All These Ghosts

by Silas House

A timely and whole-hearted poetry collection by acclaimed author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Silas House, including the poem read at Governor Andy Beshear’s 2023 inauguration.

Silas House is known throughout the South as a quintessential person of letters—a novelist, music journalist, environmental activist, and columnist—and now Poet Laureate of Kentucky. His first full-length collection of poetry blends his Appalachian upbringing with his ongoing relation to the natural world. Poems of praise for community and the collective appear alongside others tinged with nostalgia and grief when House keenly observes the loss of rural America as he once knew it. Returning to his touchstone subjects, Silas recalls wild places, echoes stories from a lingering and living past, and explores an abiding connection to family, friends, and fellow artists.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Silas House is the nationally bestselling author of six novels--Clay's Quilt, 2001; A Parchment of Leaves, 2003; The Coal Tattoo, 2005; Eli the Good, 2009; Same Sun Here (co-authored with Neela Vaswani) 2012; Southernmost (2018), as well as a book of creative nonfiction, Something's Rising, co-authored with Jason Howard, 2009; and three plays.

His work frequently appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Salon. He is former commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered". His writing has appeared in recently in Time, Ecotone, Oxford American, Garden and Gun, and many other publications.

House serves on the fiction faculty at the Spalding School of Writing and as the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at Berea College.

As a music writer House has worked with artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Lee Ann Womack, Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams, The Judds, Jim James, and many others.

House is the recipient of three honorary doctorates and is the winner of the Nautilus Award, an EB White Award, the Storylines Prize from the New York Public Library/NAV Foundation, the Appalachian Book of the Year, and many other honors.

Reviews

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry is meant to be savored. So mostly poetry and I are not really a thing. I devour my reading. Yet, I know this author for his fiction and I will say the poems took my breath away in a devoured sense. If I were a savoring reader I can bet they’d be even more exquisite.

The interview of the author (an Appalachian writer) by Barbara Kingsolver ( another Appalachian writer) in the back pages is well worth the cost of the book.

Be like Barbara Kingsolver and print this out and stick it on your fridge.


New Year Prayer

Find a body of water, and be still
beside it for a time. Build a fire
and watch the flames. Sit on the porch.
Lie on the grass. Light candles. Take
a deep breath. Write a letter to
someone. Discover something new
everyday. Learn. Tell stories. Listen
to old people. Ask them questions.
Give to others when you can and treat
yourself occasionally. Read real
books and newspapers. Always buy the
grocery store flowers if they catch
your eye. Remember that there is power
in moderation. Learn to cook or bake
a new dish. Enjoy every meal. Savor
your food. Drink water. Any chance you get,
hold a baby. When the opportunity
arises, dance. Always swim or wade
in the water. Study leaves. At least once
this year, pee outside. Be completely
quiet. Turn your favorite song up
loud. Sing along. If someone makes you feel
bad all the time, get away from them. Laugh
with others. Laugh while you’re alone. Spend time
with animals. Don’t judge. Think this: “There but
for fortune go I” or “Everyone
you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
Forgive others. Forgive yourself.

[Will Norrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection from Silas House is lovely. It has such a personal sense of place while touching on universal themes. I was moved especially by the recollections and reflections of a rural childhood. House has a voice; one I find even more focused and sharp in his poetry than when trying to carry the plot and length of a novel. I will be recommending this book to others and look forward to its wider release.

Loved it, loved it, loved it.

[Kaile Vierstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Kentuckian living far from home, this collection made my soul fly back to roost. Silas House’s sense of place is so vivid it practically breathes. His lyricism shines in his novels, but here his exacting, intentional love of language makes the poems truly sing. And the conversation with Barbara Kingsolver at the end is pure dessert. Like a good friend's porch, this is a collection to visit time and time again.

[Adair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently the key to me loving poetry is an Appalachian author.

[Melissa Conn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas House's writing continues to be a gift to these mountains. Even though he's known first and foremost as a novelist, he nailed poetry. I've dog eared my favorites. My heart has wept though I physically have not. So many bittersweet words. So many ghosts.

[2raccoonsinacoat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels campy to say, but I feel changed after reading this. I know all books change us to some extent but I feel something in me evolved or was born as I read this. I related so much to so many of the themes: being “country”, the working class, the trailer, the loss of hope, the search for hope, the music, the nature. I don’t know. I’m so happy to have stumbled upon this and am so grateful to Silas House for creating it.

[Jean Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Silas House read at a local Episcopal church and he was amazing. He talked about his roots in poverty and rural Kentucky culture. He said that Appalachian stereotypes have produced an embarrassment and deep self loathing in many of its literary works. He didn’t say J. D. Vance but it is clearly a valid reason that Vance’s characterizations are so demeaning.
His poetry is realistic but rooted in a deep love for the “ghost” of his home and family.
The depth of his poetic skill is phenomenal. I very highly recommend this book.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One reason that I enjoy Silas House’s fiction is that his language is so poetic. I was happy to discover that his first collection of poetry is full of stories. I love these poems, especially his experiments with repetitive forms like the sestina and the pantoum (I do love pantoums!). There are poems about Sinead O’Connor, John Prine, Hazel Dickens, and the Everly Brothers. This definitely lived up to my high expectations.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a stunning collection of poems! I wish I had something more eloquent to say other than the writing just knocked me out. It's such a testament to Appalachia - the land, culture, religion. I also really appreciated the interview between Barbara Kingsolver and Silas House at the end.
Standouts for me are: Gloaming, Cornbread, How I Had Church This Sunday Morning in July, New Year Prayer, and Timesickness.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems are so vivid that I found myself taking photos of the pages so I would have them with me.

[Maggie Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished the last few poems today sitting my a creek (as Silas House intended)

[Abby Pottorff · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/5….this was SUCH a beautiful book that I felt with my soul.

[Eleanor Krause · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy this now. For yourself, for your family, for your friends, for strangers.

[Brian D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of poems, so many resonated with me so deeply it felt as if he had written them just for me.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of poems by one of my favorite writers.

Here are some of my favorites from this collection—
“Watch Closely”
“When Time Are Dark”
“Symbiosis”
“The Most Beautiful Words”
“John Prine”
“Cornbread”
“A River”
“New Year Prayer”
“Last Supper”

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My introduction to Silas House’s writing was Clay’s Quilt. I read it in the middle of the night while breastfeeding my firstborn. Turns out that firstborn, now 20, recently published her first poem in a poetry journal. The words seeped into her. As a Kentuckian living in Indiana I am separated from my homeland, while the distance is not far, the cultural divide is. I think that is why that late night spent reading Clay’s Quilt stuck with me all these years. (Believe me, very little else from that time is recalled.) I recognized a voice from home just when I needed it. Far from my family and just beginning my own. Every time I read another Silas House book I feel the same. “But always there was Kentucky because once it lives in you, it is a little light that never dims.” Thank you for this poetry collection. “Cornbread made me cry, I had a mamaw & granny too, now long departed. But carried.
I look forward to sharing this with my poet daughter.

[Jessica Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. The author delivers a sense of place and time akin to his novels and touches your heart in familiar ways, even if you aren’t from the mountains.

[Monica Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Hour

Sometimes it takes years to find the ones who fit
like a soft jacket. If they’re safe enough
in their own skin, they let you be yourself.

I never had friends like those I have now.
Always before, I had to watch myself.
Sometimes it takes years to find the ones who fit.

Enough is as good as a feast, they say,
so keep a small circle of folks living
in their own skin; they let you be yourself.

By firelight, beneath rain, washed in woodsmoke,
along the mist-laden curves of highways,
sometimes it takes years to find the ones who fit.

So let’s shout Cheers! and Slainte! all we can.
Whiskeyed and weeded, more often dead straight,
in their own skin they let you be yourself.

I will carry you if needed, and when
you want me to I will hush and be still.
Sometimes it takes years to find the ones who fit
in their own skin. They let you be yourself.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five-star fabulous! In this collection, the poet is so true to his word, representing his old Kentucky home with such “respect, beauty, and authenticity,” as fellow Kentuckian Barbara Kingsolver states in her interview with Silas House in the end pages. House bares his whole heart for us in these poems with such a pleasing combination of sophistication and country charm, studied eloquence and colloquial expression. Kingsolver’s brilliant interview with House is full of insights and revelations about Appalachian literature and the challenges of representing its landscapes, peoples, and cultures with accuracy and authenticity.


“Do Lord O Do Lord O Do remember me
the woman sings and we so we do we remember
remember remember. We are all memory
and remembering. This is my heart for you.
We are holding on with white knuckles and we mourn
for what we have not been able to clutch, we mourn
and preserve and make it into poems
and songs and books and jars of pickled corn
we can sit on the windowsill to catch the light.”
—from “This Is My Heart for You,” p. 92


Favorite Poems:
“Prologue”
“Blues”
“Only Thing He Ever Gave Her”
“First Home”
“Cornbread”
“Boy in the Bubble”
“At the Opening of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ Corbin, Kentucky, March 27, 1980”
“Cumberland Falls”
“Bandit”
“Decapitation”
“Drought”
“Couples”
“Northern Lights”
“For You Who Have Loved Old Dogs”
“False Spring”
“Double Creek Girl”
“Leslie County”
“Happy Hour”
“A River”
“Timesickness” !
“Last Supper”
“Ghost”
“Rivers”
“Hazel Dickens”
“John Prince”
“Blood Harmony”
“This Is My Heart for You”
“The New Regime”
“Epilogue”

[Eilir Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poetry. I originally borrowed it from the library, then got it in audiobook form (narrated by the author), and then bought the book so I could own the text as well. I wanted both. I highly recommend both. Hearing the poems in his own voice, with his accent, made them leap from the page. I am a 9th-generation Kentuckian, although I am from the Bluegrass, not the Appalachians. But this volume filled me with pride for my people, especially 'Those Who Carry Us'. My favorite poem is 'For Those Who Have Loved Old Dogs'. As he reads it, his voice nearly breaks. You can tell he loves the dogs he has himself had. You feel a nearness to the author in the text, but in his voice even more so. The book is a wonderful collection of poems that make you feel, think, and wonder. They touch you just as poetry should. The audiobook is as if you had invited the author into your home, had him over for salmon cakes and beans, and by the fireplace, telling you stories afterwards.

[C.B. Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to be more sparing with my 5-star reviews lately, but All These Ghosts is definitely deserving of one!

As a feminine man growing up in the American South, House's words resonate with me unlike anything else has in my adult life. I too, was raised by women. I too, was judged by the men I grew up around, and assumed homosexual. They couldn't have been more wrong, but now, looking back, I can see that I was probably miming the ladies I was around most—doing the things they do, showing interest in the things they were interested in, injecting myself into their conversations I wasn't supposed to be listening to...

In one poem, he quotes his sister's boyfriend, who asks: "Why does he talk like that? Why does he sit like that?"

In grade school, I often overheard observations like this being made about myself: How I stood, hands on hips, and how I dressed. How I sat. How I spoke. The things I drew, the things I liked...

Silas House's All These Ghosts makes me feel seen and understood, in a way that the men of my family will never understand.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to receive an autographed copy of Silas House’s first book of poetry when I heard him speak recently. If you get the chance to hear him, go.

He is genuine, eloquent and engaging. Thanks to him, I have a new favorite word - “gloaming.” A word I was unfamiliar with, yet it represents my favorite time of day.

I dove right into this beautiful, lyrical book which represents such strong connection to Appalachia … deep roots, our natural world, dogs, friendship, kinship, water, ghosts, loneliness, longing, comfort food, memories, music, trauma, and perseverence.

The good, the bad and the ugly. All remembered. All accepted. All forgiven. All, shared with a profound sense of pride.

His themes resonated deeply and engaged all of the senses. I was ‘there.’ Present, in that moment. After reading, I had to sit with it a spell.

This book makes me proud to be a Kentuckian - a gift, in and of itself. Thank you Silas.

[Annette Coomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the VERY best poetry collections EVER! I truly felt like I was reliving my favorite parts of Appalachia. The imagery is spectacular! This collection will tug at your heart, make you smile, shed a few tears, and even snicker a little bit!! I can hear the sounds of the Appalachian nights. I can smell the smells in the kitchen and the rain in the forest. But most of all, these poems have made me reflect on how we treat people and how we are treated by people. They do, indeed, pack a punch - one we all need!
Silas House
All These Ghosts

[Deb Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many moons ago, I told a literature professor that I didn't appreciate poetry because most felt like a riddle or a problem to solve. [I recall feeling really dumb saying that outloud.] But I didn't hesitate to buy "All These Ghosts" when I saw Silas House was the author. Indeed, after reading and rereading the book, I bought the audio for the experience of being immersed in the author's voice.

I am a Hoosier, but my people are from south central Kentucky. Silas transports me back to my Granny's kitchen, loud cousins, cicadas, and froggy creeks, cigarettes between my aunts teeth while cooking, dusty dirt roads and cars...the family cemetery where many of the old ghosts live.

I will read/listen to this book again and again.

[bren · Rating 5 out of 5]

there was something so intimate and personal about this collection—specifically the first half—that made me want to live within each stanza. perhaps that’s just because i come from a momma raised on a tobacco farm in kentucky with half my family still in the state. perhaps it’s the fact that i’ve seen cumberland falls and that i have a mamaw and a granny who’s connection came through food. aside from that, though, there was a reminiscent feeling, a love both at a distance and with closeness, that felt beautifully portrayed—especially regarding the queer experience. the nature imagery was another well done plus.

[Matthew Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife introduced me to Silas House several years ago. Clays Quilt, A Parchment of Leaves, Coal Tattoo did not disappoint. Everything I’ve read has been great. All These Ghosts was equally good. Poems that particularly resonated with me were:
Those Who Carry Us
New Year Prayer
Watch Closely
Three Sisters
Northern Lights
For You Who Have Loved Old Dogs
Happy Hour
When Times Are Dark
Rivers
John Prine

I think Barbara Kingsolver, in her interview with Silas House, summed this book up nicely when she said “Poetry naturally tends to be auditory, but these are also visual, tactile, olfactory—they call up all the senses,”

[Marda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!! Silas House's narrative poetry beautifully captures the light and the darkness of the Appalachian people. It's easy to see why he was selected as the Poet Laureate of Kentucky. I can't wait for his next collection.

I marked 19 poems in this collection as new favorites! I especially loved Northern Lights, and Double Creek Girl. AND, if you read this collection (which I WOULD recommend) make sure to read the Interview with Barbara Kingsolver at the end of the collection.

First lines of the first poem, Lost Place:
"I hear a song that kills yet is a hinge
from my country so far, so close:"

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silas House has written a lovely collection of poems, many of which are an ode to his rural Kentucky upbringing. While I grew up in Illinois, his remembrances bring back fond memories, for as a Gen X youth, my friends and I explored our natural surroundings with abandon. Poems that I found especially evocative were Gloaming, Leslie County, Pining ( I knew immediately who A.P. and Sara were), Double Creek Girl, False Spring, Timesickness (as we get older, we often experience timesickness for family long gone), Dale Hollow Lake, 1989, and The Most Beautiful Words.

[Jill Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas House is one of the most talented authors of the modern age. He is a must read if you want to read about authentic Appalachia from an Appalachian. His prose is beautiful; his poetry...leaves me nearly speechless.

These poems put into words all the feelings of Appalachia in the most beautiful eloquent way. This is true Appalachian art. His voice is incredible and indelible. This is the most beautiful collection of poetry I've read this year.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I tell you these poems touched my soul I’m not kidding. They are so full of life, dreams and pain. I read a few each morning when it was quiet and I could really absorb them. House has a way with words that are so beautiful. His novels are great, but here in the poetry is where I think his talent really shines.