Louisville. Kim has her MSW (University of Iowa) and her MFA (Spalding University). She teaches memoir and personal essay writing at her Shape & Flow writing studio, and is working on a segmented memoir titled Slouching toward Self-Actualization.

Bonnie Omer Johnson moved to Kentucky before her first birthday. She claims to have river water running through her veins, having lived more years than not on the Ohio River, but also in cities along the Missouri, the James, and the St. Johns Rivers. Since receiving her MFA at Spalding University in her mid-50s, she has taught at Keiser University, Owensboro (Kentucky) Community and Technical College, and Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.