In 2021, Kari Gunter-Seymour was named an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Gunter-Seymour published I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing: Ohio’s Appalachian Voices, an anthology that aims to represent, educate, and speak honestly and proudly about Ohio’s Appalachian population, providing examples of the community's honor, endurance, courage, culture, love of family, and land. Once published, the anthology will be the first to focus strictly on Ohio-based Appalachian teens and adults and will be distributed for free to every library in Ohio, of which there are 732, with discounted pricing options available for schools and nonprofit organizations.