About the Author

Kim Roberts is a freelance literary historian, writer, and editor living in Washington, DC, and the author of A Literary Guide to Washington, DC.

Reviews

By Broad Potomac's Shore is an anthology of 132 poets who were active in Washington, DC from the city's founding to about 1930, with a focus on women and minority poets, as well as writers' works that may have been lost to time.-- "NoVa Mag"

As befits our complicated history, the poems present a remarkable range of themes about America, from grand to intimate, from wildly celebratory to scathingly critical.-- "Washington Post Book Club"

Kim Roberts, once again, shows her skills as Washington D.C.'s literary historian. Impeccable research and a heart for the past make Roberts' work shine bright, bringing voices to the page from the shadows. It's our great good luck to make the acquaintance of these distinguished poetry ancestors from the early days of our Capital.

Kim Roberts's By Broad Potomac's Shore confirms why she is called Washington's literary historian. Informative, heartbreaking, and filled with delights, Roberts's preface alone is worth reading for its concise and fascinating history of DC, the first place slavery officially ended, nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. Roberts's anthology covers authors born in the 1750s to those born before 1900.-- "Delmarva Review"

Roberts has done a masterful job of bringing to life more than 130 poets who were born before 1800 through 1900 and who lived and worked in Washington. In her thoughtfully crafted introduction, she sets the stage, describing how DC institutions and historical events affected society and the arts in the nation's capital. Then, chronologically and by theme, she presents concise by lively biographies for each poet--sometimes including contemporaneous descriptions from newspaper obituaries--and samples of their works.--Karen Lyon "Hill Rag"

This is a marvelously rich and satisfying project--a comprehensive treasure trove of poems by poets living in Washington, DC, during its first one hundred years as the nation's capital. Roberts has resoundingly achieved her goal in this collection, which includes sample poems by well over one hundred poets. An impressive job of research and a valuable contribution to our understanding of Washington's literary history.--Christopher Sten, author of Literary Capital: A Washington Reader