A Settled Ship in an Ocean of Hills / Hillbillies against Jesus

by Bram Riddlebarger

"I've enjoyed these small narratives; they are smart poems."
-Robert VanderMolen, author of WATER and SKIN

A SETTLED SHIP IN AN OCEAN OF HILLS and HILLBILLIES AGAINST JESUS is a double book of poems by Bram Riddlebarger that explores ideas of fatherhood, work, and place, largely in the Appalachian foothills of Southeastern Ohio. Written largely while the author was working in as a packer in a warehouse as well as a manual laborer for a small local farm. It is the third book from Gob Pile Press.

Genres: Poetry

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2021

About the author

Bram Riddlebarger writes, plays music, and lives in Southeastern Ohio.

Reviews

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riddlebarger takes us out into the nature of South-East Ohio and to the inner workings of his mind in this double header collection. These are whimsical, short poems that feel like breathing in a lungful of fresh air. It's a book what he has even in the face of day-to-day degradations.

Gob Pile Press have quickly become a must read poetry press for me publishing work that manages to evoke fun and lightness while also examining the way of life today. It's neither too downhearted or too quirky hitting a note of every day realism that should be relatable to readers all over.

[Bob Comparda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two collections of poems by Ohio native, Bram Riddlebarger, containing somewhere between 100-150 poems about living in the Appalachia's. You'll flip through a couple and not feel much and then the next thing you know you're staring at the page for five minutes contemplating everything you've ever done. Can't decide which collection I enjoyed more, but I did like the dedication page in Hillbillies against Jesus more.

[Alan ten-Hoeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has become one of my favorite poetry collections. I've read it several times and still find myself picking it up again and again. Whatever Riddlebarger puts out, whether it be poetry, short stories, or novels, he always manages to hit it out of the park. Trying to choose a favorite is like asking a Metallica purist to decide which of the first four albums is the best, because whichever one is playing happens to be the one.

[Homeless Homeless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar poetry collection. I’ve read it twice already. Gob Pile Press doesn’t miss.